Each of us are unique and we all deal with and react to various situations in different ways. The way we live our lives, our diet and the levels of stress to which we are subjected can all have a bearing on our general health but more importantly these are three of the key causes of high blood pressure. High blood pressure is a serious condition provided medical treatment is provided at an early stage it is possible to bring it under control. Many people who have high blood pressure are not be aware of it, which is why it is often referred to as the silent killer as symptoms may not be obvious. Left undetected or ignored this condition can prove to be fatal. Symptoms which can occur are an increased heart rate, shortness of breath, headaches, dizziness and blurred vision. Symptoms like these should be checked out as soon as possible by a doctor. If you recognise any which you suffer regularly seek medical attention!

Hypertension or high blood pressure is split into two groups referred to by doctors as stage 1 high blood pressure and stage 2 high blood pressure. Stage 2 is the more serious level where the systolic reading is consistently found to be 140 or above and the diastolic reading is 90 or over.

We are all aware that being obese and eating food which contains high levels of salt are two common causes of high blood pressure. There many more however which are perhaps less common knowledge and for this reason more of a problem. Some of these causes of high blood pressure are anxiety, depression, too much alcohol and kidney problems, it is possible to that it can be hereditary. There are thousands of deaths each year due to strokes and heart attacks, if high blood pressure is left untreated it can be fatal. Once you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure it is likely that some form of medication will be prescribed by your doctor. There are however a vast number of things that the individual can do in a bid to keep their blood pressure under control for example; reduce alcohol intake, change of diet, take up some for of exercise, stop smoking at the same time it may be worth trying some alternative treatments such as magnesium supplements or garlic capsules and there are many more. Most of these are fairly simple, others may not be so easy to achieve but it is important that you try!

One of the major causes of high blood pressure is poor diet. If you regularly eat ready meals and takeaway food the chances are you are taking in amounts of sodium found in salt hugely in excess of the recommended daily intake figure of 1500mg. These meals also tend to hide large quantities of saturated fat and cholesterol which only serves to clog the arteries making the heart work extremely hard just to pump blood round the circulatory system thus causing blood pressure levels to rise. Before you eat your next ready meal, have a look on the label, it may be enough to make you change your mind about eating it!

Stress is another one of the big factors in the causes of high blood pressure, and it also has a detrimental effect on our general health. We are all placed under more and more pressure to perform well at work and to provide for our families at home. This raises the blood pressure in a similar way to the intake of large amounts of saturated fats, it makes the heart rate increase to enable it to pump the blood round the system.

If you are unfortunate enough to have a history of high blood pressure in your family you do have a greatly increased chance of developing it at some time in your life. Changing your lifestyle now to include a healthy diet low in salt and saturated fats, regular exercise, giving up cigarettes etc. can mean that you reduce the risk substantially. Reducing stress levels can also be hugely beneficial find some time to do something you enjoy.

Your life is in your own hands, a few changes now could extend your life by many years. If you do recognise any of the symptoms in this article please seek medical advice and treatment immediately – your life could be in danger!