In the hustle and bustle of our lives, you no longer surprise anyone with headaches, and the phrase “probably pressure” is becoming commonplace. From what the pressure rises in a person and how to deal with it, we will find out in more detail.
Blood pressure - what is it?
As you know, in the human body, nutrients and oxygen are delivered to the organs by blood that flows through vessels of various diameters, while exerting a certain pressure on their walls. By maintaining this pressure and forcing the blood to move on, the heart contracts and relaxes. Normally, this process is repeated 60 to 80 times per minute. At the moment when the heart contracts (systole), the maximum pressure is recorded. It is called systolic. At the moment of relaxation of the heart muscle (diastole), lower or diastolic pressure is recorded. Strictly speaking, diastolic pressure indicates the level of tone of the vascular wall.
A device for measuring blood pressure, a tonometer, registers both values. When recording, first systolic, then diastolicpressure, which are measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). Normally, the systolic pressure should not exceed 140 mm Hg. Art. The optimal diastolic pressure is below 90. If the pressure constantly rises, then this is a manifestation of a serious disease called hypertension.
Symptoms
According to statistics, in our country, more than 40% of the population regularly rises in blood pressure, and, much worse, almost half of the patients do not know about it. What causes a person's blood pressure to rise? This issue has been studied in sufficient detail today, but the danger of hypertension lies in the fact that very often it is asymptomatic, and it can only be detected by chance. As a rule, an increase in pressure is accompanied by a headache, weakness, flashing "flies" before the eyes. Often these symptoms are accompanied by palpitations, sweating, pulsation in the head. If the pressure has risen to high numbers, nausea and even vomiting, nosebleeds are possible. Experienced hypertensive patients note swelling of the eyelids, slight swelling on the face and hands in the morning, numbness of the fingers. Such symptoms should make you alert and take a closer look at your condition. Everyone over 40 is advised to control their blood pressure.
First calls
Increase in pressure is a completely normal physiological process. Thus, the brain reacts to insufficient blood supply and lack of oxygen. But the norm is only a temporary increaseand the body's ability to self-correct it. This can occur against the background of stress, when vasoconstriction occurs under the action of the release of adrenaline. If the pressure rises after eating, then this is also quite a normal process.
You need to take action when the pressure is constantly elevated, this should be done even if the patient does not experience any discomfort. It doesn't matter what causes a person's blood pressure to rise. You should be wary if the quality of life is often violated by the following signs:
- from the side of the nervous system - headaches (localized in the back of the head, occurring more often in the morning), tinnitus, sleep disturbances, increased irritability and fatigue, anxiety;
- autonomic disorders - palpitations, rhythm disturbances, pulsation in the head, sweating and hyperemia (redness) of the face;
- appearance of edema - even a slight fluid retention in the body leads to increased pressure on the walls of blood vessels, so the appearance of swelling on the eyelids, face is a direct indication for pressure control.
What happens if hypertension is not treated?
The work of the heart directly depends on the level of pressure - the higher it is, the more efforts must be made in order to maintain normal blood supply. In this case, the walls of the heart first thicken, which causes interruptions in its work, and then become thinner, the result is the inability of the heart to perform its pumping function. This is accompanied by shortness of breath,fatigue and other signs of heart failure.
It has already been proven that hypertension accelerates damage to the vessel wall by atherosclerotic plaques, which, in turn, leads to a narrowing of the lumen. In case of damage to the coronary vessels that feed the heart, angina pectoris or myocardial infarction may develop. The risk of developing cerebral strokes also increases dramatically.
Why does a person have high blood pressure?
The causes of primary (essential) hypertension, paradoxically, are unknown in 90% of cases. Most often they are associated with a hereditary factor and the stresses that accompany our lives. Why does a person's blood pressure rise? The reasons are most often associated with the state of the vessels. If the results of the examinations revealed an increase in vascular tone according to the hypertensive type, then you only need to correctly select the drugs with which the condition will be corrected. An example of such hypertension can be a reaction to jumps in atmospheric pressure. So, if atmospheric pressure rises, then a person suffering from hypertension, the condition usually worsens.
Stress
Stressful situations that very often accompany our lives can also cause an increase in pressure. In a he althy person, this process is easily reversible, and after the nervous tension subsides, the pressure returns to a normal physiological level.
