Risk Factors For Hypertension – The human blood pressure will always change throughout the day. It is influenced by your emotions, activities, and diet. Blood pressure can rise after a workout, while you’re stressed, after a coffee, or when you hear the shocking bad news. So, at that time it could be your blood pressure is relatively high.
However, hypertension is a chronic high blood pressure condition which occurs constantly. Hypertension occurs when your blood pressure is always high for a long period of time, whatever you are doing or eating.
You may feel well-healthy, but in fact your blood pressure has begun to damage the body. If left unchecked, this could lead to serious health problems such as stroke and heart disease.
What are the risk factors for hypertension?
Some risk factors for hypertension are not changed anymore. However, there are still many risk factors for hypertension that can be changed and controlled so that your chances of hypertension are reduced. Check out the details below.
Risk factors for hypertension that cannot be changed.
- History of Hypertension in the family. If a parent, sibling, or other family member has high blood pressure, you are more at risk of hypertension.
- Age. As we grow older, our veins are getting stiff, not elastic anymore. As a result, blood pressure increased. However, this condition can also occur in children, even though it is rare.
- Gender. Up to 64 years of age, men are more susceptible to high blood pressure than women. As for the age of 65 years and above, women who are more susceptible to experiencing high blood pressure.
Read also: Isolated systolic hypertension: The causes and How to treat it.
Risk factors for hypertension that can still be changed
Obesity and overweight.
You are classified as overweight if your body mass index is above 23. While you belong to obesity if your body mass index is above 25. First, check your body mass index with BMI calculators here. The more weight your body mass, the more blood it takes to deliver oxygen and nutrients to the rest of the body’s tissues. Therefore, the pressure in the arteries will rise so that the blood can be circulated smoothly. Consequently, the forced heart of hard work can suffer damage.
Less motion.
If you don’t move much, your heart rate is usually higher. This means the heart will pump harder in each beat. However, as you exercise the body will produce hormones that soothe the blood vessels and lower the pressure in the blood.
Diet.
Eating too much salt (which contains sodium) and a potassium deficiency is a risk factor of hypertension. Sodium in salt can narrow the blood vessels and make the body store a lot of fluid. These two things can then increase blood pressure.
Read also: The best diet for hypertension.
Smo**king.
By the time you smo**ke, blood pressure will rise. Having a smo**king habit means you are at risk of hypertension. In addition, toxic substances in smo**king can damage the blood vessels. Even people who become passive smo**kers or use other types of tobacco are also at risk of hypertension.
Alco**hol addiction.
Drinking more than two servings per day can cause hypertension. Because, alc**ohol affects the nervous system and narrows blood vessels. As a result, heart rate and blood pressure can increase.
Stress.
Heavy stress can increase blood pressure quite drastically, though only for a while. In addition, when you are stressed you are most likely to not notice a diet, lack of exercise, smo**king, or drinking alco**hol, which can then be a risk factor for hypertension.
Consumption of certain medications.
NSAID pain reliever drugs such as ibuprofen as well as cold medications such as pseudoephedrine and phenylephrine may increase the condition of high blood pressure or raise the risk of hypertension. Alternatively, If you need a pain reliever, use acetaminophen or paracetamol.
Have a history of certain diseases.
Obstructive sleep apnea or diabetes can be a risk factor for hypertension. Controlling the disease can help you to keep your blood pressure steady.
