High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, can prove to be very dangerous to health. High blood pressure means that your heart is working harder to pump blood around the body. This is a dangerous situation. This increases the chances of hardening of the arteries, atherosclerosis, stroke, kidney disease and even heart failure.
Once people suffer from high blood pressure or hypertension, they start taking medicines. But even before that it is important that you take a look at its reasons. If your blood pressure becomes high again and again, then there can be many reasons behind it. So today in this article, RituPuri, Dietitian of ESIC Hospital, Central Government Hospital, is telling you about some of the reasons why a person repeatedly complains of hypertension -
Unhealthy diet
Diet affects your overall health. Therefore, when you eat an unhealthy diet, it causes many health problems. This may even trigger high BP again and again. If you include sodium, saturated fats and cholesterol-rich food items in your diet, it can increase your blood pressure. Therefore, as far as possible, avoid processed food items, fast food and sugary food items. This can increase both your weight and blood pressure.
Being overweight
Being overweight is the root cause of diseases. When your weight increases excessively, the risk of developing high blood pressure or hypertension increases manifold. Excess body fat, especially if it is around the waist, can cause problems like insulin resistance and hormonal imbalance. Due to this, you may complain of high BP.
To smoke
If you have the habit of smoking then it is quite possible that you may have to face the problem of high BP. Tobacco smoke contains chemicals that can damage blood vessels. Due to this your blood pressure may increase. Apart from smoking, excessive alcohol consumption can also increase blood pressure. Due to smoking and alcohol, you may also have to face other heart-related problems.
Not doing physical activity
To stay healthy, it is very important to keep yourself physically active. If you do not do any physical activity or workout then your weight may increase. Being overweight increases the risk of high BP. Therefore, always try to remain physically active and maintain a healthy weight. This also improves blood circulation in your body.
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