You can't see it, you can't feel it... sometimes it's hard to believe your high blood pressure is really there! But what you can't feel can hurt you.
Here's what high blood pressure can do to your body. Your blood provides valuable oxygen and nutrients to your organs and tissues as it circulates throughout your body. You need a certain amount of blood pressure to make sure that your organs and tissues receive enough blood to keep them healthy. But too much pressure can be a bad thing. Over time, high blood pressure can damage the organs, including the eyes, kidneys, brain, and heart. This can lead to:
- stroke
- heart attack
- heart failure
- kidney failure
- eye damage
The longer high blood pressure is untreated, the worse the damage can be. And the damage is being done, even if you can't feel it! That's why it's so important to find a treatment that works for you.
There are many ways to lower your blood pressure. Just changing your lifestyle can go a long way. A healthy diet and regular exercise can lower your blood pressure as much as some medications. For some people, lifestyle changes may be enough. Others may need to combine lifestyle changes with medications to bring their blood pressure down to a healthy level.
If making lifestyle changes or taking your medications as prescribed is easier said than done for you, you're not alone. Many people get effective solutions from their health care providers to help them stay on track. For instance, if you're taking a number of medications and are having problems remembering to take them all when you should, talk to your doctor or pharmacist about whether there are combination medications available for the ones you take to help lighten your medication load. Remember, you can't get the full benefit from your blood-pressure-lowering medications if you don't take them as prescribed.
When it comes to high blood pressure, the saying "out of sight, out of mind" can be dangerous! Talk to your doctor about ways to bring your blood pressure down to a healthy range.
All material copyright MediResource Inc. 1996 – 2023. Terms and conditions of use. The contents herein are for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Source: www.medbroadcast.com/healthfeature/gethealthfeature/Turning-Down-the-Pressure