High BP Today 50 Percent Of Women Are At Risk

High BP Today 50 Percent of Women Are At Risk

Did you know that more than 50% of women over 50 are at risk of having blood pressure problems?

Blood pressure does generally go up during menopause, this could be due to changing levels of hormones as well as a general weight gain that affects most menopausal women.

Menopause and High BP

Changes in hormone levels and weight gain can make your blood pressure more sensitive to salt in your diet, leading to higher blood pressure.
High blood pressure is known as the silent killer because for some there are absolutely no symptoms whatsoever until they have serious problems such as heart attacks and strokes.

Blood pressure is normally greater with menopause and should not be disregarded as just a menopausal symptom and early detection and treatment are vital in preventing heart disease.
Source: mayoclinic.org – menopause & high blood pressure

Have your blood pressure checked regularly if you have any of the following symptoms:

Symptoms of High BP include:

Headaches
Chest pains and palpitations
Dizziness
Hot flushes
Visual problems
Nose bleeds
Blood in urine

Understanding blood pressure readings

Blood pressure readings consist of two numbers.
The top number indicates the pressure in your blood vessels when your heart contracts, known as the systolic number.
The bottom number indicates the pressure in your arteries when your heart relaxes between beats, known as the diastolic number.
Putting these two numbers together shows whether your blood pressure is healthy or unhealthy.
A high systolic number (130 and over) or a high diastolic number (80 and over) can count as high blood pressure.
A normal blood pressure reading is regarded as less than 120 systolic and less than 80 diastolic.

What can you do to help keep High BP under control?

Mitigate stress and anxiety and find ways to manage your daily stress
Take herbal supplements such as passion flower.
Also remember magnesium it great for anxiety, which can negatively affect blood pressure
Dehydration can also impact your blood pressure
Maintain a healthy diet and include whole grains, fruits and vegetables
Exercise regularly
Don’t smoke and limit alcohol intake
Monitor your salt intake as too much salt can affect your blood pressure

However, if you are going through menopause and suffer from hot flushes and night sweats, you might actually be losing more salt than is healthy.
Make sure that you are getting enough salt in your diet but don’t go over the safe limit which is about 6grm per day.
Try to use sea salt rather than ordinary table salt, since there are lots of minerals and nutrients in sea salt that can be very beneficial.
Source: mayoclinic.org – menopause & high blood pressure