Hypertension Treatment

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Hypertension treatment for high blood pressure is depends on the severity of the disease and whether you have other health problem. Hypertension affects about five million Americans and it typically known as the silent killer because it usually occurs with no symptoms. Therefore, hypertension or also called as high blood pressure is dangerous because it can involved into other hypertension complication such as strokes, kidney disease, heart attacks and etc.

The goal of hypertension treatment is to lower high blood pressure and protect important organs. That is why it is important to have your blood pressure checked at least annually. Your blood pressure is usually measured with a blood pressure cuff placed around the upper arm that registers the pressure in units called millimeters of mercury or mmHg and the result is expressed as two numbers such as 120/80. The top figure is shown the systolic blood pressure and it is a measure of the pressure when your heart muscle is contracted and pumping blood. The bottom figure is shown the diastolic blood pressure. It is the pressure when the heart is relaxed and filling with blood. Consequently, high blood pressure is defined as systolic blood pressure 140 over diastolic blood pressure 90 (140/90). Hypertension is classified as :                                                   

                                                                           Systolic                               Diastolic   

• Normal blood pressure :                          below 120                             below 80

• Prehypertension / High normal :             120 - 139                              80 - 89

• Hypertension / Borderline (Stage 1) :      140 - 159                              90 - 99

• Moderate (Stage 2) :                               160 - 179                             100 - 109

• Severe (Stage 3) :                                   180 - 209                             110 - 119

• Out of Control (Stage 4) :                    greater than 210                    greater than 120

A critical step in preventing and treating hypertension is a healthy lifestyle. Some people may only need lifestyle changes to control their high blood pressure, while other blood pressure is above a certain level, your doctor may prescribe medication along with the lifestyle changes as well. However, treating high blood pressure usually is a lifelong process. Following are those of the lifestyle modifications to lower blood pressure :

• Losing weight if you are in obese or overweight.

• Reducing salt and sodium in your diet. Most Americans eat too much sodium and excessive sodium intake contributes to increased blood pressure due to increased fluid retention in the body.

• Quitting smoking. Smoking increases stress on the heart and arteries, which increases risk for a stroke and a cardiac event. It also contributes to elevated cholesterol.

• Limiting the alcohol to two drinks per day.

• Getting a proper aerobic exercise.

• Following a healthy eating diet such as DASH diet.

Research on strength training and blood pressure effects are not as definitive as aerobic exercise. Strength training should not be the only form of exercise for lowering hypertension but rather than it should be a compliment a proper aerobic program. Thus, a fitness professional should be sought for safely designing a strength training program for those pupils who due to hypertension. Strength training will result in increased body temperature and increased blood flow to the muscles and skin, which will induce the BP lowering effect discussed earlier. Finally, there are several safety precautions that need to be followed including intensity, posture, grip, and breathing.

Ideally, hypertension should exercise every day of the week to maximize the additive exercise effect. Cardiovascular exercise should be performed for 30-60 minutes and 3-5 times a week at a moderate intensity. The exercise doesn't even need to be performed all at once, which three 8-10 minutes about have shown to be equally as effective as 30 minutes per session. As a result, his has important implications for those who don't follow a structured exercise program.