What Causes High Blood Pressure?

Some clients in Calgary, Canada, start their fitness program to get healthier, lose weight, and achieve natural methods of reducing high blood pressure. There are many reasons people develop it. Some causes respond to lifestyle changes, but there are cases where the cause is unknown. It tends to occur more frequently as people age, but it can happen at any age. Approximately half the population will develop high blood pressure at some time. It can lead to dangerous health issues like heart issues, kidney damage, or stroke.

There are usually no symptoms until it’s critical.

There’s a reason high blood pressure is called a silent killer. It often doesn’t have symptoms until it’s dangerously high. It may cause nose bleeds, shortness of breath, and headaches, but not everyone has those signs. When your blood pressure increases, it pushes harder on the artery walls and makes your heart work harder. The top number is the force of the blood in your arteries when your heart beats. It’s the systolic blood pressure. The bottom number is the force on the walls between pumps. Tiny tears can occur in the walls when the pressure is too hard. The body repairs them with LDL cholesterol by creating plaque, narrowing the walls, and elevating blood pressure more.

Starting an exercise program can help reduce blood pressure without medication.

If your doctor suggests you take medication or if you’re already on medication, don’t stop. Always discuss any exercise program with your doctor before starting. Regular exercise can reduce blood pressure. It causes large muscles to increase the production of nitric oxide, which causes them to get wider, lowering blood pressure. It also helps you lose weight and lower blood pressure. Cutting out sugar can also help you shed weight. Sugar inhibits the production of nitric oxide. Cutting out salt is also helpful. Salt draws fluid into the blood from surrounding cells and increases blood volume, which may increase blood pressure.

Other lifestyle changes make a difference, too.

If you smoke, quit. You can slowly wean yourself from cigarettes or quit cold turkey. Many nicotine products on the market can help you quit. Smoking causes blood vessels to constrict, driving up blood pressure. Get adequate sleep. When you sleep, your blood pressure lowers, and your body heals.

• Stress can cause high blood pressure. Learn relaxation techniques. Deep breathing exercises and meditation can help lower stress and reduce blood pressure.
• Other things that can contribute to high blood pressure include apnea, illegal drug use, cough or cold medicine, thyroid problems, and congenital heart defects. Dealing with the underlying condition can cause high blood pressure.
• Blood pressure is elevated when the top—systolic—reading is higher than 130 and the bottom—diastolic—number is above 80. If the systolic number is above 180 or the diastolic number is higher than 120, you have a hypertensive crisis.
• Sometimes, doctors can’t locate the cause of high blood pressure. It may come from aging and less flexible vessels. Some people are genetically more prone to having it, but making lifestyle changes can help control it with less medication.

For more information, contact us today at Get RIPPED! by Jari Love