High blood pressure is a condition which occurs when the pressure of the blood flow through the arteries increases, resulting in intense pressure. Hypertension occurs when the systolic pressure (pressure at which the heart pumps blood) and the diastolic pressure (pressure at which the heart relaxes) is more than 140 and 90 respectively.

Symptoms of high blood pressure are: 

1. Shortness of breath

If you have high blood pressure, then you may experience regular shortness of breath.

2. Headaches

You may experience headaches on a regular basis.

3. Weakness of the heart muscles

Hypertension results in a weak heart which may not be able to pump blood properly.

4. Narrowing of blood vessels

Narrowing of blood vessels may lead to other complications such as failure of the kidneys, heart, and brain.

5. Vision problems

It may lead to vision problems as blood vessels in the eye may be affected.

The various causes of blood pressure are: 

1. Tobacco
If you smoke on a regular basis, you put yourself at an increased risk of getting affected by blood pressure.

2. Lifestyle
Not exercising regularly, eating a sodium-rich diet are all factors which can increase the chances of hypertension.

3. Age
The chances of getting affected by hypertension increase as you age.

4. Weight
Being excessively obese also increases your risk of getting affected by hypertension.

5. Diabetes
Being diabetic makes you more prone to getting affected by diabetes.

6. Hyperthyroidism
If you have an overactive thyroid gland, then it may result in hypertension.

Hypertension may result in various health complications in the body such as:

1. Aneurysm

This is a disorder of the blood vessels which causes the blood vessels to bulge and weaken.

2. Heart attack

High blood pressure causes the arteries to harden and thicken which may lead to a heart attack.

3. Metabolic syndrome

This syndrome refers to a group of complications such as high bad cholesterol levels and insulin levels in the body.

4. Impaired brain functioning
It may also impair your ability to learn and impact your cognitive skills.

Hypertension and High Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is one of the vital life signs in medicine, which, along with other vitals is widely used to assess the overall health of the patient. High blood pressure is very dangerous as normally it has no symptoms or signs and can fluctuate almost instantly. But, it could be managed. High blood pressure is said to be of higher than 120 (systolic) and 80 (diastolic).

A nap in a day might help in lowering blood pressure. According to certain research findings, people who sleep in the daytime had regular blood pressure as compared to people who do not sleep or do not have a short nap. Napping can effectively help lowering blood pressure. It helps the blood to control stress hormones and also helps the nervous system to keep a person healthy.

Daytime napping surely helps in boosting energy levels and efficiency throughout the day. Blood pressure increases after a nap caused by the body s normal circadian rhythm (for influencing and regulating sleep-wake pattern for a healthy cycle in a day). At the time of the morning, the body releases hormones such as noradrenaline and adrenaline. If the blood pressure increases too high, it could cause harmful effects. Blood pressure is usually lower at night while a person is sleeping. The blood pressure begins to increase a few hours before a person wakes up. The blood pressure continues to increase during the day, normally extreme in the mid of the afternoon. The blood pressure starts dropping again in the evening and late afternoon. Sleep helps the blood to regulate stress hormones.

Napping, since it helps in lowering blood pressure, definitely helps in reducing the risk of Sleeping for about seven to eight hours in the night might play a vital role in the prevention of high blood pressure. New research suggests that an afternoon nap is as productive as consuming a pill for lowering the blood pressure. Scientists have found that the people who take a midday nap are more likely to drop their blood pressure as compared to adults who don t take a midday nap and stay awake. Napping, since it helps in lowering blood pressure, definitely helps in reducing the risk of cardiovascular events like a stroke or a heart attack. It is as effective as other lifestyle changes, according to credible researches in medicine. It is interesting to note that napping, even when it reduces the blood pressure by 2 mm Hg only, reduces the risk of cardiovascular events by 10%.

Napping is a sort of shortcut and an effective method for lowering the blood pressure and could also be easily adopted and does not cost anything. Short midday sleep is important for our well-being. And, we can utilize this simple information very effectively for its potential health-related benefits simply by managing our daily schedule.

Napping & Low Blood Pressure - How Can Former Help Latter?

Hypertension or High Blood Pressure can trigger as well as worsen complications related to diabetes. Most people suffering from diabetes tend to develop hypertension later in their lives. Diabetes tends to increase one s blood pressure, making him/her even more vulnerable to other heart diseases and cardio-vascular disorders. Diabetes often leads to a condition known as atherosclerosis, which is the hardening of the arteries. A combination of diabetes and hypertension drastically increases the risk of suffering from a heart disease. The risks of kidney diseases and retinopathy (damage to the tiny blood vessels present in the retina) also go up, resulting in blindness. With age, chronic hypertension can also result in numerous cognitive disorders such as dementia or Alzheimer s disease (degenerative mental disorder).

