High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a cardiovascular disease that affects more than one third of Australians. In 2014 almost six million Australians (34%) aged 18 years and over had high blood pressure.
Hypertension is the leading cardiovascular disease for causing premature death and disability. It is also a risk factor for other chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease, stroke and heart failure.
What is hypertension?
Blood pressure is the force exerted by blood against artery walls and is an essential component of the heart and circulation. Throughout day to day living our blood pressure naturally fluctuates due to the heart making adjustments to our movements. Hypertension occurs when the blood applies too much force against the walls of the arteries. This means that in order for the heart and blood vessels to push blood around the body they have to constantly work hard which causes them to work less efficiently.
Blood pressure is measured by using a sphygmomanometer, or blood pressure monitor. There are two numbers recorded when taking blood pressure. The first reading is systolic pressure, which is the amount of pressure produced as the heart pumps blood around the body. The second reading is diastolic pressure, which refers to the pressure as the heart relaxes and refills with blood.
|
| Systolic (mmHg) | Diastolic (mmHg) |
Normal Blood Pressure | 120-129 | 80-89 |
Stage 1 Hypertension | 130-139 | 90-99 |
Stage 2 Hypertension | >140 | >100 |
Hypertension risk factors
There are many risk factors that can cause hypertension including obesity, diets high in salt and fat, physical inactivity, stress, family history of blood pressure, high alcohol intake and smoking.
Uncontrolled, long-term high blood pressure can lead to other serious conditions such as atherosclerosis (narrowing of blood vessels), heart attack, heart failure, aneurysms, stroke, kidney failure and hypertensive retinopathy (vision problems).
Treatment
Medication is commonly used to treat hypertension with two in three Australians (64%) taking medication for their high blood pressure. Taking medication to treat hypertension is costly and frequently causes side effects including a persistent dry cough, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, headaches and constipation. Approximately one third of people taking hypertensive medications experience one or more of the above side effects.
Another treatment for hypertension is through lifestyle changes such as regular physical activity. Both aerobic (walking, running, cycling, swimming) and anaerobic (resistance and body weight) exercise are successful in lowering blood pressure and preventing further cardiovascular diseases from developing. The World Health Organisation recommends to patients with hypertension that they participate in mix of moderate-vigorous aerobic exercise 30 minutes on five days a week plus resistance strength training on two or more non-consecutive days per week. Exercise can reduce blood pressure by approximately 7/6 mmHg in patients who are regularly exercising. This reduction proves to be significant as it is seen that a 5 mmHg drop in blood pressure is associated with a reduction in the prevalence of stroke by 7%, coronary heart disease by 9% and death by 14% in patients with hypertension.
When comparing medication and exercise treatments exercise has many benefits over medication. Exercise is more cost effective - you do not need a gym membership to work out, there are many ways to exercise at home including walking, running, riding your bike and body weight exercises such as squats, lunges and push ups. Exercise naturally lowers your blood pressure and has very small associated risks/side effects. In some cases patients with hypertension can stop taking medication altogether due to regularly exercising (please consult your GP before doing so).
What to do now?
If you are considering starting to exercise it is a good idea to contact an Accredited Exercise Physiologist who can tailor an exercise program to your individual needs while taking into consideration any medical conditions and/or injuries. Please call 9580 1985 to learn more about how an Accredited Exercise Physiologist can get you on the right exercise path.