In this blog ,we are going to discuss the various reasons for high blood pressure. We will discover the reasons which might be the food, lifestyle or any genetic disease that leads to the high blood pressure.The high blood pressure is the most common health issue that is prevailing in the world today and is the cause of many other chronic diseases.
Following is the list of various reasons that lead to a high blood pressure.
- Being overweight /obesity
- Smoking
- Stress
- Lack of Physical Activity
- Hereditary reasons
- Too much salt consumption
- Less consumption of green vegetables
- High consumption of Saturated fats
- Over Medications
- Sedentary Lifestyle
- Thyroid disorders
- Sleep Apnea
- Older age
Being overweight /Obesity:
One of the reasons for a high blood pressure is being overweight than the specified BMI or a person’s weight leading to obesity.If a person is overweight , the heart takes extra effort to pump the blood towards arteries for blood circulation, that puts an extra stress on the arteries which in return resist the blood flow.This results in high blood pressure.A person who is overweight is at a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Smoking
The use of products containing nicotine and other tobacco related products is one of the reasons for high blood pressure.The nicotine in cigarettes narrows the blood vessels and makes their walls thickened.This puts a pressure on the arteries and other blood vessels, that ultimately causes blood pressure to rise. The worst consequences may also lead to stroke or a heart attack.
Stress
One of the major reasons for a high blood pressure in today’s fast paced world, is stress.Frequent episodes of stress causes a surge in hormones of the human body that in return causes the heart to beat faster and narrows the blood vessels.Stress leads to various unhealthy habits like smoking , more alcohol consumption, random eatings and sleep disorders which increases the pressure on blood vessels.Stress related to job, family, workplace or any other reason should therefore be minimized by taking a break from the job and spending some time with the family.
Lack of Physical Activity
Among many other factors ,the lack of physical activity is a major cause of high blood pressure.Inactivity is related to high blood pressure and other cardiovascular diseases because a stagnant lifestyle contributes a lot to stress which ends up in hypertension and the blood vessels work under more pressure.
A physical activity is a natural drug to prevent cardiovascular diseases.The normal physical activities like routine walk, gardening, climbing stairs, gardening, house cleaning activities and the other more exertion activities like brisk walk, swimming,gym exercises and running are helpful in lowering the risk of stress and release hormones that are mood improvers. This prevents the body from the threat of cardiac related diseases.a minimum of 30 minutes exercise is recommended on daily basis to reduce the risk of high blood pressure.
Hereditary reasons
One of the reasons for a high blood pressure is the genetically transferred diseases like diabetes, stress or obesity that causes high blood pressure.Maintaining a healthy weight , eating a balanced diet and a regular exercise can therefore reduce the risk factors of genetically transferred high blood pressure.People with a family history of cardiovascular diseases or stress are more likely to have the symptoms of high blood pressure.
Less consumption of green vegetables
The less consumption of green leafy vegetables is another reason for the risk of high blood pressure.These natural greens are rich source of vitamins and minerals and specially vitamin B that is helpful in reducing the risk of heart diseases.Spinach,Broccoli,Lettuce and Mustard are good sources of essential folates that improves blood vessel functions and reduces inflammation.
High consumption of Saturated fats
Saturated fats are a great source of high blood pressure as the the intake of saturated fats raise the cholesterol level in the body.The higher levels of cholesterol results in a plaque on the inside wall of the blood vessels.This might even cause a stroke or heart attack.Therefore the saturated fats like butter , ghee, cheese and palm oil must be replaced with unsaturated fats like olive oil, corn oil, canola oil and flaxseed oil.Dietary fats should consist of foods containing low fats like omega 3.
Over Medications
Another reason for the high blood pressure is related to various drugs which is caused due to a reaction of any chemical in the medicines that might trigger the blood pressure.The chemical substances present in various medicines like NSAIDS, estrogens, antidepressants, thyroid hormones and various other medicines might react with some other chemicals and result in high blood pressure.
Sedentary Lifestyle
Various researches have proved that the the sedentary lifestyle is the cause of many diseases in the world as it slows down the metabolism and results in cardiovascular diseases, kidney failures, diabetes , hypertension , blood pressure and obesity.The lesser the physical activity , more health issues arise.Therefore a person should avoid sitting in one place for long or watching tv or listening to music while lying on the sofa for long.a regular exercise can prevent from these health issues and keep the body muscles strong for a longer period.
Thyroid disorders
Thyroid disorders can also be a reason for high blood pressure.If a thyroid gland releases too less or too much of a thyroid, it might worsen the heart functions and result in high blood pressure.Hyperthyroidism is believed to increase the metabolism rate and therefore results in high blood pressure.
Thyroid medicine is also a source to trigger blood pressure therefore the dose of thyroid medicine should be adjusted accordingly.
Sleep Apnea
Another health disorder that might result in high blood pressure is called sleep apnea.A sleep apnea is a shortness of breath that occurs when a person is asleep and causes snoring and tiredness. In sleep apnea the brain actually fails to send exact signals to the muscles to start the breathing process which results in a delayed breathing process during sleep.This results in the weakness of heart muscles.Following are the main causes of sleep apnea:
- Being overweight
- Consumption of alcohol, sedatives and tranquilizers
- Narrow neck circumference
- Family history
- Smoking
People with sleep apnea have more risks of high blood pressure as there are frequent and lengthy pauses of breathing during sleep which decreases the required amount of oxygen and puts a pressure on blood vessels.
Older age
In the modern world, increase in blood pressure is always linked to aging, and the elderlies are believed to be more often the sufferers of high blood pressure.With the passage of time, the vascular system of a person also gets different.As a person ages, the arteries ge stiffer , which results in a high blood pressure.The age specific mortality rate is most often associated with stroke, hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases.The increase in arterial pressure and the increase in pulse pressure are the most common factors leading to high blood pressure in older age.Therefore a healthy lifestyle and regular exercise can help to prevent a high blood pressure at the elderly age .
Conclusion
In the above blog we have discussed various reasons for a high blood pressure.The most common factors responsible for a high blood pressure are anxiety, diabetes ,obesity and sedentary lifestyle.A regular walk or exercise and low cholesterol diet can be helpful in avoiding the risk of high blood pressure.
Frequently Asked Questions;What is the main cause of high blood pressure?
The most common cause of a high blood pressure are as follows:
- Kidneys and hormone issues
- Fats and cholesterol
- Weight gain
- Family history
- High salt intake
- Less physical activity
Can you have blood pressure for no reason?
At times there might be no reason for a high blood pressure. Even a healthy and active person might suffer from high blood pressure and apparently there is no specific reason. This type of blood pressure is called hypertension and is developed over many years.
What should we do if BP is too high?
If the blood pressure of a person gets too high, he might face the following symptoms:
- Nausea
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Blurred vision
- Heart palpitations
- Shortness of breath
These symptoms lead to hypertension and therefore the physician should be consulted immediately.
In order to avoid any future rise in blood pressure the necessary changes in lifestyle that should be adapted are as follows:
- Reduce the Sodium intake in the food
- Regular exercise
- Healthy diet
- Limit the alcohol intake
- Quit smoking
- Avoid stress
- Zero cholesterol
- Low caffeine intake
What causes unexplained high blood pressure?
Kidney disorders,arteries malfunctioning, old age, endocrine disorders or any other severe medical conditions might cause severe risk factors for a high blood pressure.
