Factors that Can Cause High Blood Pressure

The following article includes pertinent information that may cause you to reconsider what you thought you understood. The most important thing is to study with an open mind and be willing to revise your understanding if necessary.

Think about what you've read so far. Does it reinforce what you already know about high blood pressure factors? Or was there something completely new? What about the remaining paragraphs? 

You can't always pinpoint the causes of high blood pressure because of the number of things that can affect hypertensive behaviors in the body. But it is important to have it diagnosed because it can cause other more harmful problems. In many cases, knowing some of the possible causes of high blood pressure, such as the ones we'll be covering below, can allow you to make helpful changes in your lifestyle.

One risk factor for high blood pressure is simply aging. On average, men are more likely to develop it at an earlier age, while it often begins in menopause with women.

Hypertension is something that anyone can have, though, especially if you have risk factors such as being overweight. So everyone should have their blood pressure measured regularly, but it's especially important if you are forty or above. Your age, of course, is only one risk factor for high blood pressure, and you have to consider your everyday habits as well.

One problem with high blood pressure is that, in many cases, there is no known cause. High blood pressure with no known cause is called essential hypertension, and the majority of cases actually fit into this category.

Even without knowing the exact cause of high blood pressure, however, we do know that you can lower your risks by making many changes in your lifestyle. Checking your blood pressure with a reliable device is the only way to know if it's at a healthy or unhealthy level. Whether or not the cause of hypertension can be pinpointed, there are ways to treat and manage it.

High blood pressure is often associated with high cholesterol, and both of these can lead to heart disease and other serious health problems. When it comes to controlling your cholesterol, you have to know the difference between "good" and "bad" cholesterol. Atherosclerosis, or blockage of the arteries, as well as hypertension, can result from having high levels of LDL, or bad cholesterol.

The beneficial kind of cholesterol is HDL, and this does the opposite of LDL, and can help lower your blood pressure. You can increase the levels of good cholesterol in your body by getting more exercise and eating a healthy diet. Avoiding unhealthy foods, such as hydrogenated oils, processed foods and most fast foods can help you to reduce the bad cholesterol in your diet. If you focus on lowering your cholesterol, you will probably lower your blood pressure as well, and both are factors you have to watch for the sake of your health.

It can be helpful to understand the causes of high blood pressure, but even when you can't identify these, you can still take steps to reduce it. You should keep track of your blood pressure and ask your doctor for advice on how to control it. The causes and elements related to high blood pressure are varied, and we've only had room to cover a few of them. The main thing is to be committed to managing your high blood pressure, whether this means exercising more, changing your diet or reducing stress in your life.

If you've picked some pointers about high blood pressure factors that you can put into action, then by all means, do so. You won't really be able to gain any benefits from your new knowledge if you don't use it.

Root Causes of High Blood Pressure

In today's world, it seems that almost any topic is open for debate. While I was gathering facts for this article, I was quite surprised to find some of the issues I thought were settled are actually still being openly discussed.

Sometimes the most important aspects of a subject are not immediately obvious. Keep reading to get the complete picture.

Your body is a complex operation, sometimes it's easy to identify the causes of high blood pressure within it, other times not so easy. It's important to get your diagnosis and treatment started early to avoid other potentially harmful side effects of hypertension. Most of the time if you know the causes and risk factors you'll be able to avoid making the mistakes in your lifestyle.

Untreated conditions such as adrenal and thyroid disorders have been linked to hypertension. Hypothyroidism is a condition where the thyroid does not produce enough hormones, is often a cause of high blood pressure. High blood pressure can also be caused by adrenal gland failure. Problems of the thyroid or adrenal glands can have a variety of symptoms, including fatigue, weight gain and joint pain. These conditions are diagnosed with medical blood tests which is why many people don't know for a long time that they have the condition. Taking a prescription medication regularly will reduce the symptoms. There are however some people who will notice that they are predisposed due to a family history. If either or both of your biological parents suffered with high blood pressure you should keep an eye out for the symptoms. As diabetes and kidney disease are also associated with hypertension, it's important to note any of these problems in your family as well. Of course, when it comes to controlling your blood pressure, lifestyle factors play a large part, so you don't necessarily have to develop the same health problems as your parents have. The idea here is that while genetics may play a role in high blood pressure it's a good idea to pay close attention to your disposition to it.

High blood pressure can be caused by taking certain medicines or drugs. It's common knowledge that high blood pressure can be caused by using cocaine and other illegal drugs. In some cases, medications prescribed for a variety of conditions, such as birth control and many psychiatric drugs, can also cause high blood pressure. Some people even have their blood pressure elevated by taking various OTC substances, including nasal decongestants. So read the labels on any medications you take and ask your doctor about possible side effects. Anytime you suspect a drug or medicine is contributing to your high blood pressure, ask your doctor about it immediately. Finally, it will be helpful to use the information above in your battle against high blood pressure. If you have any risk factors, such as being overweight, having diabetes or a kidney problem or a family history of hypertension, you should get regular checkups and ask your doctor about the best way to control your blood pressure.

Now you can understand why there's a growing interest in high blood pressure causes. When people start looking for more information about high blood pressure causes, you'll be in a position to meet their needs.

Identifying the Typical Causes of High Blood Pressure

Are you looking for some inside information on causes of high blood pressure? Here's an up-to-date report from high blood pressure experts who should know.

Hopefully the information presented so far has been applicable. You might also want to consider the following:

Lots of people have high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, and aren't aware of it. It's a good idea to get regular checkups where your blood pressure is measured, as hypertension does not always have symptoms. At least some of the causes of high blood pressure can be controlled or avoided, so we will now examine a few of them.

Smoking is one activity that can cause high blood pressure. As if there weren't already enough reasons not to smoke, smokers have a greater than normal risk of developing hypertension. Your arteries can become blocked and hardened when you smoke, and this contributes to high blood pressure. To some degree, the risk smoking poses for blood pressure is related to how heavily you smoke, so naturally if you are a heavy smoker it's especially risky. What's most important to realize, though, is that any smoking, or even breathing in other people's smoke, increases your health risks. Studies indicate, however, that if you quit smoking, you can improve your health and lower your blood pressure, no matter how long you've been smoking.

If you have certain long term illnesses, they can raise your risk of developing high blood pressure. One such condition is kidney disease, especially in older people. Both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes can also bring about high blood pressure, as this disease often causes damage to the kidneys. You are at a greater risk for developing kidney disease or diabetes if there is a family history. Your doctor should be monitoring your blood pressure if you have been diagnosed with diabetes or any kind of kidney disease and may prescribe medication to manage it.

Don't be a couch potato. Many experts believe that high blood pressure is so common today because many people spend too much time sitting at desks all day and not getting enough exercise. Even moderate amounts of exercise will help get your blood pressure down. Young people diagnosed with high blood pressure and obesity are often as a result of inactivity in our kids. Fortunately, this is one cause of high blood pressure that's fairly easy to reverse, though it takes some effort to change your habits. High blood pressure isn't always noticed or diagnosed until it's gone way beyond just hypertension which is why it is referred to as a silent killer. Have your doctor check your blood pressure regularly, become familiar with the causes listed here in this article in order to better your position to keep your blood pressure at a healthy level.

The day will come when you can use something you read about here to have a beneficial impact. Then you'll be glad you took the time to learn more about causes of high blood pressure.