The force exerted by the heart on the walls of the arteries when it relaxes and pumps is called as blood pressure. When the heart pumps, the pressure increases and is called systolic blood pressure and when the heart relaxes, the pressure decreases and is called as diastolic blood pressure. 120 systolic and 80 diastolic is considered to be normal blood pressure. If the diastolic blood pressure is between 80 and 100, one is considered to be pre-diastolic. If it increases above 100, then a person is said to have hypertension and needs medication. If one has a high diastolic blood pressure then he might also have high systolic blood pressure. It doesn’t make much of a difference as high blood pressure either systolic or diastolic can prove to be life threatening. Usually high diastolic blood pressure occurs in young adults, teenagers and even children. It is also said that birth weight has a direct relation with diastolic blood pressure. Few of the major causes of high diastolic blood pressure are obesity, smoking and unhealthy diet. Overweight people have a high body mass index. This puts extra pressure on the arterial system thus leading to high blood pressure. Also, fat and cholesterol clog and stiffen the arteries, thus stressing the heart. An unhealthy diet full of fats, trans-fats and saturated fats damages the blood vessels at the cell level. Unhealthy diets are the major contributors to this condition.
The symptoms of blood pressure are usually quite mild and unspecific. Most people do not know of it until their blood pressure is measured. Some of the common symptoms of high blood pressure are nausea, dizziness, blurred vision and headache. Although the symptoms are mild, high blood pressure can lead to major organ damages like heart attack, heart failure, stroke or a mini-stroke, kidney failure, eye damage or peripheral arterial disease.
Certain simple home remedies can help reduce blood pressure and also to prevent it. When facing symptoms of high blood pressure, squeeze half a lemon in some water and drink it every 2 hours. To prevent the symptoms, have watermelon juice daily or have a teaspoon of fenugreek seeds with water every morning and evening on empty stomach. A few garlic cloves rolled in raisins can also lower the blood pressure. Maintain a balanced diet that is high in fiber and low in fats. Avoid the consumption of oily foods as it contains bad cholesterol. Exercising daily is a must for people suffering high blood pressure.