Well Tuned Naturally

While at one time hypertension and adolescents were not commonly found in the same sentence, sadly today the two appear together as the incidence of hypertension in adolescents is on the rise. The subsequent health challenges that hypertension can give rise to can really add insult to injury for people at such an early age.

It’s a known fact that long term hypertension contributes to significant cardiovascular and renal morbidity and mortality. Hypertension puts an extra load on the heart which can lead to complications such as hypertensive heart disease. As blood pressure rises, the rate of heart attack, stroke and kidney failure do too; all of which you don’t want to see anyone have to deal with, let alone someone still in their youth.

Dealing With Hypertension and Adolescents

When it comes to the matter of dealing with hypertension and adolescents, there are a few steps that you are going to want to take in order to lower and manage your blood pressure. As obesity and a sedentary lifestyle are a couple of the contributing factors, it is crucial to make some lifestyle changes. Food choices need to be centered around fresh fruits and vegetables, foods high in fiber, low in fat and low in sugar. Salt and caffeinated product intake must also be limited as these too can aggravate your blood pressure.

Exercise also plays an important role as you need to maintain a healthy weight in order to properly manage high blood pressure. Limiting your alcohol intake will be helpful here as well, as drinking too much alcohol can significantly raise blood pressure. It can result in damaging the liver, brain and heart, and can also cause you to gain weight.

Smoking is another factor that can contribute to high blood pressure as it injures blood vessel walls and speeds up the process of the hardening of the arteries.

Seek Medical Advice

In dealing with hypertension and adolescents it’s important to seek medical advice. As adolescence is a time of great physical change, hormone levels are constantly fluctuating which is another factor that must be considered in trying to regulate blood pressure. With the risk of so many serious associated health problems, hypertension is not a matter to be taken lightly, or even worse – ignored.

By seeking medical counsel and having them monitor the condition you will be able to determine which specific treatment plan works best. Although prescription medication is often used to help treat high blood pressure, in the case of adolescents less invasive measures are typically suggested.

Straight-Talk to Parents

The likelihood of your adolescent making healthy lifestyle changes will be greatly enhanced if the whole family makes a change. Given that hypertension tends to be a symptom-free condition, the changes made may not even make any noticeable difference in how your adolescent feels, so they may need some real encouragement to stick with the program. As the ramifications of not continuing with healthy choices are far too grave, be an example for them to follow. Continue to do research, ask questions and make the lifestyle changes that will prove useful not only for now, but for the future as well.

The Silent Killer

Affluent Western societies are no strangers to hypertension, also known as high blood pressure. While it is normal for blood pressure to rise with strenuous activity or a stressful event, sustained high levels are a problem, putting the person at risk for other medical conditions such as heart attack and stroke, cardiovascular and kidney disease. The problem is, many people have high blood pressure and are unaware of it as it does not necessarily display any symptoms. Thus it’s label – the Silent Killer.

Blood Pressure Measurement – What Is Hypertension or High Blood Pressure?

Blood pressure is a measure of the force of the blood pressing on the artery walls. Two measures are taken: systolic pressure is the force exerted on the walls when the heart contracts, while the diastolic reading gives the pressure when the heart relaxes. High blood pressure means that the force exerted on the walls of the arteries is higher than it should be.

Types and Causes of Hypertension

Hypertension can be divided into two categories. First and most common is primary (or also called essential) hypertension. In this case, the cause can usually not be identified, and the condition develops gradually over a number of years. The approach to treating primary hypertension includes both medication and lifestyle changes. The other category for hypertension is called secondary hypertension. In this case, the cause is often traced to a pre-existing medical condition such as kidney abnormalities or congenital heart defects. Therefore, with secondary hypertension, treatment may focus on treating the underlying condition.

Arteriosclerosis, also called atherosclerosis, is a major cause of hypertension disorder. Atherosclerosis is a condition in which fatty material collects along the walls of arteries. This fatty material thickens, hardens, and may eventually block the arteries. Lack of physical activity, poor food choices and high stress, individually or in combination, can contribute to the blocking of the arteries.

Lifestyle Changes

Whether or not the cause of the hypertension can be identified, it is useful to consider factors that are considered contributors that you do have control over. One factor to consider is diet. Changing a diet rich in fat and low in fiber to one that included more fresh fruits and vegetables, less meat and dairy, reduced sodium, and whole grains instead of refined flour products could prove beneficial not only for high blood pressure, but for your health in general.

As always, exercise is another factor that plays a major role in health and wellness. Besides the cardiovascular benefits, along with the muscle toning and strengthening, exercise is great for stress reduction, which is another factor identified to play a role in the hypertension condition. Effective stress-reduction management techniques on their own have been proven valuable for some in lowering their blood pressure.

Do Your Part

As stated previously, hypertension has been coined ‘The Silent Killer’, because often the condition can be present without any symptoms. Therefore while those with a family history of hypertension, those over 65 and African Americans have been identified as people being at higher risk, it’s important to protect yourself from this potentially fatal condition by having your blood pressure checked during your regular doctor visit, by using monitors provided in some pharmacies or by purchasing a home blood pressure monitor that you can use yourself. Even if the causes of hypertension may be unknown, its presence doesn’t have to be.