Blood pressure is the layman term for describing hypertension. To decipher the meaning of the same, it makes sense to dissect the word hypertension. Hyper means high and tension means stress. Simply put, hypertension is blood pressure that is beyond the advisable limit.

Read on to find out the health complications high blood pressure brings with itself and also ways to control blood pressure.

What is high blood pressure?

Blood pressure is eminent for efficient functioning of the overall body and in the end survival. Without blood pressure supplying nutrients, oxygen and blood to the circulatory system no other functioning in the body is possible.

These are the complications hypertension gets with itself -

High blood pressure is detrimental for overall health of the person. Higher the figures of the systolic and diastolic measurement, higher are the chances of the person attracting health concerns.

Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to:

Heart attack 

This is the most obvious and known after-effect of uncontrolled blood pressure. It is a result of thickening of the arteries due to deposition of cholesterol in arteries. This cholesterol content has the capacity to trigger stroke and other complications.

Aneurysm

Aneurysms are arteries that have developed bulges due to force of blood flow or increased blood pressure. If that aneurysm ruptures it can cause internal bleeding and life-threatening complications.

 Bone Damage 

Bone density reduces in men and women suffering from high blood pressure levels. That is because a high amount of calcium is lost from the body through urine elimination.

Cognitive deprecation

Uncontrolled high blood pressure limits the functioning of your memory and capacity to think and remember after having read or heard something.

 Loss of eyesight 

Blood vessels in the eyes can undergo changes in terms of size and thickness. This change in blood vessels can result in loss of vision.

 Metabolic syndrome 

This is the term given to a group of metabolic disorders such as high blood sugar, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels. These conditions expose you to serious health conditions from cardiac diseases, stroke, dementia etc. in future.

As the above mentioned points suggest, the heart is affected the most due to hypertension. Heart by-pass surgery is prescribed in extreme cases where blockages get formed in arteries obstructing blood flow. Find costs of heart by-pass surgery here. So in order to avoid huge medical bills and hassles of hospitalization, you must try and take steps to control your blood pressure yourself. For it is always better to be safe than sorry.

These are the ways to control blood pressure -

First up, you need to know whether your blood pressure is high, low or normal.

Normal – Below 120/ 80 mm Hg

Low – Below 90/60 mm Hg

Elevated – Above 120/ below 80 mm Hg

Stage 1 hypertension – Above 130/ 80 mm Hg

Stage 2 hypertension - Above 140/90 mm Hg

If your blood pressure is in the normal range, then you are not susceptible to suffer from any complications. But that does not mean that such people should lay back and enjoy life. Observing precautions and lifestyle changes applies to everyone.

Listed below are tips to control your blood pressure:

Cut down on the salt 

Avoid sprinkling salt in foods that already contained salt whilst cooking. Excessive sodium has the capacity to shoot your blood pressure figures through the roof.

Join a gym 

Join a gym and workout regularly. That prevents your cholesterol from increasing and hence also contributes for your heart functioning and controlling blood pressure.

Quit smoking 

Smoking kills, whether you smoke yourself or are a passive smoker. Chemicals in tobacco and a cigarette are extremely harmful for the heart. Arterial hardening takes place because of the chemical agents in a cigarette. In other words, the smoke exposes you to the risk of a heart attack whether you smoke or someone in your surroundings does.

Alcohol intake

Drinking damages your cardiac functioning and its capacity little by little. Alcohol contributes in increasing fat on your waist, thus increasing your blood pressure in the process. Reducing your drinks consumption by using doable hacks like adding more amount of mixers in the drink, drinking from a small sized pint can be done by regular drinkers.

Control your junk food intake 

Processed foods, canned items, bakery products all are gullible to contribute to your blood pressure. The salt and sugar content in such foods adds to your weight and also increases blood pressure. Cholesterol levels are also likely to rise dangerously.

Practice meditation 

Meditation is a holistic way to have a peaceful mind in today's extreme stressful times. Just as mental health can be safeguarded by way of meditation, it is beneficial for the body as well. Meditation has been proved to be helpful in keeping high blood pressure at bay.

Sleeping patterns

Getting enough and proper sleep everyday is important for maintaining weight. People who do not get enough sleep often have a bigger waistline.

 Blood pressure causes a lot of damage to the bodily functions. Above listed were the ways to control your blood pressure. If you or your family members require medical assistance, click here to find top cardiology hospitals in India.