More than a third of all Dutch people suffer from high blood pressure or hypertension. High blood pressure symptoms are not always clearly recognizable. Those who continue to walk around with high blood pressure or hypertension for too long have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. It is therefore important to recognize the symptoms of high blood pressure early and take action accordingly.
Discover high blood pressure symptoms
You usually don't notice anything with hypertension. Still, it can be dangerous. Especially when looking at the risk of heart failure. With long-term hypertension, you will notice a number of symptoms. You can recognize these by:
- Headaches;
- Shortness of breath;
- Dizziness;
- Fatigue;
- Blurred vision;
- Ringing in the ears;
- Palpitations.
Other common high blood pressure symptoms are nosebleeds, muscle weakness, nausea and vomiting.
Who will be affected?
Not everyone is at equal risk for developing hypertension. In some families it is more common. Heredity certainly plays a part in this. Blood pressure also rises with age. This is a normal phenomenon. This also applies to pregnant women. Blood pressure does often return to its normal values after delivery.
Hypertension can be the result of:
- overweight
- a kidney disease
- little exercise
- smoking
- STRESS.
A healthy lifestyle significantly reduces high blood pressure symptoms.
A high-salt diet has a negative impact on blood pressure. This is because the sodium in salt increases blood pressure. The Nutrition Center therefore advises a recommended daily allowance of 2,4 grams of sodium per day. This is equivalent to about 6 grams of salt. Eating licorice also increases blood pressure. This effect begins with the consumption of about 200 grams of licorice per day.
Going to the doctor
Don't wait too long with symptoms of high blood pressure. Prolonged hypertension can lead not only to heart failure, but also to considerable damage to various organs.
The doctor takes a blood pressure measurement. The measurement looks at the upper and lower pressure. A value above 140/90 mmHg is called hypertension. It is important that multiple measurements are taken over a longer period of time. The more often a measurement has taken place, the more clearly certain conclusions can be drawn from it.
This does not only have to be done at the doctor's office. You can also measure your own blood pressureat home. Buying a blood pressure monitor is the most practical solution. This allows the upper and lower pressure to be recorded at any time.
Buying a blood pressure monitor
Do you want to do something about high blood pressure symptoms? Then first get insight into your own blood pressure. When buying a blood pressure monitor, pay close attention to the type. An upper arm blood pressure monitor provides accurate results. A wrist blood pressure monitor is easy to attach. A blood pressure monitor with memory function is useful when you want to keep good track of your blood pressure. This data is not only useful for yourself but also easier to share with your doctor.
With a wrist blood pressure monitor , it is important to keep the monitor in the right place. The blood pressure monitor with position detection, detects the correct position. The display shows whether the measurement was successful. A wrist blood pressure monitor is generally cheaper than an upper arm blood pressure monitor.