According to a report put together between 2000 and 2012 by the American Diabetes Association, 71 percent of adults who suffer from diabetes registered a blood pressure of at least 140/90 or were on some form of medical treatment for hypertension.
Hypertension
Hypertension is characterized by blood pressure which exceeds a certain threshold that’s labeled as being normal. Thankfully, checking your blood pressure is a routine medical exam which can be performed by any doctor with a blood pressure monitor.
Alternatively, you can also purchase the necessary equipment for monitoring your blood pressure at home, as it is easy to find and inexpensive. However, if you don’t learn the correct technique for taking your own blood pressure, you could end up with mistaken results. Your doctor can teach you the best way of taking your own blood pressure.
A healthy blood pressure should never exceed the 120/80 mm Hg threshold. People who have a systolic blood pressure (the first number in a sequence of two) between 120 and 139 and a diastolic reading (the second number in the sequence) between 80 and 89 are considered to have a mild form of hypertension.
Diabetes
Diabetes is a medical condition that occurs when the body is unable to process glucose. In other words, the quantity of sugar in your blood is too high. Diabetes is a sign that your blood has problems with its insulin levels, which are responsible for the glucose absorption of your body cells.
There are two different forms of diabetes:
- About five percent of the people who are diagnosed with this condition have type 1 diabetes. In this situation, there is not enough insulin in the blood. Thankfully, insulin therapies are available, and they can help people live with type 1 diabetes for a very long time. Some of the symptoms experienced when having type 1 diabetes are an insatiable appetite, vision problems, fatigue, a constant need to urinate, and increased thirst.
- More than 90 percent of diabetes cases are type 2 diabetes. This is generally caused by factors such as having a family history of people who suffered from diabetes, obesity, lack of physical exercise, or intolerance to glucose. The symptoms of type 2 diabetes are similar to those of type 1, but there were also registered cases when people with diabetes showed no symptoms until the condition was in a more advanced stage.
The connection between hypertension and diabetes
Diabetes can influence blood pressure in three different ways:
- It can increase your body fluid, which is a common issue that leads to an elevation in blood pressure.
- It acts as an impediment on the arteries, preventing them to stretch and allow a normal blood flow to circulate through them.
- It influences your body’s ability to manage insulin levels.
The interesting fact — and the reason why diabetes and hypertension coexist — is that they have similar triggers, which include an unhealthy diet, obesity, or an inactive lifestyle.
Treatment: How are combined diabetes and hypertension managed?
Patients who suffer from diabetes and also have high blood pressure will be required to make lifestyle changes as well as take medication that lowers their blood pressure. Lifestyle changes are also a great part of controlling diabetes, so if you’ve been first diagnosed with the latter, you may already know what the requirements are for leading a healthy lifestyle.
As far as lifestyle changes for hypertension are concerned, the following changes are mandatory:
- Exercising on a regular basis. This involves either more intense exercises a few times a week, or moderate physical activities each day. Even a 30 minute walk every day is considered to be good for your health.
- Lowering your salt intake is very important for keeping blood pressure under control.
- Doctors also recommend being very careful with how much sugar you consume if you have high blood pressure, but if you also suffer from diabetes, the restrictions are even more severe.
- Large quantities of alcohol also lead to an increase in blood pressure. While a maximum of two glasses per day are acceptable, anything above that limited can cause hypertension.
- Smoking is also a habit that influences both diabetes and blood pressure levels in a negative way. People who suffer from hypertension should avoid smoking, as it contributes to an increase in blood pressure.
There are cases where hypertension medicine can actually increase the sugar levels inside your body, so it’s crucial for your doctor to be aware of your diabetes condition before prescribing hypertension meds.
Conclusion
People who suffer from diabetes and eventually end up having hypertension won’t always receive medical treatment, unless their blood pressure readings exceed the 140/90 mm Hg threshold. Those who have a mild form of hypertension will most likely receive lifestyle change recommendations.
If you suffer from hypertension, you may need medication for the rest of your life. However, there are people who experience such an improvement in their blood pressure reading after making lifestyle changes that they might not need medication anymore.