3 Ways That Can Increase Your Risk of Hypertension
Hypertension which can also be called high blood pressure is a medical condition that is affecting more and more people. Often referred to as the silent killer, nearly 30 percent of people in the United States have hypertension and more than 30 percent of them do not even know that they have it.
Many people who do know they have high blood pressure are not taking the proper care to control it. This condition can be very dangerous as it can lead to host of health complications and problems later on in life if it is not properly treated.
Hypertension means that your blood pressure is above the normal levels on a regular and consistent basis. This does not mean that you are hyper or tense all the time as even the most relaxed people can have high blood pressure.
The condition can be caused by factors that are outside of your control such as genetics. If your parents or grandparents had this condition then, this can increase your risk of having it as well. High blood pressure can also be caused by underlying factors such as the narrowing of the arteries, kidney disease or pregnancy.
However, there are factors that you can control to help reduce your risk of hypertension and here are 3 of these factors:
Overweight: If you are overweight or obese then you will increase your risk. Obesity can be defined as your body weighing 20 % or more above your normal natural weight. Not everybody who is overweight will have hypertension however, nearly half of those who do have high blood pressure are overweight.
Alcohol: Many people today drink well over the recommended daily intake of alcohol. Although the limits differ between men and women on average you should not drink more than 2 bottles of beer or 2 small glasses of wine a day. Anything over that and you are increasing your risk. Drinking too much alcohol not only increases your blood pressure it also increases your risk of liver and heart disease.
Smoking: Unless you have been living in a cave and been devoid of any human contact you should be well aware that smoking is dangerous to your health. It is linked to a host of diseases that can kill you including cancer and heart disease. The nicotine in cigarette tobacco and in kind of tobacco has the effect of constricting the arteries. This narrowing builds up pressure in the arteries which raises your blood pressure. Over time this will eventually lead to hypertension and other serious conditions as just mentioned.