High Blood Pressure (Hypertension): The Silent Killer (Speaker: Dr. S. A. Tabish)

High blood pressure is the biggest known cause of disability and premature death worldwide through stroke, heart attack and heart disease. What is blood pressure? Every time the heart beats it contracts, pumping blood in to the arteries, which is carried through to every part of your body to give it the energy and oxygen it needs. As the blood moves along the artery, it pushes against the sides of the blood vessels. The force of this pushing is your blood pressure. The pressure is at it’s highest when the heart beats. This is called the systolic pressure (top number), and should be around 120 or less. The pressure is at it’s lowest when the heart relaxes (rests) in between beats. This is called the diastolic pressure (bottom number), and should be around 80 or less. Blood pressure is therefore expressed as two numbers, systolic and diastolic. Blood pressure is measured in ‘millimetres of mercury’ (mmHg). When your blood pressure is measured it will be written as two numbers. For example, if your reading is 120/80mmHg, your blood pressure is ‘120 over 80’. What is high blood pressure? If either or both your readings are consistently 140 over 90, or higher, over a number of weeks you probably have high blood pressure. High BP usually has no signs or symptoms, so the only way to know if you have high blood pressure is to have yours measured. However, a single high reading does not necessarily mean you have high blood pressure. Many things can affect your blood pressure through the day, so you will need to see that it stays high over time. Diagnosis will be made by your Physician. Why is high blood pressure important? If your blood pressure is too high, it puts extra strain on your heart and blood vessels. Over time if left untreated or undiagnosed, this extra strain can possibly damage your body’s organs, which puts you at risk of health problems. If you have high blood pressure and do not control it, this raises your risk of a heart attack or stroke. High blood pressure can damage your arteries, cause heart disease, kidney disease and eye problems, and is a risk factor for some forms of vascular dementia. What causes high blood pressure? For most people, there may be no single cause for their high blood pressure. We do not know exactly what causes high blood pressure. We do know that your lifestyle can affect your risk of developing it. You are at a higher risk if: you eat too much salt; you don’t eat enough fruit and vegetables; you are not active enough; you are overweight; you drink too much alcohol. Healthy eating and BP If your blood pressure is too high, you can make healthy changes to your lifestyle to help bring it down. The following changes to your diet and activity can have a real effect on your BP. Eat less salt Too much salt raises your BP, so it is important to eat as little as possible. Most of the salt you eat is not what you add to your food, but is in prepared foods like bread, breakfast cereals and ready meals. Don’t add salt to food when cooking or at the table. When shopping for food, check the labels and choose low-salt options when you can. Eat more fruit and vegetables Eating more fruit and vegetables helps to lower your blood pressure. Adults should eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day. A portion is 80 grams, or roughly the size of your fist. Try to eat a range of different fruits and vegetables. Dried, frozen and tinned are fine, but watch out for added salt, sugar or fats. Fruit juice and smoothies should be limited to a small glass a day. Keep to a healthy weight Losing weight, if you need to, will help lower your BP and reduce your risk of health problems. The best way to lose weight is to reduce your calorie intake and increase physical activity. Reduce your calorie intake by avoiding foods that contain a lot of added sugar and/or saturated fat, such as sugar-sweetened drinks, confectionery, cakes and biscuits. If overweight, losing just 5 to 10% of your weight will result in significant health benefits, including reducing your risk of heart attacks or stroke. Set yourself realistic goals. Make small changes in your diet and activity levels that you can keep to for life. Get more active 30 minutes of moderate exercise five times a week can keep your heart healthy, and can lower your blood pressure. If you can’t find 30 minutes in your day, increasing your activity by even a small amount can help. Think about how you can be more active in your daily life. Any activity that leaves you feeling warm and slightly out of breath is ideal. MEASURING YOUR BP As measuring BP in a clinic may make you feel anxious, which can affect the results, you might find it helpful to measure your own BP at home between appointments with your doctor or nurse. This can be really useful in allowing you to monitor what your BP is like in daily life, especially if you suffer from white coat effect. #hypertension #highbloodpressure #healthylifestyle #healthyfood