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If you’ve ever said to yourself that an annoying person “makes my blood boil’’ you may know more about blood pressure than you thought.

Advisor to Cabrini Health’s Foundation 49 and director of cardiology at Epworth Medical Centre Dr Ron Dick says many people’s blood pressure literally rises when they start interacting with people after waking.
 
“For some people with high blood pressure, during sleep it goes down and when they wake and talk to people it goes up again,’’ Dr Dick says.
“That happens to all people in a smaller way, but some people have this very reactive blood pressure and they need to think about how they’re coping, and they need to stress-manage.’’

 If you have persistently high blood pressure it contributes to the development of vascular (blood vessel) disease which can lead to heart attack and stroke. Another threat is peripheral vascular disease when a victim will experience problems when walking because he has blockages in the arteries in his legs.

High blood pressure is generally a silent threat to our health – most people don’t know they have it and show no symptoms. Those who do get a warning, though, are generally alerted by headaches, problems with vision, a sense of being unwell and lethargic.

Because of the lack, or vagueness, of symptoms, the only sure way to check if you have high blood pressure is to head to the GP.

“Most routine clinical examinations include a blood pressure assessment and most GPs take blood pressure and discuss it with the patient at the time.’’

Cause of High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure, or 'hypertension', belong in two camps. Essential hypertension occurs without any obvious cause. “It’s just something in your genetic makeup or it’s something that gets worse as you get older.”

While this is the most common reason for high blood pressure, others experience it because of some secondary cause such as certain elevated hormones in the system, or a kidney problem. In these cases, treat the cause and you also treat the high blood pressure.

It will usually take a couple of blood pressure checks to verify that high blood pressure is an ongoing problem, rather than a one-off experience that day.

“GPs generally get people back again and check it to make sure the high blood pressure wasn’t just because they ran over their neighbour’s dog that day and they’re really upset, or something like that,’’ Dr Dick says.

He says some patients won’t accept they have high blood pressure and attribute elevated levels during a visit to the doctor to the fact they are a bit stressed at being there in the first place.

That’s when the clever 24-hour blood pressure monitor is useful. It tracks levels over a longer period, showing the continual nature of the high blood pressure.

If blood pressure remains high, the GP will most often prescribe medication.

“The big bogeyman’’ in the past, Dr Dick says, was the side effects so many blood pressure tablets had. But with more than 50 different types of tablet now on the market, keeping blood pressure to normal, healthy levels is easily done.

Because of the link between genetics and high blood pressure, those with a family history of high blood pressure should have regular checks.

Lifestyle factors can also help or hinder treatment, so it’s a good idea to monitor your weight and keep those extra kilos off, and to find time to exercise regularly.

“If people can start exercising 45 minutes a day, walking, and if they can lose some weight and look at their diet and eat more appropriately - not so many take-away foods, more fruits, more vegetables - they’ll be in better shape,’’ Dr Dick says.

What the blood pressure number means

Ever wondered just what the numbers that represent blood pressure mean?

Those figures, for instance 120 over 80, tell your doctor how healthy your blood pressure is.

The first number is the upper of the two and is the 'systolic pressure' – the pressure in your arteries as the heart squeezes blood out during each beat. Australia’s Heart Foundation guideline says that figure should be no higher than 120.

The bottom number is the 'diastolic pressure' - the pressure in the arteries as the heart relaxes between beats. This figure should be no higher than 80.

It’s worth giving your heart a helping hand when you realise it beats 100,000 times a day.

Keeping body fat and stress levels down and fitness levels up will make the heart’s job smoother and more efficient. Loading up on fatty food, excessive alcohol, stress at home and work, and hours on the couch won’t do your heart any favours.

If it’s time to get some balance happening in the food, alcohol and exercise side of life, knowing where to start – and then how to stick to new eating and fitness goals – can be the hardest part. That’s where a tried and tested program that encourages both healthy diet and achievable exercise can help.

Local and workplace gyms offer support as do local footy and cricket clubs.

There are countless books offering advice and there are numerous on-line advice sites offering weight-loss suggestions, recipes, menu tips, fat and calorie calculators, and exercise ideas. You can find help and encouragement while remaining anonymous, and you can choose the time and place that suits you to hit the computer and follow the program of your choice.

Article sourced from
Foundation 49 - Promoting Health Awareness in Men
www.49.com.au