Hypertension is a condition used to describe a rise in one's blood pressure.
What is blood pressure?
When your heart pumps blood to other parts of your body through your arteries, the pumped blood puts pressure on the walls of your arteries. This pressure is what is known as blood pressure.
A normal blood pressure reading is 120/80mmHg.
What is high blood pressure (hypertension)?
Hypertension or high blood pressure is blood pressure that is higher than normal. Throughout the day your blood pressure rises and falls depending on your activities.
Hypertension is diagnosed when you consistently have a blood pressure higher than normal. This condition predisposes you to other health problems such as heart attack, stroke and heart disease.
How does high blood pressure occur?
High blood pressure does not occur suddenly, it usually develops over time.
Hypertension occurs when your body’s smaller blood vessels (the arterioles) narrow, this causes flowing blood to exert excessive pressure against your vessel walls, forcing your heart to work harder to maintain the pressure.
Though your heart and blood vessels can manage the increased blood pressure for months and even years, eventually your heart may enlarge (a condition called hypertrophy) and be weakened to the point of failure and in worst cases death. Injury to the blood vessels in your kidneys, brain, and eyes also may occur.
This condition can occur due to unhealthy lifestyle, such as not getting regular physical exercise, living a sedentary lifestyle. Health conditions, such as diabetes, obesity and overweight can increase your risk for developing hypertension. Pregnancy can also cause one to develop hypertension.
How to manage high blood pressure
High blood pressure can be successful managed when you make healthy lifestyle choices.
You can increase your level of physical activity by getting at least 150 minutes of exercise per week
Eating a healthy diet, including limiting sodium (salt) and cholesterol
Maintaining a healthy weight
Relief of stress
Smoking cessation and reduced alcohol intake.
You can also take drugs known as antihypertensives to manage your blood pressure.
Hypertension has no warning signs and so is called the “silent killer". Without regular check up, most people are unable to know if they have it.