What Causes High Blood Pressure In Women

How Is High Blood Pressure Diagnosed

High blood pressure is diagnosed with a blood pressure monitor. This is a common test for all doctor visits. A nurse will place a band around your arm. The band is attached to a small pump and a meter. He or she will squeeze the pump. It will feel tight around your arm. Then he or she will stop and watch the meter. This provides the nurse with 2 numbers that make up your blood pressure. The top number is your systolic reading . The bottom number is your diastolic reading . You may also hear the doctor or nurse say a blood pressure is 120 over 80.

• Normal blood pressure is less than 120 on top and less than 80 on the bottom.
• Prehypertension levels are 120-139 on top and 80-89 on the bottom.
• High blood pressure, stage 1 is 140-159 on top and 90-99 on the bottom.
• High blood pressure, stage 2 is 160 or higher on top and 100 and over on the bottom.

The higher your blood pressure is, the more often you need to have it checked. After age 18, have your blood pressure checked at least once every two years. Do it more often if you have had high blood pressure in the past.

How To Check Blood Pressure

1 From the middle of the thirties, one should check the blood pressure from time to time, with familial stress with cardiovascular diseases also earlier. It would be even better to regularly take advantage of the cardiovascular check-ups offered free of charge.

2 The health insurance companies currently pay them every two years, starting at the age of 35 The blood pressure measurement is an integral part. Also, pharmacies also offer blood pressure measurements.

3 In many cases, the result will be healthy. However, if too high blood pressure is measured, the next question is: Is there high blood pressure? The diagnosis is usually fast. Further investigations follow suspicion of secondary hypertension or sequelae.

What Causes High Blood Pressure In Women

1 How does the blood pressure come about? The heart cycle goes through two phases: the pumping phase and the filling phase . Correspondingly, systolic and diastolic pressures build up in the vessels.

2 The systolic pressure arises when the heart contracts and pumps the blood into the ship. The diastolic pressure results when the heart expands again to refill with blood.

3 In healthy people, the pressure reacts flexibly to the requirements of the body through increased cardiac output and narrow or wide positioning of the resistance vessels. Thus, sufficient circulation is always guaranteed, such as during physical activity. More on blood pressure regulation at the bottom.

4 The blood pressure is not a constant size, daily fluctuations are normal. During the night, the blood pressure drops. The differences between people with normal and increased stress, especially in the average values during the day and at night .

5 Especially with older people, but not only with them, with decreasing elasticity of the arteries or arteriosclerosis, but the systolic blood pressure can also increase more pronounced, while the diastolic slightly sink or remains low .

However, typical hypertension, in which both systolic and diastolic pressure tends to increase, develops very frequently with increasing age.

You May Like: How To Calibrate Blood Pressure Monitor Omron

How Can You Reduce Your Risk Of High Blood Pressure

Fortunately, there are certain things you can do to help reduce your risk of developing high blood pressure. These include the following:

• Eat right: A healthy diet is an important step in keeping your blood pressure normal. The DASH diet emphasizes adding fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to your diet while reducing the amount of sodium. Since it is rich in fruits and vegetables, which are naturally lower in sodium than many other foods, the DASH diet makes it easier to eat less salt and sodium.
• Keep a healthy weight: Going hand-in-hand with a proper diet is keeping a healthy weight. Since being overweight increases your blood pressure, losing excess weight with diet and exercise will help lower your blood pressure to healthier levels.
• Cut down on salt: The recommendation for salt in your diet is to have less than 2,400 milligrams of sodium a day . To prevent hypertension, you should keep your salt intake below this level. Don’t forget that most restaurant foods and many processed and frozen foods contain high levels of salt. Use herbs and spices that do not contain salt in recipes to flavor your food do not add salt at the table.
• Keep active: Even simple physical activities, such as walking, can lower your blood pressure .
• Drinkalcoholin moderation: Having more than one drink a day and two drinks a day can raise blood pressure.

Home Blood Pressure Monitoring

Some people buy their own blood pressure monitor to use at home. This means you can measure your blood pressure on an ongoing basis.

The blood pressure readings you do at home are as good as those done by your doctor.

If you decide to buy one, it’s important to get the correct cuff size. If the cuff is too big or too small, it can give an inaccurate reading.

If you take your own blood pressure and get an unusually high reading, take it a second time after at least five minutes. If it’s still high and you’re worried, contact your nurse or GP.