However, over time, such jumps can damage blood vessels, and the body will no longer cope withsimilar overloads. In these cases, after a stressful situation in a person, one can observe not only how much pressure has increased, but also that lowering it to a normal level becomes a much more difficult task. Over time, the increase in pressure occurs even in a calm state.
Food
As shown by numerous studies, nutrition is of great importance in the development of hypertension. Fatty food is an important factor in this. This applies not only to meat, oils and other animal fats, but also to seemingly safe foods such as cheese, chocolate, sausages, and cakes. In addition, blood pressure has been shown to increase after eating large amounts.
Another important dietary reason is s alt intake. Many doctors today recommend that you stop using it altogether, or at least reduce its amount. S alt affects the condition of the vascular walls, reducing their elasticity and increasing fragility, and this is the main answer to the question of why a person's upper pressure rises. The reasons lie precisely in the excessive use of s alt. All this greatly complicates humoral regulation and puts a strain on various body systems. In addition, s alt makes it difficult to remove fluid from the body, which also leads to an increase in pressure.
Alcohol, especially in large doses, stimulating the heartbeat and increasing vascular tone, is also an important factor that causes hypertension.
Obesity andphysical inactivity
These two factors almost always accompany an increase in pressure. When a person spends a long time without movement, the blood flow through the vascular bed slows down, the resistance of peripheral vessels increases, and accordingly, the pressure rises. Despite the widespread belief that physical activity increases blood pressure, it is simply necessary for normal life.
Symptomatic hypertension
Hypertension can increase not only systolic pressure, but also diastolic pressure, and this, as a rule, has more serious consequences. The main reasons why a person’s lower blood pressure rises are kidney pathologies or metabolic disorders.
- Kidney disease. Most often this happens when the kidneys cannot remove excess fluid and s alts from the body in a timely manner. In this case, there is an increase in the volume of blood circulating through the vascular bed, and accordingly, blood pressure also increases. Depending on what causes the pressure to rise - from kidney diseases (glomerulonephritis, pyelonephritis) or because of a violation of the mechanisms of their regulation (vegetative or humoral), treatment will be prescribed.
- Exchange violations. As a rule, this occurs with a lack of potassium. At the same time, the pressure rises sharply, in attacks. They are accompanied by severe pallor, sweating, palpitations and rhythm disturbances. Possible nausea, vomiting, or loose stools.
Therapy
Treatment of hypertension is essential, regardless of why a person's blood pressure rises. The reasons for this can be very different, and even the fact that so far the deviations do not affect the quality of life in any way is not a reason for refusing therapy. On the example of thousands of patients, it has been proven that the pressure needs to be adjusted. Even lifting above 140/95 mm Hg. Art. for a long time exerts a significant load on organs and systems. Of course, with such a small deviation from the norm, it will be enough to give up bad habits, control nutrition and daily walks for correction, but this cannot be postponed until later, when the disease fully makes itself felt!
Drugs for hypertension
In modern pharmacology, there are many tools that correct the level of blood pressure. Usually, doctors use complex therapy, which consists in the use of the following groups of drugs.
- Diuretics (diuretics) - they help to remove excess fluid and s alts from the body.
- Beta-blockers - drugs reduce the intensity of the heart, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the body.
- ACE inhibitors are vasodilators. They increase the lumen of blood vessels by reducing the production of angiotensin (a substance that causes them to spasm).
- Alpha-blockers - also relieve spasm from peripheral vessels by reducing the conduction of nerve impulses that affect the tone of the vessel wall, thereby reducing pressure.
- Calcium antagonists - prevent ions from entering the muscle cells of the heart or affect the heart rate.
Despite the widespread belief that only those situations when pressure surges occur, therapy should be carried out in any case. If you have been diagnosed with hypertension, then taking medication becomes an integral part of your life. You need to drink them constantly, since even a temporary refusal of drugs will entail the return of hypertension, and all efforts will come to naught.
The happy exception can be those people who noticed the problem in time and managed to rebuild their lives, eliminating bad habits and optimizing physical activity. It is in order to prevent this insidious disease in time that you need to know what causes a person’s blood pressure to rise, and to exclude these factors from your life in time, because everyone knows that preventing a disease is much easier than treating it.
