Hypertension is a medical term used to describe high blood pressure. This pressure is medically translated into how much force the human blood exerts on the arteries walls during flow. In certain situations, this pressure can reach a very high level, and this medical condition is referred to as hypertension.
What causes hypertension?
Determining the exact factors which can lead to hypertension is difficult. Normally, these are very dependent on a person’s lifestyle, but can also be related to their age, ethnicity, or dietary habits. On a general note, there are two categories of hypertension: primary high blood pressure, which has an unknown cause, or secondary high blood pressure, which is caused by another health problem.
The factors that cause hypertension can be quite varied. To mention a few:
- Age is one of the major factors. It’s well-known that elderly people are more to have high blood pressure, especially when they are over 65 years of age. However, there has recently been an increase in the number of young people (under the age of 35) that show signs of hypertension.
- Poor diet is probably the second most common cause of hypertension. Poor diet includes everything from eating too much fat, drinking too much alcohol and coffee, and even smoking. A lack of exercise is also a factor that, in combination with a poor diet, greatly increases the odds of someone having high blood pressure.
- Another result of a poor diet is high cholesterol which, in turn, leads to high blood pressure, as it clogs the arteries and restricts blood flow.
- Sleep disorders have also been linked to hypertension. When a person doesn’t get enough sleep, the heart rate can be irregular, which directly affects blood circulation and could increase its pressure.
- Diabetes also causes hypertension. A person who suffers from type 1 diabetes can keep hypertension under control by limiting sugar intake and using insulin as the doctor prescribed. People who have type 2 diabetes need to be really careful with the medication they take, as well as take extra case of their weight.
- Certain types of medication can also increase a person’s blood pressure. These drugs can be anything from ibuprofen to some weight loss pills that suppress appetite.
- Mental stress is always something to look out, but what some people don’t know is how it can increase blood pressure to an alarming level. People that suffer from hypertension will often hear about how they need to avoid any stress factors.
Who is at risk of hypertension?
There are a lot of different categories of people who are bound to end up having high blood pressure. Normally, hypertension is linked with age: the older a person is, the likelier they are to have elevated blood pressure. However, there is also a direct correlation between a person’s lifestyle and hypertension, so paying close attention to what you eat and how you sleep can also be a determining factor in the whole scenario
- People who smoke, drink alcohol and caffeine every day, have greater odds at ending up with hypertension.
- Pregnant women, but also women who take birth control pills are also under this threat.
- Your diet of choice can also determine whether you are bound to end up with blood pressure or not. Eating too much salt or sugar, as well as fatty foods exposes you greatly. On the other hand, a regular intake of fresh fruit and vegetable decreases those odds.
- Consequently to the bullet point above, people who are obese are likely to suffer from hypertension. Performing regular exercise is a crucial part of a healthy lifestyle. Furthermore, it has been proven that people who lead sedentary lifestyles have increased chances of having high blood pressure.
- If a close family member has hypertension, you are also likely to have it.
- According to medical research, people from certain minorities are more exposed to hypertension, including African-Americans.
- Irregular sleeping patterns, as well as the lack of sleep can increase the risks of a person having hypertension.
- People over the age of 65.
Hypertension in children and teens
Although it’s not extremely frequent, hypertension can also be a cause of concern in children and teens, but sometimes for different reasons. In children, obesity is the major cause for concern. Preventing high blood pressure involved a strict implication in the child’s diet, making sure to avoid fatty foods, snacks, sugar and fizzy drinks as much as possible.
It’s also important for a child to be physically active, as one of the major parental concerns in today’s modern society is the child’s addiction to gadgets, preferring to stay indoors and play computer games or watch TV instead of playing outside and exercising.
In teens, the lack of sleep is not an uncommon occurrence. It’s common for people who suffer from sleep apnea, insomnia, or don’t get quality hours of sleep to have higher blood pressures. Teens who are more preoccupied in being socially active will often neglect the importance of sleep. Most adults, in fact, didn’t understand the importance of sleep until later in life, so it’s a parent’s duty to ensure a teenager is getting sufficient hours of sleep each night.
Conclusion
Studies have revealed that about one in three adults in the USA suffer from hypertension. Back in 2001, high blood pressure was responsible for the death of 49,707 Americans. Sadly, most of the people who die because of high blood pressure aren’t even aware of this condition.
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