First Why Is Your Blood Pressure High
Its natural to experience short-term spikes in blood pressure, like during exercise or after a cup of coffee. But over time, if your heart consistently pumps out more blood than usual or your blood vessels become stiffer, your blood pressure can stay high, which may lead to hypertension. Many things can cause this to happen, including eating too much salt, being overweight, or even taking certain medications that can cause high blood pressure as a side effect.
You might know that a blood pressure reading has two numbers . The American Heart Association describes normal blood pressure as a first number of 120 or less and a second number of 80 or less.
You Have A Strong Family History Of Hypertension
Genes do play some role in high blood pressure, which is why younger people in seemingly great health can still be diagnosed with hypertension, says Dr. Philips. However, more often than not, its also likely that people with a family history of high blood pressure share common environments that increase their riskand these are very much modifiable.
Our genes also interact with the environment and we can influence them by the choices we make, says Dr. Beniaminovitz. While lifestyle changes may not help you in never developing high blood pressure if you have a strong family history, optimal lifestyle will aid in delaying the onset of blood pressure and the need for early medications. Instead of developing high blood pressure in your 30s or 40s, with optimal diet and lifestyle you may delay the onset of high blood pressure to your late 60s or 70s.
BP fix: Keep up with the tips above!
Theres no magic bullet, but if you have a strong family history, thats even more reason to implement all of the dietary and lifestyle recommendations aboveeat whole foods, move your body more, manage stressand get your blood pressure checked regularly.
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What Does Sudden Drop In Blood Pressure Feel Like
Typical symptoms are dizziness, light-headedness, blurred vision, shoulder pain. Atypical symptoms include backache and discomfort in the lower parts of the body. It is not uncommon, and can happen to anyone, but is more prevalent in older people and those with low blood pressure .
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High Blood Pressure Treatment
The best way to lower blood pressure begins with changes you can make to your lifestyle to help lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk of heart disease. Additionally, your doctor may prescribe medicine to lower your blood pressure. These are called antihypertensive medicines.
The goal of treatment is to reduce your blood pressure to normal levels. Your doctor may prescribe medicine thats easy to take and has few, if any, side effects. This treatment is highly successful. If your blood pressure can only be controlled with medicine, youll need to take the medicine for the rest of your life. It is common to need more than one medicine to help control your blood pressure. Dont stop taking the medicine without talking with your doctor. Otherwise, you may increase your risk of having a stroke or heart attack.
How Is Fluctuating Blood Pressure Treated
First, a doctor will determine the underlying cause. They will ask about a persons history and discuss their lifestyle and current medications. The doctor may also order or conduct tests.
Medications can lower blood pressure and prevent dangerous fluctuations. A person may also be able to achieve this goal by making changes to their lifestyle.
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How Can I Lower My Blood Pressure Naturally Over Time
Now that weve discussed why theres no fail-proof, safe, and fast way to lower blood pressure, remember, there are still many ways to lower your blood pressure over time. Here are some simple recommendations:
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Exercise most days of the week. Exercise is the most effective way to lower your blood pressure. Being physically active at least 30 minutes a day most days of the week goes a long way toward keeping or getting your blood pressure under control.
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Consume a low-sodium diet. Too much sodium causes blood pressure to rise. The AHA recommends keeping your daily sodium intake to less than 2 grams, but keeping it less than 1.5 grams is even better! The DASH diet provides a low-sodium eating plan for you to use as an example.
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Limit alcohol intake to no more than 1 to 2 drinks per day. Drinking more than average1 drink for women and 2 drinks for mencan cause your blood pressure to rise. Plus, alcohol can cause you to pack on the pounds, which can also lead to an increase in blood pressure.
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Make stress reduction a priority. Stressful situations can cause your blood pressure to go up temporarily. But if you continue to be stressed, your blood pressure can remain high. Find calming activities you can do every day to help you relieve stress. Coloring, walking outside, listening to relaxing music, and even taking a warm bath can help you keep you lower your stress levels.
High Blood Pressure After Eating
Another potential cause of sudden blood pressure might be a reaction to food. Typically it is best practice to measure your blood pressure before eating, because if you measure it after you eat you may find that its outside of your normal range.
Initial studies on this metric found that younger people had no variation before or after eating while older adults would generally have a decline in blood pressure. Future studies revealed that this difference between age ranges was not due to medication.
The research went on to discover that the variability of blood pressure change after eating was directly correlated with the degree of plaque buildup in the arteries. Their data even suggests that a significant drop or increase in blood pressure after eating can be a predictor of plaque build-up, called atherosclerosis.
