My Life Monday High Blood Pressure Most people suffer with high blood pressure (hypertension) but are not aware of it. High blood pressure means that your heart is working harder than normal to pump blood into the arteries and circulatory system putting both heart and arteries under great strain. It damages the body organs and ends up becoming a silent killer if left untreated.

How does high blood pressure affect the body. High blood pressure is a serious health risk for many people. It can result to any of the following:  Brain-Stroke may be caused by progressive narrowing of the blood vessels. When there is inadequate blood supply, the brain cells does not receive enough oxygen and as a results dies.  Eyes- The blood vessels inside your eyes harden. This can cause blood clot and bleeding inside the eyes, which leads to vision impairment and even blindness.  Arteries-are the vessels that transmits blood throughout your body. High blood pressure hardens the arteries which are unable to supply the amount of blood the body needs.  Kidney-High blood pressure narrows the arteries in the kidney which leads to kidney failure.  Heart-The heart has to work harder to pump blood to the rest of the body. When this happens the heart muscles stretches and thickens and the heart stops functioning properly.

Preventing high blood pressure There are certain factors you can control that can help keep your blood pressure under control.  Adopt a healthy lifestyle-This includes maintaining the right weight, eating healthy and being physically active.  Eating a low fat diet or balanced diet-Eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetable and low in saturated fat.  Avoid and quit smoking-Smoking injures blood vessel walls and speeds ups the process of hardening the arteries.  Exercise- reduces high blood pressures and the chances of heart disease.  Reduce salt intake- many people consume more salt than their body needs. An increase intake in sodium, increases blood pressure.