HEALTHWATCH

WHAT TO DO WHEN BLOOD PRESSURE SPIKES

Lowering blood pressure naturally

So you’ve been given the news that you have high blood pressure. Now what? For many, the diagnosis can come as a nasty shock. Most sufferers don’t get any symptoms until they hit dangerously high levels, which is why it’s known as the silent killer.

High blood pressure, or hypertension, results when the force that blood exerts on artery walls as it travels through them becomes high, straining those walls. Left untreated, it can lead to serious problems, including heart attack, stroke, aneurysm, kidney disease and vision loss. It’s vital to have your blood pressure regularly checked, especially if you’re over 50.

Blood pressure is normal if it’s below 120/80 mm/Hg. If it’s consistently more than 140/90, you’re considered to have high blood pressure.

So what happens next? YOU’LL HAVE MORE TESTS Once your doctor establishes that you have high blood pressure (usually by taking measurements several times at separate appointments to con rm that it’s consistently high), they’ll want to look at what’s causing it.

In around 95% of cases there is no obvious reason you have it, although there are risk factors associated with developing it. These can include:

• Family history

• Age

• A diet that contains excess salt or fatty foods

• Being obese

• Lack of physical activity • Excessive consumption of alcohol

• Smoking

In these cases, the condition is called essential hypertension. But high blood pressure can also be caused by an underlying medical condition. This is known as secondary hypertension, and the most common cause is kidney disease.

There are also illnesses that cause the adrenal glands to secrete excess hormones, which elevates blood pressure. In some cases, the Pill can boost blood pressure, as can being pregnant.

To rule out any underlying condition, your doctor may order tests that check things such as kidney function. They may also check potassium and cholesterol levels, and get you to have an electrocardiogram, which measures your heart’s electrical activity and can check whether it is under pressure.

You might be asked to do a test called ambulatory blood

pressure monitoring. This involves wearing a device that measures your blood pressure at regular intervals over a 24-hour period. It can reveal how your blood pressure changes through the day and night, and show when it tends to spike. LIFESTYLE CHANGES WILL BE RECOMMENDED

Making changes to your lifestyle can go a long way towards controlling high blood pressure. Your doctor may recommend that you:

• Cut down on salt. This means adding less to your food and also avoiding foods high in salt, including processed meats such as bacon, packaged meals such as pizza, snacks such as chips, crackers and salted nuts, and sauces such as soy and tomato.

• Eat less fatty food and more fruit and vegetables. Fruit containing potassium, such as bananas, can counter the effects of salt and help lower blood pressure.

• Get regular physical activity. Exercising helps your arteries to stay exible and cope with the demands on them.

• Cut back on booze. Alcohol increases the amount of lipids, or fats, in the bloodstream, which can damage the arteries, leading to hardening. This then raises blood pressure.

• Lose weight, if necessary. Excess kilos can put strain on your arteries and your heart.