Also Check: Does Hot Sauce Cause High Blood Pressure

Possible Risk Factors Resulting In Non

There are several risk factors that may result in your blood pressure rising at night. Night shift work is one of them as already shown by the study we alluded to above. Stress and anxiety are also other factors that may result in non-dipping blood pressure at night. Some individuals have found relief through meditation. Life style related issues such as the use of tobacco also increases the risk of elevated blood pressure at nighttime. Lastly, for individuals on high blood pressure medications, taking medication that does not cover the entire 24-hrs is also a possible cause of nighttime high blood pressure. While many people conclude they have blood pressure which rises at night based on personal home measurement of blood pressure, to get a professional diagnosis it is important to go under a 24-hour blood pressure monitoring test.

What Is Normal Blood Pressure

A blood pressure reading is written like this: 120/80. It’s read as “120 over 80.” The top number is called the systolic, and bottom number is called the diastolic. The ranges are:

• Normal: Less than 120 over 80
• Elevated: 120-129/less than 80
• Stage 1 high blood pressure: 130-139/80-89
• Stage 2 high blood pressure: 140 and above/90 and above
• Hypertension crisis: higher than 180/higher than 120 — See a doctor right away

If your blood pressure is above the normal range, talk to your doctor about how to lower it.

Recommended Reading: Does Cholesterol Raise Blood Pressure

Who Is Affected By Hypertension

According to the Robert Koch Institute Berlin, one-third of adult Us have hypertension, i.e., pressure values over 140/90 mmHg.

However, 60% of the two-thirds blood pressure healthy already have values that are not optimal or just below the currently set general limit of 140/90 mmHg .

Even if these, in particular, the latter only marginally, even as high normal values often do not apply as requiring treatment: completely irrelevant they are not. Therefore, they should get checked from time to time.

I already had high blood pressure. I have hypertension. And I think the chemo was just too much for my kidneys. And they went into failure. And that was October 19th of 2018. And the doctor rushed me right to the hospital

What’s The Impact Of Having High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is a major risk factor for developing cardiovascular diseases such as:

• coronary heart disease – where the main arteries that supply your heart become clogged up with plaques
• strokes – a serious condition where the blood supply to your brain is interrupted
• heart attacks – a serious condition where the blood supply to part of your heart is blocked

Diabetes and kidney disease are also linked to high blood pressure complications.

Don’t Miss: Do Onions Lower Blood Pressure

Overview Of High Blood Pressure In Women

Nearly half of adult Americans have high blood pressure , but one in five of them don’t know they have it. These statistics are concerning when you consider that high blood pressure is easy to diagnose and treat, and particularly alarming because complications of hypertension are among the most preventable causes of death in the United States.

Many people falsely assume that men are the most at risk for cardiovascular diseases, but in 2017, 22% of women died of heart disease, compared with 24% of men. Untreated high blood pressure can cause kidney damage and raises the risk of heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases.

Coronary heart disease claimed almost 300,0000 women’s lives . Early detection and treatment of high blood pressure could prevent many of these deaths.

Stage 1 And Stage 2 High Blood Pressure In Women

Stage 1 hypertension is when your blood pressure is 140-159/90-99 mmHg. You would also be considered to have stage 1 hypertension if your systolic blood pressure is 140-159 and your diastolic blood pressure is under 90, or if your diastolic blood pressure is 90-99 and your systolic blood pressure is under 140 as states Heart.org of the AHA.

Stage 2 hypertension is when your blood pressure is over160/100 mmHg, or if your systolic blood pressure is over 160, or if your diastolic blood pressure is over 100. Stage 2 hypertension puts you at higher risk for complications of high blood pressure than stage 1 hypertension does.

High blood pressure is not unique to women, it affects nearly 1 out of every 3 American adults according to the Centers for Disease Control , and another 1 out of 3 are pre-hypertensive and at risk for developing hypertension.

Don’t Miss: Onions And Blood Pressure

What Can I Do To Prevent Or Manage High Blood Pressure

Many people with high blood pressure can lower their blood pressure into a healthy range or keep their numbers in a healthy range by making lifestyle changes. Talk with your health care team about

• Getting at least 150 minutes of physical activity each week
• Not smoking
• Managing stress

Learn more about ways to manage and prevent high blood pressure.

In addition to making positive lifestyle changes, some people with high blood pressure need to take medicine to manage their blood pressure. Learn more about medicines for high blood pressure.

Talk with your health care team right away if you think you have high blood pressure or if youve been told you have high blood pressure but do not have it under control.

Tomatoes And Tomato Products

Tomatoes and tomato products are rich in many nutrients, including potassium and the carotenoid pigment lycopene.

Lycopene has been significantly associated with beneficial effects on heart health, and eating foods high in this nutrient, such as tomato products, may help reduce heart disease risk factors like high blood pressure .

A review of 21 studies concluded that consuming tomato and tomato products improves blood pressure and may help reduce your risk of heart disease and heart-disease-related death 30010-2/fulltext” rel=”nofollow”> 26).