How to prevent Diabetes and Hypertension?
1. Walking for about 40 minutes each day or engaging in any type of aerobic exercise can better one s heart health. Chalk out an exercise plan upon consulting the doctor
2. Limit drinking and abstain from smoking
3. Go for regular kidney check-ups
4. Eat food rich in fiber such as vegetables, fruits, breads or whole grain cereals
5. Examine blood pressure as well as blood sugar levels regularly at home
6. Practice relaxation techniques such as meditation or yoga to cut down on stress level; as stress is one of the major contributors to diabetes and the subsequent hypertension
7. Shed off your extra pounds as blood pressure escalates with weight

Hypertension and Diabetes - How They are Related?

Causes and Symptoms of Renal Hypertension

High blood pressure is characterized by an increased force that the blood exerts on the blood vessels when it moves through the body. Renal hypertension is a blood pressure disorder where the arteries that carry blood to the kidneys become narrow, as a result of which the blood pressure through these vessels increases.

Causes

It is caused when the arteries that supply blood to the kidney get narrow or get blocked. This can cause the kidney to release specific hormones that signal the body to retain water and sodium. This can put additional pressure on the blood vessels which leads to increased blood pressure. It can also be caused by atherosclerosis which is characterized by hardening of the arteries. Improper development of the arteries can also lead to renal hypertension.

Symptoms

The symptoms of renal hypertension are:

Feeling confused
Blurred vision
Regular headaches
Bleeding from the nose
Gradual decline in kidney function
Possible long-term damage to the kidney
Feeling lethargic and drowsy
Loss of appetite
Dryness in skin
Muscle cramps
Breathing difficulties

Treatments

The diagnostic procedure for this disorder consists of blood, urine, doppler ultrasound and CT angiography or MR angiography tests. Treatments for this disorder usually include medications to ease blood pressure. Preventive measures include modifications in lifestyle such as following a proper diet, limiting smoking, restricting sodium or salt in the diet and following an exercise regimen. Steps should also be taken to reduce stress. Yoga and meditation are highly beneficial to control the condition. Sometimes intervention is needed in the form of PTRA and stenting.

High Blood Pressure and Kidney Disease - Causes and Symptoms!

Blood pressure is the measure of the resistance to the natural flow of blood in the blood vessels. The major, minor and few smaller blood vessels themselves have a thin muscular lining that keeps the vessel supple and aids the flow of nutritious blood within its tube-like structure. The vessel walls resist the free flow causing a reverse pressure that is referred to as Blood Pressure. This pressure strains the heart muscles (Left Ventricle more) to contract strongly to push the nutritious blood into the body circulation system.

Due to numerous factors, there is an increase of resistance within the blood vessels that leads to an increase in blood pressure. At a later stage, this results in lack of adequate blood flow to the end tissues and an accumulation of fluids in the various tissues/organs and a mismanagement of the nutrition-detoxification rhythmic cycle of the body. This takes a long time to develop and unless the last stage hampers body functions, it is not detected. Hence, blood pressure is known as a silent disease.

Systolic and diastolic are the two rhythms corresponding to the expansion and contraction of the heart chambers during pumping of blood into the body. This rhythm creates two distinct pressures within the blood vessels. Systolic is when the heart ventricular chamber contract to pump blood into the body, so the pressure is higher. This indicated the force or strain on the heart to push blood into the circulatory system. Hence, this count is considered significant in evaluating health parameters.

High BP as a disease is declared when three or more readings taken at different times of a day or on consecutive days shows increase in BP. Higher the BP, more strain is exerted by the heart. Since the heart is essentially a muscular organ, the muscles of the heart get affected. Sometimes, the heart muscles increase in mass and size making the heart chambers smaller in volume. This further deteriorates the circulation capability leading to numerous diseases. The strain of pumping nutrition to different body organs is also felt by the heart itself. Lack of nutrition can lead to death of cardiac tissue leading to heart failure. High blood pressure makes the heart walls thicken and becomes stiffer which makes it even more difficult to pump blood. Thickening of the heart muscles is also known as left ventricular hypertrophy and cause heart failure.

A systolic blood pressure reading that is higher than 140 mm Hg or a diastolic blood pressure higher than 90 mm Hg characterizes by high blood pressure. High blood pressure is said to be responsible for 50% of the recorded cases of ischemic strokes and also increases the risk of hemorrhagic strokes.

