1 in 3 Americans Have High Blood Pressure | Your Health Journal

From Your Health Journal?..A great article from the Reporter Herald by Joyce Davis entitled 1 in 3 Americans have high blood pressure, but exercise and diet can help to reduce it. The article begins by stating hypertension / high blood pressure runs silent and deep in America. Roughly 68 million adults in the United States (about 1 in 3), have high blood pressure, increasing their risk for heart disease and stroke, the leading causes of death in our country. According to the American Heart Association, high blood pressure occurs when blood flow puts too much pressure or tension on the arteries which causes damage. Arteries that are blocked by cholesterol or have a buildup of plaque, can cause the heart to pump harder to get blood through. Eventually, the muscles and valves in the heart are damaged, leading to heart failure. Please visit the Reporter Herald web site (link provided below) to read the complete article. It was well written and very informative.?

From the article?..

Hypertension ? high blood pressure ? runs silent and deep in America.

An estimated 68 million adults in the United States, about 1 in 3, have high blood pressure, increasing their risk for heart disease and stroke, the leading causes of death in our country.

Known as a ?silent killer,? hypertension has no symptoms or warning signs, yet contributes to nearly 1,000 deaths per day. It?s a sneaky disease that runs counter to common belief ? someone with hypertension isn?t necessarily tense, nervous or hyper. Many are calm and cool, with no outward signs of a disease that can do serious damage to the heart, eyes, kidneys and brains.

High blood pressure, according to the American Heart Association (AHA), occurs when blood flow puts too much pressure or tension on the arteries, causing damage. Arteries that are blocked by cholesterol or have a buildup of plaque, can cause the heart to pump harder to get blood through. Eventually, the muscles and valves in the heart are damaged, leading to heart failure. The kidneys and brain may also be negatively affected when the vessels fail to supply adequate oxygen-rich blood.

Before such critical damage happens, however, some lifesaving steps can be taken by those with pre-hypertension. According to the Mayo Clinic, the period before high blood pressure goes full blown is the perfect time for prevention. During this pre-hypertension period, health-care experts advise having your blood pressure tested regularly and introducing healthy lifestyle changes.

Because there are no overt symptoms, it?s important to monitor your blood pressure either through doctor visits or with home checks. Staying in a healthy range ? below 120/80 ? can be as easy as making some simple changes to diet and activity.

A primary risk for hypertension is being overweight or obese. A greater body mass requires more blood to supply oxygen and nutrients to your tissues, increasing the force on artery walls. Family history also increases your chances of having pre-hypertension, as well as being older. Pre-hypertension is also more common in men than women, and in people who have a sedentary lifestyle.

Those with a diet high in sodium are also at risk. Too much sodium affects the way your body regulates blood pressure, so reducing the amount of salt you consume is an easy, positive way to prevent the disease.

To read the full article?..Click here

Source: http://www.lensaunders.com/wp/1-in-3-americans-have-high-blood-pressure/

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