Hypertension and You

Valentine’s Day is right on our heels, so you know what that means! Cards riddled with hearts, chocolate, heart-shaped candies, love songs that mention giving one’s heart away. Hearts, hearts, and more hearts.

But what about your heart? Yeah, sure, it’s that time of the year but what about the extra stress from work? Though the holidays ended a week ago, your in-laws just pulled out of your driveway followed by your anxiety–or so you thought. And that so-called diet you tried to implement during the holidays? Yeah, let’s not even go there.

On the outside, you seem fine. You exercise, you meditate, you also take the time out to ensure that you make time for yourself. However, your inside might be saying something completely different.

We have entered into the age of advanced technology in the medical industry. We can study a single cell under a microscope and determine its abnormalities and even predict it’s future. Doctors can now effectively diagnose many diseases and prescribe treatment just by analyzing images. But with all the advances that have helped improve our quality of life, we still have a long way to go with some of the most common conditions.

Hypertension, or high blood pressure (HBP), is a condition where the force of the blood against the artery walls is elevated. And it causes a host of problems. If the heart is pumping a large amount of blood at once, it can narrow your arteries and cause an intense buildup of pressure. If uncontrolled, hypertension can lead to heart attack, stroke, an aneurysm, heart failure, weakened and narrowed blood vessels in your kidneys, thickened, narrowed, or torn blood vessels in the eyes, metabolic syndrome, and trouble with memory or understanding. The list is quite extensive and quite scary.

High Blood Pressure is a lot more common than you think. In fact, one in three adults in the United States has the condition. The most notable symptoms of HBP include headaches, shortness of breath, and nosebleeds, but they often occur only when blood pressure has peaked at the severe or life-threatening stage. Though the aforementioned signs aren’t always caused by HBP, contributing factors include age, race, family history, and lifestyle. Many of these contributors can be controlled by altering your diet and activity, including lowering your salt intake, moderating alcohol consumption, eliminating tobacco, and staying active. And of course, these positive changes will improve more than just your blood pressure.

The most important first step you can take is to schedule a screening with your primary care doctor. At Aylo Health, we specialize in Hypertension management. Whether it’s through annual physicals, advanced diagnostics, or regular appointments, we’ll create a plan for you to follow and set long-term goals to lower your risks and control your hypertension. Call or schedule your next appointment online with your local Aylo Health today.