Watch for these 3 Causes of High Blood Pressure

Hypertension, or high blood pressure is a common but very serious medical condition that many people suffer from, often without even knowing about it. You may not have any early symptoms, so make sure you get your blood pressure taken on a regular basis. Let’s look at some of the known causes of high blood pressure to help you protect yourself.

Being overweight or obese is one of the leading causes of high blood pressure, especially in modern times. Obesity is the leading cause of high blood pressure in developed countries which have seen a sharp rise in cases. High blood pressure for an overweight person can be a warning sign to other health problems too. You can often lower your blood pressure simply by changing your lifestyle, diet and exercise.

Heavy drinkers of alcohol are putting themselves at risk for hypertension. Recent evidence suggests that wine and other alcoholic beverages may actually be healthy in small quantities, and be good for your blood pressure. It’s clear, however, that regularly consuming more than two drinks per day of any alcoholic beverage poses more risks than benefits to your health. The benefits of light drinking are also not available to alcoholics or anyone with a tendency in that direction. In other words, one or two drinks may be good for your blood pressure, but more than this has the opposite effect and should be avoided.

There are also a variety of medications and drugs that can cause hypertension. People addicted to street drugs, especially “uppers” or cocaine, are prone to high blood pressure. High blood pressure can also be caused by taking prescription drugs, including many antidepressants and birth control pills. Even over the counter medications such as nasal decongestants and appetite suppressants can sometimes have this effect. If you are prone to high blood pressure, then, research any medication you take and always read the labels. Always ask your doctor if any medication he or she has prescribed may cause high blood pressure.

Because there are many causes of high blood pressure, you should work with your doctor to determine why you may have developed it if you have been diagnosed. The main advantage to identifying the cause of high blood pressure is that it can help you to make changes that can reverse it. Some of the causes of high blood pressure mentioned above may apply to you, but there are many others as well, so you have to consider your own lifestyle and medical history.

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