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Very High Spikes In Blood Pressure
Asked by mellow
Very High Spikes In Blood Pressure
What causes high blood pressure spikes up to 200/120 ,just out of the blue..I am taking 2 blood pressure pills..watch my diet…no salt..take potassium pills twice a day..I had a head anyeusum which was clipped in Jan 2010 since then my B/P has spike out of control for no reason just out of the blue…it can be between 112/56 and 136/76 and then go up to 220/120 ..I have to take .5 Adivan and if not lowering 1 spray of Nitro…and head for hospital….8 time since Jan 22 2010..Tested for pheochromocytoma with negative results…testing was done during normal time, Had another test done while having attack..still waiting for results..
Had Cat-angiogram done to check kidneys and arterys in top of legs..small amout of plague build up in right side..extra artery on left side…
Blood pressure is running low now 110/65 to 99/56 most of time even after mild walks…drinking diluted gator aide to help with this…but sudden spikes up to 179/98 and ^ controlled at home with meditation tapes and adivan and nitro….
Would like to know if other possible conditions can cause this…..
How Is High Blood Pressure Diagnosed
Your blood pressure varies from day to day, even from moment to moment. Generally, if a person has a blood pressure reading taken on 3 separate occasions that is greater than 140/90 mmHg, they have high blood pressure. Your doctor may ask you to monitor your blood pressure at home, or wear a monitor over a 24-hour period, to see how it varies and to make sure they get an accurate reading.
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You Have Another Health Conditionor You Take One Of These Meds
If you do have high blood pressure, your doctor will likely take into consideration the range of other diseases and disorders that, when poorly managed, cause your blood pressure to become elevated. These include thyroid problems, renovascular disease, Cushings syndrome, and a number of others. The key to all these conditions is the correct diagnosis, says Dr. Beniaminovitz. When the proper diagnosis is made, working with your doctor to reverse and or treat these conditions often cures high blood pressure.
Additionally, a number of common medications can increase blood pressure such as antidepressants, decongestants, St. Johns Wort, oral contraceptives, NSAIDs, and prednisone.
BP fix: Document symptoms that seem unusual.
If your doc says your BP is high, bring up any strange symptoms that could indicate an underlying cause , and always provide them with a list of your current medications and supplements.
If your meds are the issue, ideally they would be discontinued or changed to ones that have no or less effect on blood pressure, says Dr. Beniaminovitz. If a change in medication is not possible, often your doctor will prescribe optimal lifestyle and blood pressure medication to combat the effects.
How To Lower Blood Pressure
There are lots of things you can do to lower your blood pressure.
If your doctor has given you blood pressure medication, take it as prescribed. However, you’ll also need to follow a heart-healthy lifestyle.
Even if you haven’t been diagnosed with hypertension, following these tips will be good for your blood pressure and good for your heart.
Quit smoking
Stopping smoking is a great thing you can do for your blood pressure and your heart health.
Ask your doctor or nurse for help.
Phone Quitline 0800 778 778, or visit quit.org.nz for information and support.
Eat more heart-healthy foods and less salt
What you put into your body can make a big difference to your blood pressure.
Eat a wide variety of heart-healthy foods like:
- whole grains
Read more about the benefits of exercise.
Manage stress
Researchers are still trying to understand the exact link between stress and long-term high blood pressure. However being stressed contributes to other risk factors like poor diet and drinking more alcohol.
You can’t always remove the sources of stress in your life. But here are some things you can do to manage them.
- Enjoy exercise every day, like taking a walk.
- Take a break for yourself.
- Get 7-8 hours plus sleep each night.
- Talk about how you are feeling.
- Try relaxation music or breathing exercises.
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Treatment For High Blood Pressure
Before you even think about the best treatment for high blood pressure, you should learn how to prevent it. Fortunately, most cases of hypertension can easily be managed and controlled by simple lifestyle changes. For example, you can manage your hypertension by eating a healthy diet with less sodium, engaging in physical activities regularly, maintaining a healthy weight, and reducing alcohol consumption.
If the lifestyle changes dont help, your doctor will recommend you to take certain medications to lower your blood pressure. The prescription you get will depend on your overall health and blood pressure readings. However, sometimes your doctor will try several prescriptions they find the right one for you.
Medical treatment for high blood pressure is most suitable for people with chronic kidney disease and diabetes. This type of treatment is also suitable for people suffering from coronary artery disease or who are at a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
Some of the most common medications for treating high blood pressure include diuretics, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers , and calcium channel blockers.
