Blood Pressure Basics
Arterial stiffness and lack of elasticity are the main reasons of blood pressure. Though arterial integrity is the core issue, cellular health plays an important role as well in blood pressure. Cellular membrane structural changes or damage brought upon by oxidative stress, protein damage by glycosylation due to excessive sugars, insulin levels, endothelial dysfunction, insufficient nitric oxide production are also some of the culprits in blood pressure.
Some of the outwardly obvious precipitators are
- Being Overweight
- Smoking
- Lack of collagen integrity
- Insufficient or erratic mineral balance
- Lack of exercise
- Excessive alcohol intake
- Improper ratios of sodium and potassium
The following ranges for the systolic (that measures blood pressure when your heart contracts), and the diastolic (that measures the pressure when your heart relaxes) are widely followed
- Normal: Less than 120/80
- Prehypertension: 120-139/80-89
- Stage 1 Hypertension: 140-159/90-99
- Stage 2 Hypertension: 160 and above/100 and above
As blood pressure is an issue that modulates functioning of several systems and organs in the body, symptoms can be wide ranging such as dizziness, fatigue, vision problems, difficulty breathing, chest pains, kidney and urinary issues etc.
We will look into various ways of addressing Blood Pressure issue in a comprehensive manner in the subsequent posts.
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