High blood pressure is a common condition in which the long-term force of the blood against your artery walls is high enough that it may eventually cause health problems, such as heart disease. Blood pressure is determined both by the amount of blood your heart pumps and the amount of resistance to blood flow in your arteries. The more blood your heart pumps and the narrower your arteries, the higher your blood pressure. You can have high blood pressure (hypertension) for years without any symptoms. Even without symptoms, damage to blood vessels and your heart continues and can be detected. Uncontrolled high blood pressure increases your risk of serious health problems, including heart attack and stroke. The complications of untreated hypertension are:
- Heart attack or stroke
- Aneurysm
- Heart failure
- Weakened and narrowed blood vessels in your kidneys
- Thickened, narrowed or torn blood vessels in the eyes
- Metabolic syndrome
- Trouble with memory or understanding
- Dementia.
This can be controlled by treatment with medications apart from which you will require lifestyle changes such as:
- Eat a healthy and clean diet, avoid salty and deep fried food.
- Have a DASH(Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension) Diet by eating fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, low-fat dairy products, lean meats, fish, and nuts, eliminating foods that are high in saturated fats, such as processed foods, full-fat dairy products, and fatty meats, it also helps to cut back on desserts and sweetened beverages, such as soda and fruit punch.
- Exercise regularly, maintain a healthy weight as per your BMI(exercise 30-60 minutes per day)
- Avoid or stop drinking and smoking as these habits will increase the blood pressure
- Destress yourself with practices such as yoga, meditation
Map and record your BP in a book, if the headache continues to be persistent visit the nearest ER.
Next Steps
Follow the steps as advised
Health Tips
If condition persists or worsens visit the ER at the earliest