What Is High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)?

Before we can talk about hypertension, or an elevated blood pressure, we first have to have some idea of what a blood pressure is.

Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the inside walls of arteries. Arteries are tiny pipes that carry oxygen rich blood all over throughout your body.

Blood pressure is measured with two numbers:

• Top number = Systolic pressure

  • Pressure when the heart is BEATING

• Bottom number = Diastolic pressure

  • Pressure when the heart is RESTING (in-between heart beats)

What Is Hypertension

So, now that we know that blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the inside wall of arteries, it's pretty easy to guess what's happening when our blood pressure is too high. During hypertension, that blood is pushing with TOO MUCH FORCE within the arteries themselves. This usually occurs because the structural integrity of our arteries, or our pipes, become narrowed. This occurs for several reasons:

• Elevated Cholesterol

  • Leads to formation of plaques that narrow arteries

• Diabetes

  • Damages arteries

• Increased age

  • Narrows arteries

• Smoking

  • Damages arteries

• Obesity

  • Narrows arteries due to increased weight load

• Family history

Because of these reasons, the heart has to work harder in order to push the blood through these narrowed arteries to throughout your body. If this occurs for long periods of time, LIFE THREATENING things can occur such as

• Kidney disease

• Heart disease

• Strokes

• Heart attacks

How To Reduce Your Risk of Hypertension

• Diet

  • Healthy balanced diet with more fruits and vegetables. For more information, please visit my segment on "Health Eating for Cardiac Diet"

  • Limit salt intake to less than 2g per day

  • Avoid excess alcohol - limit intake to no more than one alcoholic drink a day

• Exercise

  • Try to get 30 minutes of mild to moderate cardiovascular training in a day. It can be as simple as walking around your neighborhood

• Stop smoking