High Blood Pressure Symptoms – Dizziness and Nausea

There are so many people in the world who are affected by the medical condition called hypertension. This disease is characterized by the increase in the blood pressure above the normal range. This disease condition is mostly cause by poor lifestyle choices such as eating fatty foods, drinking alcoholic beverages excessively, smoking, and sedentary lifestyle. The bad thing about hypertension is that people usually ignore the symptoms manifested. While some people choose to ignore the symptoms, a lot of them just go about with their days not knowing that they already have the disease condition. These types of people have asymptomatic hypertension which means that they have the condition but their bodies do not show any signs and symptoms at all. This type of high blood pressure is more dangerous than the symptomatic type and many physicians call the asymptomatic people as “walking time bombs” because at any minute of any given day, they will die with complications.

In order to know if the person is experiencing high blood pressure, it is very important that they know the different signs and symptoms. The most common symptoms in any person having hypertension would include headache, confusion, vision disorders, loss of balance, and drowsiness. Among all the symptoms presented, people would usually manifest dizziness and nausea first. The reason why people feel dizzy when their blood pressure is high is because the pressure exerted on the blood vessels on the brain causes the congestion over the brain tissues. This congestion will cause the swelling of the brain. At this point, with all that swelling and congestion, the other parts of the brain will not receive adequate blood supply and the area of the brain which is mostly affected by the impairment in circulation is the cerebellum. This part of the brain is responsible for a person’s balance and sense of spatial relations. Not only will this impaired circulation cause dizziness but a person may also experience nausea and sometimes vomiting. This symptom is not directly related to hypertension as it is only a symptom that comes with dizziness. People who experience dizziness may or may not experience nausea. Since the brain has swollen from the congestion, it may be relieved when the blood pressure goes to normal with the aid of some blood pressure medications.

Asides from the initial symptoms felt, people may also feel extreme headaches. Many people confuse the partial swelling of the brain during episodes of hypertension as the main cause of headache when in fact it is not. Our brains do not have pain receptors in them that is why no matter how much trauma the brain may have, it will not cause people pain. The headache, on the other hand, is brought about by the pain receptors located in the blood vessels and meninges of the cranium. When the blood vessels have too much pressure in them, it sends out pain signals in the brain causing the symptom of headache.

The signs and symptoms of high blood pressure are usually the indicators that people should visit their doctors for initial check-up. It is also important for these people to stay true to their medication regimen so that the condition will be controlled. Asides from this, they should also practice a healthier lifestyle so that the condition will not worsen.

High Blood Pressure and Pregnancy

The development of high blood pressure among pregnant women is still prevalent but luckily, many of them have delivered their babies successfully. Even though this type of high blood pressure can be avoided through consistent prenatal check ups, this condition is still a major concern. This is because ignoring this case can be detrimental both to the mother as well as to the fetus.

There are certain women who only develop hypertension the moment they get pregnant. However, a more risky situation is when the woman is already hypertensive even before the pregnancy stage. This condition can even cause more complications as she gets pregnant.

High blood pressure in pregnancy can trigger mild and severe complications. Some cases can even cause damage to the kidneys. More serious scenarios are when the mother suffers from toxemia or pre-eclampsia wherein even the fetus can be affected with the mother’s present condition.

Typically, pre-eclampsia starts on the 20th week of pregnancy which is triggered by high blood pressure. This condition can lead to many complications such as the presence of protein in the urine due to damaged kidneys. Furthermore, it can also harm the brain, liver and even the placenta which is like the home of the fetus while inside the mother’s womb. A mother with pre-eclampsia can develop seizures. In fact, this complication became the second leading disease that results to the mother’s death. Other symptoms of pre-eclampsia include incessant headaches, hazy vision and proteinuria or the presence of protein in the urine as mentioned earlier.

The specific type of treatment of pre-eclampsia has not yet been discovered and delivering the baby can be the only solution to this case. Otherwise, the baby may have a low birth weight, preterm delivery and can even lead to stillbirth. This is the reason as to why high blood pressure in pregnancy should be managed right away. Leaving it untreated for a long time can not only lead to pre-eclampsia, it can also trigger other diseases such as heart failures, strokes, coronary diseases and hypertension in the near future.

To avoid this problem, it is important to have a planned pregnancy. The importance of this suggestion is that you can do the necessary interventions to maintain your blood pressure to its normal level and maintain it that way. It is also important to regularly monitor your blood pressure. Moreover, limit alcoholic beverages and those drugs that have serious side effects and quit smoking. Implementing these activities can help you attain a healthy type of pregnancy.

Remember that being pregnant is not an easy task for you will undergo this stage for as long as nine months. Every body changes in the mother can also affect the fetus. It is important to have a healthy body to avoid high blood pressure. As they always say, prevention is better than cure. With this advise, do not wait for the moment when your blood pressure is about to go beyond the normal range. Act right away and engage on a healthy lifestyle even if you’re not yet pregnant.