When heart cannot pump with enough force, there is a mismanagement in the intra-cellular and tissue fluid restoration. This puts a great strain on the kidney function. In due course of time, numerous organs of the body suffer and depending on the body constitution, immunity for rejuvenation and restoration of order, the person suffer from numerous diseases.

Diabetes worsens the situation of BP and adds to the deterioration of heart health, blood vessel health. Poor heart functioning leads to different symptoms like:

Shortness of breath
Swollen ankles or feet
Difficulty lying flat on your back
Bloating and nausea
Irregular pulse
Frequent urge to urinate at night
Fatigue
Due to disturbances in BP and other factors leading to lacking of nutrition to the heart tissue. Heart Disease complications are commonly seen with symptoms as follows:

Radiating or dull pain, especially in the chest, radiating in the arms, especially left arm, neck, back and in the stomach especially in women.

Shortness of breath; change in breathing patterns and heaviness in chest
Dizziness and fainting sometimes
Irregular pulse and palpitations
Sudden onset of excessive sweating
Unexplained fatigue, weakness and depression
Heart Disease can be treated with natural ayurvedic medicaments successfully in more than 80% of patients. Numerous ayurvedic medicines have been clinically evaluated to show positive changes supported with clinical investigation. Since ayurvedic medicines are targeted to reaching the root cause of the disturbances and to reduce the burden of the disease they go beyond the relief of symptoms.

Natural Ayurvedic medicines also participate in the rejuvenation of the heart muscles, the blood vessels, the detoxification of the body and re-balancing of health parameters, Ayurvedic treatment options are gaining great relevance and patient opt for such treatment in greater numbers from all over the world. These treatments are non-invasive and very cost effective. They are good to be taken from prevention to after angioplasty, stent or bye-pass to treat the cause of disease.

Ayurveda is a health science that takes into consideration lifestyle modifications, adequate detoxification, re-balancing body element and strengthening the system from all aspects. Ayurvedic medicines have proved useful in the treatment of Blood Pressure, Diabetes, Vascular disease (leading to atherosclerosis, blockages, wear-tear of blood vessels) and Heart disease. Today, these treatment options are gaining importance and acceptance in our society.

Link Between Heart Diseases and High Blood Pressure

Health experts do believe, and are promoting the same nowadays, that eating right is the best step to control high blood pressure other than regular medications. Who knows, if you are strong enough to control your lifestyle and eating habits, you may not need a long term medication after some time. The blood pressure may lower down naturally with improving health and weight.

Factors that elevate blood pressure in the body.

Before suggesting the right eatables for lowering the blood pressure, let s look at the conditions which actually increase the blood pressure. They are:

A coronary heart disease
Stress
Anxiety
Work pressure or family and relationship troubles
Obesity
Cholesterol
Other medical conditions like diabetes, depression, etc.
Pregnancy
Each one has a toll on the body with resultant High Blood Pressure. With eating right you may gain a lot of control on the body.

Eating Right

Here are some quick tips on eating right:

Avoid excess salt intake. The more salt you take, the more sodium your body gets, and as a result BP elevates. When you eat readymade snacks, packaged foods and drinks with preservatives, check the nutritional information. Most of them contain high sodium. You may stop the intake of such foods or restrict them completely.

Avoid oily and junk food. Avoid food with unsaturated or trans fats. These kinds of foods straightaway add to the fat deposits of the body, and make you obese or more obese. In such cases, the obesity and increased weight build a pressure on the heart to pump more, thus elevating blood pressure.

Avoid excess caffeine. Caffeine comes in the body through coffee, tea, and aerated drinks. These beverages when restricted to only 1-2 intakes per day may help you lower the BP.

Quit smoking, as this puts excess pressure on the lungs to breathe and thus the heart to pump.

Reduce alcohol intake: Avoid alcohol intake in excess amounts. Drinking more alcohol or frequent drinking can elevate blood pressure.

Besides there are some good foods that can always help to lower or control BP. They are:

Plain, fat-free yogurt or Greek yogurt
White beans
Pork tenderloins
Small fishes like Tilapia
Bananas
Oats
Broccoli
Bell Peppers
These food items are designed by nature to reduce blood pressure or normalize blood pressure in the body. Hence, if you are trying heart and soul to eat right, then try these in your daily food to see positive results. Besides, exercising and reducing weight are the two other important steps to take, which complement the healthy diet and eating habits to lower the blood pressure with or without medication.

High Blood Pressure - Control it by Eating Right

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