Hypertension Causes, Prevention and Treatment

Tommy Morrison of Corpus Christi couldn't believe it. Dr. Riley at the Corpus Christi Clinic broke the bad news. He had hypertension.

Tommy had a good excuse. After all, as a field vice president in Pet, he certainly had his share of stress. And, let's not even talk about the cigar smoking.

According to Dr. Riley just being male was a factor. The fact that he was 48 years old certainly didn't help.

Unfortunately, hypertension rarely causes any symptoms until it has caused some arteriosclerosis and possibly a stroke. In fact, arterial high blood pressure can be very high before there are any symptoms.

Your blood pressure goes up and down throughout the day. If you almost get in a car accident your pressure will go up. Even if you just see a stimulating scene on your home theater you will see a rise in your blood pressure.

If you took your pressure right after that, it would give you a false impression.

Things you eat, drink and smoke can also increase your pressure. Caffeine drinks like coffee will do the same. Nicotine from cigarettes stimulates the heart to increase your pressure as well.

You may think that alcohol relaxes you, but the long term effects of all those alcohol, cocktails, and liquers drinks take their toll as well.

Spending too much time in your favorite recliner instead of getting some exercise increases your chances of blood pressure problems.

Fortunately, there are many places you can get your blood pressure checked today. Many stores and pharmacies have automatic blood pressure machines you can use. Just sit down for a couple minutes and get it checked. If you pressure is up slightly three different times, you should see a doctor. If it is over about 160 just once, you should also seek medical advice.

Rest makes your pressure go down. Because of that, the best time to take your blood pressure is during a time of no stress.

But, back to Tommy. His family history made a big difference in his arterial high blood pressure. He had a father who died at age 56 of a kidney failure from atherosclerosis. Genetics can really increase your chances of needing treatment for arterial high blood pressure.

Fortunately, these days, there is a lot you can do to decrease arterial high blood pressure.

Changing your diet will definitely help. You will improve your blood pressure as well as your overall health by increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables. You should get regular exercise, lots of water and a good night's sleep. If you can stop using tobacco and limit or cut out your alcohol altogether that will help a great deal.

If you don't completely normalize your blood pressure by those means, many different medications are available today that will help. You will want to find a physician that you can work with on keeping your pressure normal.