Kayla Thomas
Treatments For Sudden Rise In Blood Pressure
A rise in already high blood pressure requires immediate medical attention. You can expect to have intravenous therapy and tests to determine what caused the spike in your pressure. Once your pressure is stabilized to a satisfactory level, then your doctor will discuss further treatment. Depending on your current health condition and any issues aside from high blood pressure, your treatment will vary.For example, if there is fluid in your lungs, you will be treated with prescribed diuretics to remove the fluid. If there is damage to your heart, you will be prescribed specific heart medication. Medications you may be taking may need to be adjusted or changed to another type, depending on your test results. Any kidney damage or tumors may require surgery.
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Sodium And Blood Pressure
How much salt is too much salt? AHA recommends no more than 2,300 milligrams of salt per day. This is one leveled teaspoon of salt, and the average American diet contains 2.5 times more salt, Dr. Bakris says. Thats a lot of salt being eaten.
Most of this salt comes from processed and packaged foods, not the salt shaker.
One Chinese-style meal has a tremendous amount of salt 4,000 to 8,000 mg, depending on what you order and if you are salt sensitive, your blood pressure may increase by as much as 40 points within a few hours, he says.
All that sodium in your bloodstream attracts more water into your blood vessels, which raises your blood volume. That is what causes your blood pressure to go up. Its similar to the way pressure increases in a garden hose if you turn up the spigot, the AHA notes.
Your kidney has to get rid of that salt, and it takes your kidney 24 to 48 hours to recalibrate, Dr. Bakris says. You may find yourself getting up at night to pee often because your blood pressure is elevated from salt and your kidney is trying to lower it by peeing it out.
Things That Can Increase Your Risk Of Getting High Blood Pressure
You might be more at risk if you:
- are overweight
- eat too much salt and do not eat enough fruit and vegetables
- do not do enough exercise
- drink too much alcohol or coffee
- smoke
- do not get much sleep or have disturbed sleep
- are over 65
- have a relative with high blood pressure
- are of black African or black Caribbean descent
- live in a deprived area
Making healthy lifestyle changes can sometimes help reduce your chances of getting high blood pressure and help lower your blood pressure if it’s already high.
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Lowering Systolic Blood Pressure More May Cut Health Risks
One major study found that lowering systolic blood pressure to well below the commonly recommended level also greatly lowered the number of cardiovascular events and deaths among people at least 50 years old with high blood pressure.
When study participants achieved a systolic blood pressure target of 120 mmHg compared to the higher target of 140 mmHg recommended for most people, and 150 for people over 60 issues such as heart attack, stroke and heart failure were reduced by almost one-third, and the risk of death by almost one-fourth.
“That’s important information, because more lives may be saved and more deaths may be prevented if we maintain lower blood pressure in certain patients,” says Lynne Braun, NP, PhD, a nurse practitioner at the Rush Heart Center for Women.
Braun cautions, however, that your personal blood pressure target depends on a variety of things, including your current blood pressure, lifestyle, risk factors, other medications you are taking and your age. “Every person has to be evaluated as an individual,” she says. “Realistically, we can’t get everybody down to 120, and trying to do so may create unintended problems.”
It can be dangerous, for instance, to keep an older person on medications that have unsafe side effects, such as diuretics , which can cause dehydration and dizziness in older adults.
And there can be other issues involved with taking multiple medications, such as cost and compliance.
What Are The Classifications Of Blood Pressure
Blood pressure can come in a few stages:
Blood pressure is one health metric that tends to slowly increase with age, but it is also highly correlated with heart disease and stroke when it reaches the stage of hypertension, i.e. high blood pressure.
Knowing if you have high blood pressure during a resting state is an important first step for understanding your heart health, and it can help you identify sudden changes.
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Blood Pressure Cuff Placement
Most blood pressure reading errors are the result of improper sizing of the blood pressure cuff or placing the cuff over clothing. Improper placement of the cuff over clothing can cause your blood pressure measurement to increase by 10 to 50 points. If the cuff is too small, it can add 2 to 10 points to your bp measurement. Be sure to roll up your sleeve for a blood pressure test and also let your doctor know if the cuff feels too tight around your arm.
Posted by Dr. Chris
Changes in the blood pressure occur throughout the day. In fact your blood pressure can change several times within a minute and sudden fluctuations largely depends on what you are doing and your state of mind. However, for most people the blood pressure will not rise above nor drop below the normal range. It is important to understand that there is no specific number that can be considered normal for blood pressure. Not even the widely accepted 120/80 mmHg.
However, there are some occasions where there can be a minor increase for just short periods of time. It can slightly exceed the normal maximum levels but returns to normal soon thereafter. It is for this reason that doctors take blood pressure readings on at least 3 separate occasions to diagnose hypertension. If one reading is high, your doctor will wait about 5 minutes and ask you to relax before checking your BP again.