High blood pressure, also called Hypertension, is when the force of blood pushing against your artery walls stays consistently too high. Over time, this can strain the heart and damage blood vessels.
đź“Š What is considered high?
- Normal: around 120/80 mmHg
- High: 140/90 mmHg or above (on repeated readings)
⚠️ Why it matters
Hypertension often has no obvious symptoms, but it slowly increases risk of:
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Kidney disease
- Vision problems
- Blood vessel damage (including in legs and feet)
🚨 Possible (but not always present) symptoms
Most people feel nothing, but some may experience:
- Headaches (especially morning)
- Dizziness
- Shortness of breath
- Chest discomfort
- Nosebleeds (rare, usually in severe cases)
🍟 Link to diet (important for your earlier topics)
High blood pressure is strongly affected by lifestyle:
Things that raise risk:
- High salt (salted snacks, fast food, fries, processed foods)
- Sugary diets (indirectly via weight gain and insulin resistance)
- Fried foods and trans fats (like frequent French fry bowls)
- Lack of physical activity
- Stress and poor sleep
🦶 Connection to feet and body
Over time, hypertension can:
- Reduce blood flow to legs and feet
- Contribute to numbness or cold feet
- Slow healing of wounds
- Increase risk of vascular problems
🥗 How it’s managed
Most people control it with:
Lifestyle changes
- Reduce salt intake
- Eat more fruits and vegetables
- Exercise regularly (even walking helps)
- Maintain healthy weight
- Limit fried/processed foods
Medication (if needed)
- Prescribed by a doctor when lifestyle changes aren’t enough
🧠Key takeaway
Hypertension is often called a “silent condition” because you may not feel it—but it gradually affects the heart, brain, kidneys, and circulation if not controlled.
