Some folks will have headaches, chest pressure or dizziness. Most commonly though, there are no symptoms at all. We worry about blood pressure because we know people with elevated blood pressures over time can lead to a stroke or a heart attack. Generally, it is not a one-time occurrence that causes the stroke or heart attack, it is years of high blood pressures.
Increased blood pressure causes excessive wear and tear on the heart and the blood vessels which causes them to wear out sooner than they should. Prolonged high blood pressure can also cause damage to your kidneys.
How can I prevent having high blood pressure?
Healthy living to prevent high blood pressure can be as simple as going for a walk every day. Any kind of regular exercise will help prevent high blood pressure along with avoiding a lot of extra salt in your diet. If you are over weight, losing weight will also be a great step to help prevent high blood pressure. Sometimes though, if there is a family history of high blood pressure or you just can’t get it down with diet and exercise changes, then medications may be needed. There are a lot of medications that can be
used to help treat this condition.
Will my activity be impaired by being on a medication and will I have to stay on it forever?
For most people medications carry limited side effects and are very well tolerated. Certainly if you do have high blood pressure, you should be as active as you can, even modest amounts of exercise can help! Some folks, if they lose weight and become more active, have been able to come off medications and do great without them at all. If your blood pressure stays up above 140/90, be sure to mention it to your doctor so we can help you be as healthy as possible!