It is often only when you get home that it begins to sink in and you begin thinking of all the questions you should have asked at the time. What does this mean? How does that affect me? You know, all those sorts of questions. To help you out here are some of the more common terms used when talking about high blood pressure.

* Hypotension – this means you have low blood pressure.
* Hypertension – this is the same as saying you have high blood pressure and refers to measurements above 140/90.
* Systolic Pressure – systolic pressure is the force, experienced by the walls of your arteries, when the heart beats pushing the blood around your body. This is measured in terms of millimeters of mercury.
* Diastolic Pressure – diastolic pressure is the force, experienced by your artery walls, of the blood moving around your body when your heart is at rest between beats and is measured in millimetres of mercury.
* Artery – the blood vessel that carries oxygenated blood away from the heart and to the muscles, tissue and organs.
* Veins – the blood vessels that carry de-oxygenated blood back to the heart and lungs for refreshing.
* Blood Pressure – this is the force experienced by the walls of your arteries as your heart pumps the blood around your body. It is measured and expressed in terms of systolic pressure over diastolic pressure. The ranges are described as Optimal 115/75 or less, Normal less than 120/80, Prehypertension 120-139/80-89, Stage 1 140-159/90-99 and Stage 2 more than 160/more than 100. If only one of your measurements, systolic or diastolic, is in one of the categories above normal then you will be considered overall to be in that category.

These are just a few of the basic terms that will help you understand your high blood pressure better. Once you have a better understanding of whats going on you will be in a better position to ask more informed questions the next time you visit your doctor.

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A national multi-center study from 2000 confirmed a possible connection between sleep apnea and hypertension (high blood pressure) in both older and middle-aged adults. The study, found those who suffer from moderate to severe cases were at increased risk of hypertension.

The study involved more than 6,000 adult men and women age 40 or older. The presence of the sleep disorder was detected using polysomnography, which simultaneously records brain waves, heart waves, blood oxygen levels, and breathing rate while a person sleeps. A team of technicians visited each participant at home in the evening and measured blood pressure and weight, as well as other health parameters, and then connected the person to a sleep monitor. The average number of breathing pauses per hour of sleep was used to measure the degree of sleep apnea.

“As a result of this study, we now believe that sleep apnea may be one of the reasons why overweight people are at increased risk for high blood pressure,” said lead author Javier Nieto, MD, associate professor, Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. “The connection is important because high blood pressure can lead to serious adverse health consequences, including heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease.”

The results of the study showed that people with more than 30 pauses per hour of sleep were more than twice as likely to suffer from high blood pressure than those with no breathing pauses. An increased risk of high blood pressure was found even at moderate levels of sleep apnea. Since sleep apnea is more common in overweight individuals; additional statistical analysis were conducted to control for body weight and waist circumference. Even after controlling for these variables, however, sleep apnea was associated with an increased frequency of high blood pressure.

The authors of the study stressed that because sleep apnea currently goes undiagnosed in most individuals, the results emphasized the need for increased awareness of this condition by both physicians and patients. Whereas the current study measured sleep apnea and blood pressure levels at the same time, subsequent studies are being planned to look at whether changes in the sleep disorder are related to the onset of hypertension or to fluctuations in blood pressure. The authors also noted that since being overweight can cause this sleep disorder, the study’s results add new urgency to the search for ways of stopping or reversing the obesity epidemic in the United States.

The main conclusion that can be drawn is that we must take the personal responsibility to make changes to our lifestyle that can help us avoid the negative consequences that both of these conditions create. This includes changes to our lifestyle such as proper diet and exercise.

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Nose – People with hypertension problems often have nose bleeds and nasal pains. Their blood problems are responsible for carrying more blood than usual to the nose, where it leaks out.

Eyes – In a similar manner, hypertension can force too much blood into the eyes. Patients afflicted with hypertension often have overly bloodshot and reddened eyes. In severe cases, the build up of blood can become so severe that arteries in the eye burst. Signs of blurry or impaired vision may be an early warning of hypertension.

Fatigue – Hypertension can result in people experiencing insomnia and being unable to sleep at night. Because of this, they lack energy during the day and get tired easily. The odd sleepless night in itself is probably nothing to worry about, but if experienced in tandem with other symptoms it could be a sign of high blood pressure.

Shortness of Breath – This is often linked to other symptoms such as nausea, headaches and increased urination due the the damage hypertension can enact on the kidneys and other organs.

In short, the only definite way to be sure that you do not have high blood pressure is to go to a doctor and have a blood pressure test. If you are worried that you are suffering from some of the above signs of high blood pressure, consult your doctor for a thorough check up.

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