What is high blood pressure?

Question

I have anxiety, and serious gyne probs at the moment. I have been very over worked and highly stressed too .
I have never had high blood pressure in my life, but the past couple of months, my readings have been between 140 / 83, and 144 / 90. My GP says it has to come down. I have also put weight on the past year. I also seem to be breathless, I stopped the cigs a year ago. Is all these conditions connected, and what can I do.
Genuine replies please, thanks.

Answer 1

You have omitted the most important and vital bit of information, -- your age? If your systolic pressure, (the high one,) is
"(100 + your age)" roughly - that is about plus or minus 10, then you are absolutely fine, no matter what your doctor says.

This is the established rule of thumb throughout the western world,. both for men and women, and if you are within these limits you're absolutely normal.

Ignore all the tosh about "mild hypertension" and "pre- hypertension".
Real hypertension is a SYMPTOM, not a fault, and lowering your systolic pressure isn't treating the cause. Sometimes it's quite the reverse.

By all means talk to your doctor if you wish, but don't spend too much money in doing so, if you're age is between 35 and 45. Those readings you give are then exactly what they should be.

Answer 2

Blood pressure measurements don't count for anything if you've been walking around. Ideally, you should be sitting down for at least 5 minutes or so. Blood pressure also can vary during the day, so it's best to get measurements from similar times during the day. No caffeine in the morning either. These measurements should be repeated on a few separate occasions. Some people get "white coat hypertension" when they go to the doctor's office because they are nervous. Probably blood pressure medicines wouldn't kill you. But you don't necessarily need blood pressure medicines if your blood pressure is only high while active. When doctors study the effects of high blood pressure, they study the effects of people who are diagnosed with it as described above. You are probably at no higher cardiac risk from your blood pressure.

Answer 3

High blood pressure is called "hypertension" by doctors, which leads a lot of laypeople to think it's due to "stress." What it really means is that there's too much tension on the walls of your blood vessels--high blood pressure. The cause of high blood pressure is usually not "stress," but rather a complex of neural, hormonal and vascular (blood vessel-related) causes.

High blood pressure can cause damage to virtually any vital organ, but the heart, kidneys, brain and retinas are especially susceptible. Your breathlessness COULD be due to mild heart failure, because the high blood pressure is causing your heart to work too hard.

The good news is that the blood pressure readings you report are not that bad. What you need to do is work very closely with your doctor. If your pressures remain elevated, he/she will decide on an appropriate antihypertensive medication. Work with your doctor on weight loss, diet and exercise.

But MOST IMPORTANTLY, please do make sure that you tell your doctor about the breathlessness--that is a potentially very serious symptom that could be due to any number of conditions, and it requires prompt evaluation.

Answer 4

You have prehypertension ... not yet what would be classified as mild hypertension.

Hypertension is when you have a blood pressure > 150/90

It is associated with ischaemic heart disease (heart attacks and angina pains), strokes, peripheral vascular disease ...

See the wiki page

The increase in weight may be related to the shortness of breath.

You will need to work with your GP to:

stay off the cigarettes
lower your blood pressure
lose weight

Answer 5

Cholesterol comes from animal fat like meat, cheese, butter, cream & eggs. Too much cholesterol causes high blood pressure. Eat more vegetables instead. Losing weight lowers blood pressure.

Answer 6

The definition of high blood pressure is over 140/90 mmHg, based on atleast 2 readings on separate occasions.

anxiety, stressful life,high weight,cig smoking are all risk factors for high blood pressure.though you may have stopped smoking, the effects of its toxins are still present in your body.

First lead a calm life.i know its not easy in this hectic world.what you can start with, is adopt good culture,like an evening walk, listening to music,good hobbies like reading.

And also a good diet..avoid salty foods..prickles,canned food,fast food,soft drinks..better have home made food..lots of vegetables,fruits,fish.
i hope my advice will help you.

Answer 7

Stress and weight gain both raise your blood pressure, high blood pressure or "hypertension" is believed to be strongly linked to many heart deseases.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

WHAT DOES THE TOP NUMBER MEAN IN THE BLOOD PRESSURE READING