What is Hypertension and How Do I Know I'm Suffering From It?

Hypertension basically refers to high blood pressure. High blood pressure is when the force of blood pushing against blood vessel walls is heavy and working hard. The heart pumps blood into the blood vessels that carry the blood through the body. Hypertension is very dangerous because it will force the heart to work harder pumping blood to the body. This will lead to hardening of the arteries. Atherosclerosis and the development of heart failure can occur.

What is hypertension? So basically whenever someone refers to hypertension they are generally referring to the condition of having high blood pressure.

The best way to find out if you are suffering from high blood pressure, is to have your blood pressure checked. You can do this on your own or have your doctor do it. It's usually standard procedure for doctors to check blood pressure at each visit.

You will know you are suffering from hypertension by what your numbers read. A high number means that your heart is working too hard to pump blood through your body. This added workload can lead to a much weaker heart. In turn, organ damage can later occur. Your arteries will also be effected negatively when blood pressure is high. Hard, narrow arterial walls will be the result from the extra workload. This can be the pathway for stroke, kidney failure, and cardiovascular disease.

Smoking, being overweight, stress, genetics, too much salt consumption, and lack of exercise are all common contributors to hypertension.

What is hypertension? Something you should definitely get a handle on so as not to suffer serious health ailments down the road, or even sooner.