What Are The Risk Factors For Hypertension?

Maintaining a healthy blood pressure is an important part of looking after your heart health. Your weight and fitness levels, family history of hypertension and your alcohol intake all influence your blood pressure on a long term basis. Factors like whether you smoke and the amount of stress you go through can also contribute to higher blood pressure than average. Because there are so many risk factors for hypertension and so many people are unknowingly living with the disease, regular testing and screening is important. Using low cost healthcare in Las Vegas means you can have tests done as often as required at an affordable rate and adopt a proactive approach to your health.

Your family history plays an important role in whether you develop hypertension, but knowledge about this can instill healthy lifestyle practices and ensure your children do not inherit the condition from you.

Being obese or overweight puts you at risk of developing high blood pressure. More than two thirds of American adults and one third of American children aged between 2 and 19 fall into the obese or overweight categories. Obesity or being overweight puts your heart under extra strain and lowers your good cholesterol, increasing your chances of developing diabetes. A weight loss goal of 10 to 20 pounds is recommended for obese or overweight people to lower their blood pressure noticeably and lessen their chances of heart disease.

Binge drinking and chronic, excessive alcohol intake can cause blood pressure to increase. It can also increase triglycerides and contribute to obesity. Prolonged and heavy alcohol intake can result in heart failure, irregular heartbeats and stroke.

It has been proven that smoking increases your blood pressure, but only temporarily. However, smoking for many years and smoking a lot of tobacco can cause the rise to last for the longer term. Smoking tobacco also damages your arteries and contributes to a condition called atherosclerosis which narrows and hardens blood vessels and can cause blood pressure to peak.

Stress is another factor that can cause a temporary increase in blood pressure, and some studies have linked stress to higher chances of disease. Stress is also likely to encourage unhealthy habits like snacking, smoking and binge drinking. People who suffer from sleep apnea are also at a higher risk of developing high blood pressure. It also elevates your chances of diabetes, heart failure, stroke and diabetes.

Keeping your blood pressure consistent and within normal parameters is important if you want to live a long and prosperous life. Making use of affordable healthcare in Las Vegas can ensure that preventive health is inexpensive and can save you a great deal by taking a proactive approach to staying healthy.