High blood pressure can damage your heart, arteries, and kidneys long before you feel anything is wrong. The difference between what your body is doing and what you can feel it doing is what makes regular check up so important. For many people, “high blood pressure” is a vague term that means something is wrong with your heart and that you need to eat better and exercise more. But by learning the deeper truths about what high blood pressure actually is, you can spot the signs before the situation becomes serious, and respond better and more appropriately for your lifestyle.
What Does High Blood Pressure Mean?
Blood pressure is how hard your blood pushes against the walls of your arteries. It is measured in millimetres of mercury, or mmHg. A normal blood pressure reading sits below 120/80 mmHg. Blood pressure is considered high when it reaches 140/90.
It is not a one-off spike but a pattern of persistently elevated pressure in your arteries. A single high reading does not confirm high blood pressure, your doctor will need to take multiple readings before making a diagnosis.
What Causes High Blood Pressure?
There are two types of high blood pressure, each with different causes.
Primary hypertension accounts for around 90 to 95 per cent of cases. It gradually develops over time, driven by a combination of lifestyle habits, genetic factors, and ageing.
Secondary hypertension is caused by an underlying medical condition, such as kidney disease, adrenal gland disorders, or pituitary gland disorders.
For primary hypertension, any of the following factors could be the cause of high blood pressure:
- High salt intake causes the body to retain more fluid, raising the pressure in your arteries.
- Being overweight forces the heart to work harder to pump blood through a larger body.
- Physical inactivity is associated with higher blood pressure compared with regular exercise.
- Smoking damages artery walls and creates fatty plaques that narrow blood vessels and restrict blood flow.
- Alcohol raises blood pressure after drinking, and heavy regular intake can result in a lasting increase.
- A family history of high blood pressure means your risk of developing it is higher if a close relative has had it.
Who is Most at Risk in Australia?
High blood pressure becomes more common with age. Its prevalence sharply rises in the mid-40s, and nearly half of all Australians aged 75 and over live with it. People living with diabetes or kidney disease also carry a higher risk.
Men are more likely than women to have uncontrolled high blood pressure. However, high blood pressure can develop during pregnancy.
Symptoms of High Blood Pressure
In the large majority of cases, people with high blood pressure show no symptoms at all. Blood pressure can remain elevated for years without causing pain, discomfort, or warning signs. The only way to know whether your blood pressure is high is to have it measured. When symptoms do appear, it means that the blood pressure has reached severely elevated levels. These can include:
- Headaches
- Nosebleeds
- Shortness of breath
- Blurred vision
- Dizziness
These symptoms are broad and commonly appear alongside other conditions. They do not mean you have high blood pressure, even when they appear together. If you experience any of these regularly, you should have a doctor measure your blood pressure as soon as you can.
What Hypertension Does to Your Body
When blood pressure stays elevated, the extra force on your artery walls causes them to stiffen and narrow. High blood pressure damages the arteries supplying every major organ in your body, and that damage silently accumulates over years to potentially affect any part of your body. Some of the most commonly and seriously areas are:
Your Heart
Narrowed arteries force the heart to work harder to pump blood through. Over time, the heart can enlarge and weaken until it cannot pump enough blood to meet your body’s needs, causing heart failure.
High blood pressure also increases your risk of heart diseases like coronary artery disease, where the arteries become narrowed or blocked, which can lead to a heart attack.
Your Brain
Blood vessels that supply the brain can be damaged by sustained high pressure. When a vessel becomes blocked or bursts, the result is a stroke.
Your Kidneys
The kidneys rely on small blood vessels to filter waste from your blood. When these vessels are damaged, function deteriorates which can lead to kidney failure.
Your Eyes
The blood vessels in your eyes are fragile. Sustained high pressure can damage them, causing changes to your vision or, end even a complete loss of vision in one or both eyes in the most serious cases.
Treating and Managing High Blood Pressure
Lifestyle changes are the first line of treatment for high blood pressure. These changes are simple, and often obvious.
Diet. Reducing your salt intake lowers the amount of fluid your body retains and directly reduces pressure in your arteries. To take it a step further, eating more vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products while cutting back on saturated fats can help lower your blood pressure over time.
Exercise. Adults should aim 30 minutes of ligh exercise a day, or at least 2.5 hours of moderate activity per week.
Limiting vices. Quitting smoking removes a major driver of artery damage and lowers your blood pressure. Cutting back on alcohol to no more than two standard drinks per day also helps.
Sleep. Turning off screens at least half an hour before bed, and closing your curtains to keep your room dark and cool at night are the first steps towards better sleep. Set your alarm for the same time every day, even on weekends, to help set a healthy and regular sleep schedule.
Professional help. When lifestyle changes are not enough to bring blood pressure to a safe level, your doctor may prescribe blood pressure medication. Add to that regular blood pressure checks allow your them to track your progress and adjust treatment as needed.
Learn What to Do When Management Isn't Enough
While high blood pressure is something that can be addressed over time with consistent effort and lifestyle changes, these changes can’t help when the consequences of high blood pressure suddenly appear. Heart attacks and strokes appear suddenly, and while they’re more likely to affect those with high blood pressure, they can happen to anyone.
When these emergencies happen, the only way to help is by knowing first aid. By enrolling in a first aid course, you won’t be caught off guard when the worst happens. You’ll be able to spot the signs before it’s too late, and you’ll be able to help someone else if they’re the one in need. The life you end up saving could be yours, or someone you love.
FAQs
What Are the Risks of Low Blood Pressure?
Low blood pressure, known as hypotension, is as a reading below 90/60 mmHg and is often harmless in otherwise healthy people. Its main risks are dizziness, fainting, and falls, particularly when standing up. In extreme cases, very low blood pressure can lead to shock.
How Can I Measure Blood Pressure at Home?
A home blood pressure monitor uses a cuff that fits around your upper arm and inflates automatically, displaying your systolic and diastolic numbers on a screen. For accurate readings, sit quietly for five minutes before measuring and take your reading at the same time each day, before food or medication.
What Medicines Are Prescribed for High Blood Pressure?
Medications include ACE inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), which relax blood vessels; beta-blockers, which reduce the heart’s pumping rate and force; and diuretics, which help the kidneys remove excess fluid from the body.
