Medical practitioners measure your blood pressure in millimeters of mercury. A high systolic blood pressure level is any number higher than 140. An elevated diastolic blood pressure level is any measurement more than 90. Those who test higher than these numbers over multiple medical screenings are considered to have stage one hypertension. Stage 2 hypertension is a diastolic measure above 100 and a systolic blood pressure level of more than 160. People who have stage 2 hypertension are considered to be in a medical emergency. Find out more about dangerously high blood pressure.
What Causes This And What Can We Do About It?
High blood pressure levels do not always have a known cause. Nor will an individual with high blood pressure necessarily notice any symptoms. Consequently, high blood pressure is often described as the “silent killer.” In fact a person can have high blood pressure level for several years without even knowing it. The only way to know whether or not you have hypertension is with regular medical screenings. It is not until a person develops stage 2 hypertension that they begin to notice that anything is wrong.
A person with very high blood pressure levels may notice a strong headache, nausea, weakness, and blurred vision. If you notice any of these symptoms and you know, or suspect that you might have hypertension, go to your doctor .
The Dangers
If hypertension is left untreated it can do significant damage to the heart, blood vessels, eyes, and kidneys. People with dangerously high blood pressure levels, who do not receive the needed treatment are at very high risk of eye damage, stroke, aneurysm, heart attack, heart failure, kidney failure, and even death. Therefore regular blood pressure screenings from a health care provider are essential.
Treatment Programs
If two or more successive tests verify that you have high blood pressure, then there is a lot that you can do to help yourself. A healthy low-fat diet and regular exercise can help to decrease your blood pressure. Even a moderate amount of healthy weight loss can help reduce the problem of high blood pressure.
You should also eat less salt, reduce drinking alcohol, and stop your smoking if you partake in any of these habits. Many medications are also available to treat high blood pressure levels. Diuretics are helpful for people with stage one hypertension because they reduce the amount of sodium in the blood and decrease blood volume.
Your health care provider may also prescribe calcium channel blockers, which lower high blood pressure levels by slackening the muscles of the artery walls. Beta blockers are another alternative since they lower the heart rate and decrease the strength of heart contractions to relieve some of the pressure. Then there are ACE inhibitors which inhibit a hormone called angiotensin, which is a chemical that makes the blood vessels tighten and can therefore exacerbate hypertension.
To learn about the full range of medicines available to treat dangerous levels of blood pressure, talk to your health care provider. Alternative programs are also available for natural control of your blood pressure results. There are exercises which reduce tension and stress. Acupuncture and meditation can also reduce your stress levels and bring down your blood pressure levels.