Factors that Can Cause High Blood Pressure

While we can identify a variety of factors that cause high blood pressure it's more important to catch and treat as quickly as possible in order to avoid any serious side effects. It's easy to get your blood pressure checked, and you can even buy kits to check it yourself at home (though the cheaper units are not considered very accurate). Every individual is different and may present with different symptoms, we will discuss some of the most common ones here.

Smoking is one activity that can cause high blood pressure. Along with all of the other health problems smoking can cause, it can also increase your blood pressure. Regular smoking hardens the arteries and creates dangerous blockages which can cause or worsen high blood pressure. To some degree, the risk smoking poses for blood pressure is related to how heavily you smoke, so naturally if you are a heavy smoker it's especially risky. Yet smoking at all, and even second hand smoke can pose risks as well. Studies indicate, however, that if you quit smoking, you can improve your health and lower your blood pressure, no matter how long you've been smoking.

If you consume too much alcohol, this can cause high blood pressure, among other problems. There is some controversy today about the relationship between alcohol and health, as some studies indicate that moderate drinking, especially wine, can actually improve your health and lower your blood pressure. Any benefits, however, only apply to one or two drinks, as more than this raises your blood pressure and can create many other health problems. The benefits of light drinking are also not available to alcoholics or anyone with a tendency in that direction. In other words, one or two drinks may be good for your blood pressure, but more than this has the opposite effect and should be avoided.

It's a fact that some types of food can contribute to high blood pressure. One of these foods, salt, is well known for its role in hypertension which is why doctors recommend a low sodium diet. Hypertension can be caused by other foods too such as sugar and high fat foods. Most high blood pressure can be controlled with the right diet including vegetables and fruits. Changing your diet is worth the effort.

While many factors can cause high blood pressure, the important thing is to watch it and take steps to lower it. As long as you watch your blood pressure and listen to your doctor's recommendations, you should be able to keep it under control. We've looked at just a few of the possible risk factors for high blood pressure. Fortunately, once this problem has been diagnosed, there are quite a few ways to manage it and reduce your blood pressure.

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