High blood pressure: a contemporary plague

Currently, high blood pressure is one of the most worrying problems in Western societies. Learn how to prevent and reduce its effects.

It is known that only in the United States, 30 percent of deaths by heart attack are due to hypertension. In Europe, the numbers are not very different, which makes us believe that in the contemporary Western world we are heading towards a context in which the problem will only worsen over the years. But what is after all the hypertension and how we prevent or mitigate its effects?

Also known as Hypertension, it is characterized by a rise of blood pressure inside the vein, which may cause an overload and a potential rupture, resulting in situations that pose a great risk to human life, such as strokes and heart attacks. To control blood pressure and know that everything is alright with the cardiovascular system, it is imperative to do regular checkups and, if possible, measure the blood pressure at home. Acceptable values are around 120mmHg (maximum) and 80mmHg (minimum).

Still, lifestyle is crucial to avoid having high blood pressure. Starting with the diet: everything that has too much salt or sugar is a poison for blood pressure. Being sedentary does not help, so the ideal is to keep as active as possible, physically speaking.

Hypertension settles and shows itself through easily noticeable symptoms, among which we find extreme headaches, tremendous fatigue, vision problems, chest pain, trouble breathing, irregular heartbeat or blood in the urine. If you have one or more symptoms of this kind, don’t self-medicate: look for an expert and do the necessary medical examinations.

For high blood pressure patients, it is important, first of all, to keep the ideal weight for your height. Also, reduce waist is important, since it assumes a lower fat count in the body and thus it will avoid more pressure in the veins. Moreover, it is important to practice physical exercise to release the body of impurities and keep the blood circulating, preventing potentially lethal clots. A balanced, salt and sugar free diet is also recommended. Alcoholic beverages are also prohibited.