You May Like: Does Spicy Food Cause High Blood Pressure

Measuring High Blood Pressure

The test gives two numbers: The systolic pressure is the pressure of blood in the vessels as the heart beats. The diastolic pressure is the pressure of the blood between heartbeats.

The numbers are usually written as a fraction with the systolic above or to the left. An example is 120/80 mm Hg , a normal adult blood pressure. Both numbers count.

Your blood pressure is high if the systolic pressure is 130 or above, or the diastolic pressure is 80 or above, or both are high.

Living With High Blood Pressure

Controlling your high blood pressure is a lifelong commitment. You will always need to monitor your weight, make healthy food choices, exercise, learn to cope with stress, avoid smoking, and limit your alcohol intake. If you need medicine to control your high blood pressure, you will likely need it all your life.

Additionally, you will need to get used to regular blood pressure checks. Your doctor may want you to come to the office regularly. Or you may be asked to check your blood pressure at home and keep track of your numbers for your doctor. Some pharmacies and retail clinics have blood pressure machines on site. You can buy your own, automated arm blood pressure cuff for use at home. Your doctor may want you to check your blood pressure several times a day. Another option is to use an ambulatory blood pressure monitor.

Also Check: Does Vodka Raise Blood Pressure

In Todays Article We Will Discuss What Causes Of High Blood Pressure In Women

The situation is similar with formerly unknown symptoms such as heart palpitations or heart stumbling, a particular, somehow nervous breathlessness or shortness of breath during exercise.

Whether it issues a male or a female: one should have such symptoms or a malaise for problems as described above by the doctor clarify.

Crisis increases in hypertension often affect those affected, but not always. Possible symptoms include dizziness, restlessness, anxiety, shaking, panic, shortness of breath, chest tightness.

It is best to check the blood pressure immediately and to call the doctor if the demand is high or the symptoms persist .

Important Note:-

Coarctation Of The Aorta

Now, coarctation of the aorta is actually a congenital heart defect, and it’s one of the leading causes of hypertension in children. When you have coarctation of the aorta, you have a narrowing in a part of the aorta, which is that huge artery, it’s the body’s largest artery, and it comes out of the heart, out of that left ventricle.

When you have this narrowing, you can get symptoms such as hypertension. Specifically, you will have hypertension in the upper body. You might have hypertension in the arms, or headaches from high pressure in the brain. You can also get nosebleeds if you have coarctation of the aorta. And if someone checks your pulse, you might have bounding, very strong pulses, all this in the upper extremities, and then your radial pulses. But in the lower body, you may have diminished or absent pulses.

You also may have claudication or cramping of the legs and relatively thin or decreased muscle in the lower body. So in coarctation of the aorta, you have hypertension, but mainly that hypertension is in the upper body.

Read Also: Onion Blood Pressure

Can You Prevent High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure may be prevented by living a healthy lifestyle include:

• Eat a nutritious, low-fat diet. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the NIH outlines the DASH diet, that is describes as a “flexible and balanced eating plan that helps create a heart-healthy eating style for life.”
• Get regular exercise.
• Maintain a healthy weight, and if you are overweight or obese, try to lose weight.
• Drink alcohol in moderation.

High Blood Pressure In Women

There are several factors that lead to high blood pressure in women. Here is a list of the potential causes along with preventive measures.

There are several factors that lead to high blood pressure in women. High blood pressure is one of the major causes of heart diseases and heart attack in people. In scientific terms, blood pressure can be defined as the pressure exerted by blood on the walls of the arteries. Sometimes, due to certain reasons, blood pressure increases drastically, which can be an alarming condition. The condition is known as high blood pressure or hypertension. Hypertension is a cause of many life-threatening conditions. Therefore, it is essential to maintain normal blood pressure.

Read Also: Do Onions Lower Blood Pressure

High Blood Pressure Risk Factors For Women

Since you are unlikely to have symptoms of hypertension, it is good to learn the factors of risk so you have some idea for yourself You should contact your healthcare provider if you have prehypertension or high risk for hypertension. Even if your risk is low, you should find your blood pressure so you have a baseline to work from so you can stay healthy in the future.

When To Call Your Doctor

The risks of both high and low blood pressure make monitoring your blood pressure at home essential to your overall health and well-being. Both Dr. Wong and Dr. Desai recommend calling your healthcare provider if your self-monitored blood pressure readings are greater than 180/120 mmHgeven if you have no other symptoms.

You should call 911 if these blood pressure readings are associated with symptoms of organ damage, such as headache, vision changes, weakness, numbness, chest pain or shortness of breath, says Dr. Wong.

You May Like: Blood Pressure Readings And What They Mean

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.