The blood vessels that run into our veins and arteries form veins and arteries. A normal blood vessel is about 1/16th inch thick. But venous (blood) veins are much thicker than arteries and make up 6% of all the vascular systems in the human body. This structure is essential for blood flow around the body’s organs. In fact, the veins are often called “the highway of the blood.”
When a person has a condition such as hypertension, a blood vessel becomes blocked to make oxygenated blood more easily available throughout the body. When this happens, the person has an increased risk of stroke, heart failure, and other blood-related conditions. For example, if you have high blood pressure, you are at higher risk of severe blood clots forming in the blood vessels of your brain or heart. These clots can lead to strokes and heart attacks.
High blood pressure may also increase the chance of developing diabetes. If you have high blood pressure, your body loses the ability to regulate sugar levels as effectively. This ultimately leads to Type 2 diabetes. The symptoms of diabetes include frequent urination, blurred vision, frequent infections, and unexplained weight loss. Diabetes is strongly associated with cardiovascular disease. Many people who have diabetes have high blood pressure. It is important to keep track of your blood pressure and keep both of these two diseases at bay. It doesn’t mean that diabetes or high blood pressure are the only factors you need to consider when caring for yourself and your family members. Your doctor can help identify these common comorbidities and implement lifestyle changes to keep you healthy and disease-free. Read more about how you can lower your chances of developing type 2 diabetes and stay healthy by having control over your own blood pressure.
What Are Diastolic And Systolic? Both are measurements of your blood pressure. Diastolic measures the blood pressure when your ear lies above its lowest level. This can be done to check out any swelling you may be experiencing such as indigestion or stomach pain. This measurement is based on your diaphragm hanging above the rib cage. While systolic measures the pressure when your ears lay below the systolic reading, similar to a stress test. The difference between systolic and diastolic measurements comes from your lung level. Most people don’t feel their diastolic pressure because they aren’t exposed to the same amount of air pressure as their systolic pressure.
Symptoms Of Hypertension One symptom of hypertension is not feeling your pulse, but rather a rapid rise in blood pressure. Another common symptom is dizziness or lightheadedness. Also, a common side effect of hypertension is sleep apnea, where breathing stops due to reduced blood pressure. Additionally, some treatment options to manage your hypertension are as follows: Talk to your doctor to find treatments and possible interventions that may be right for you.
Medications: There are many different medications for treating high blood pressure. ACE inhibitors block the effects of an enzyme called angiotensin-converting enzyme that helps blood pass through the blood vessels to reach the kidney and other organs.
Calcium-based products: They decrease the amount of calcium your body needs for muscle contraction.
Diuretics: You lose water through urine. Fluid retention and fluid loss: Both cause your kidneys to have excessive amounts of fluid. Pregnant women should work with a medical professional while pregnant. As your uterus shrinks, your bladder will expand too.
Surgery: Surgery is used to remove a mass in your abdomen or kidney. Surgical treatment may be needed to repair an arterial tear, to treat chronic kidney problems, or for other reasons.
Lifestyle Changes: People with hypertension should avoid smoking, alcohol drinks that contain caffeine, and spicy foods. These foods cause high blood pressure and increase the risk of getting more serious complications from diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and death.
Regular exercise: Get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each day. Start low and go up gradually as you get better at exercising. Be aware of your activity level. Take breaks between vigorous-intensity activities. Do not try to complete an exercise quickly. Maintain a regular schedule: Set a realistic goal of exercising every day. Rest or nap early and give yourself time for recovery.
Drink plenty of fluids: Water is the best choice for controlling your sodium and potassium. Increase fluid intake and reduce caffeine consumption.
Control salt and added sugars: Limit eating and drinking soda, juice drinks, frozen meals, and desserts. Eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly, using forks and chopsticks. Eating slower and chewing food helps remove more food particles. Limit dietary saturated fat and saturated and trans fat, and avoid processed foods and fast food.
Avoid tobacco use: Smoking increases the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. To have a safer smokeless experience while being physically active, try vaping or making a joint instead of smoking cigarettes.
Reduce stress: Find ways to relieve the stresses and worries in your life to improve your blood circulation, your mind, and your whole body. Engage in hobbies: Activities like learning a new musical instrument can relax your muscles and allow you to forget about the pressures of living.
Get enough sleep: Try to get seven to eight hours of sleep, even though it’s very difficult. Having trouble sleeping can cause your blood pressure to rise. Stress may become a side effect of other conditions like depression, anxiety, or ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).
Diagnosis: High blood pressure is diagnosed by measuring the number of times in a minute that your blood pressure goes up. Once you know your blood pressure, you can diagnose something else. The main goal of diagnostic tests is to check for three major things: Heart function: How well your heart pumps against the blood flow.
Muscle tissue: Are the heart and other skeletal muscles able to contract when blood builds up inside. Kidneys: Do your kidneys remove waste products? Do you feel some fluid passing as urine during the night?