Hypertension and My Body

Hypertension and My Body

Hypertension is also known as high blood pressure. Hypertension is caused by various problems such as stress, poor diet (mainly an increase in sodium and caffeine), obesity, excessive alcohol usage, and smoking. Hypertension has been in my family for a while. Both of my grandfathers have high blood pressure and one of my grandmother's also has high blood pressure. High blood pressure is a cause for strokes later in life. Usually strokes will occur to people who are in their 30's or above. If high blood pressure is treated then the risk of a stroke will decrease. There are some things that can be done to prevent hypertension (high blood pressure) but there are also some things that I do that might lead to hypertension.

Being a freshman, I have a lot of stress in my life. There are so many things that have to be done: homework, sports activities, church activities, sorority events, and even personal stressors. I try to manage my time between some of those things but sometimes it is rather difficult. As of right now I do not think I have hypertension, but as I get older I fear that I will. Some signs of hypertension are frequent headaches as well as dizziness. I have been having headaches recently, so that could be a sign of hypertension.

In order to reduce the risk of me having hypertension there are plenty of things that I can do. I can try to relax more and attempt to reduce the amount of stress in my life. I am not a smoker or drinker so those two factors do not concern me when it comes to hypertension. My daily diet is a major thing that I can change to reduce my risk of blood pressure, especially since it runs in my family. I always say that I will eat healthy because I have never been a junk food addict; however, since my freshmen year of college I have not been eating quite as healthy as I once did. I have not gained any weight since I started school, but I do need to manage my diet better. I believe I can eat more fruits, vegetables, and proteins like I once did. I can also decrease the amount of caffeine and salt that is in my diet. I have decreased those two items from my diet quite a bit. I do not add extra salt to things and I try not to eat too much chocolate or sodas.

Since high blood pressure does run in my family I have a higher risk of getting it. I want to do everything in my power to prevent this health