What Makes Diastolic Blood Pressure High

When the blood circulates in our body, it exerts pressure on the walls of the blood vessels. This pressure is referred to as blood pressure. It is categorized into systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The upper value and the lower value measure the systolic and diastolic pressure respectively. Systolic blood pressure is the pressure exerted by the blood when the heart muscle contracts and pumps blood. Diastolic blood pressure, on the other hand, is the pressure exerted by the blood when the heart relaxes and blood flows into the heart. Under normal circumstances, the blood pressure reading or the systolic-diastolic blood pressure ratio must be 120/80 mm Hg. A reading higher than the 140/90 ratio is indicative of a high blood pressure. Wondering what makes diastolic blood pressure high? Here's some information on the causes of high diastolic blood pressure.

High Diastolic Blood Pressure: Causes
Did you know that young people with high diastolic blood pressure are at an increased risk of suffering from a heart attack or stroke? One of the main causes of high diastolic blood pressure is an unhealthy diet. Does your diet include high amounts of saturated fats and trans-fatty acids? All of us are aware of the dangers of consuming the processed or packaged foods. The high concentration of salts, additives and unhealthy fat in the junk food is one of the common causes of obesity and people who are grappling with the problem of obesity are definitely at a high risk of developing high diastolic blood pressure. The arterial system of the body comes under a lot of stress due to the excess fat and high cholesterol levels. Cholesterol stiffens the arteries. When they get blocked due to plaque, the heart has to work harder for pumping the blood and this causes high blood pressure. Those who indulge in smoking or excessive consumption of caffeine or alcohol are also likely to suffer from this problem. Stress could also cause high diastolic blood pressure.

Besides obesity and diabetes, kidney disorders could also affect the diastolic blood pressure. Hypertension could be linked to kidney disorders. Kidneys secrete an enzyme called renin. A defect in the kidney could affect the production of this enzyme and that could affect the blood pressure levels. Chronic renal disease, polycystic kidney disease, renal artery stenosis or renal parenchymal disease can also be responsible for hypertension. As I mentioned earlier, presence of fat or cholesterol deposits on the arteries and clogging of the arteries could cause an increase in the diastolic pressure. Diastolic hypertension could also be associated with the effects of aging on the heart and the arterial system. Inability of the heart to relax or weakness and enlargement of heart muscles owing to cardiomyopathy could also affect the diastolic blood pressure.

High Diastolic Blood Pressure: Symptoms
A healthy individual's blood pressure reading should be 120/80 mm Hg. When the systolic blood pressure is in the range of 120-139 and the diastolic blood pressure lies between 80-89, it is indicative of pre-hypertension. When the reading is higher than this value, one is said to be suffering from hypertension. Wondering what makes diastolic blood pressure high? Well, those who have poor dietary habits and live a sedentary lifestyle are at an increased risk of developing high diastolic blood pressure. High diastolic blood pressure symptoms include fatigue, low energy levels, headache, drowsiness, disorientation, shortness of breath, blurred vision, nausea, dizziness and listlessness. If you have been experiencing such symptoms, get your blood pressure checked.

High Diastolic Blood Pressure: Treatment
Why is my diastolic blood pressure high? If this is the question you ask yourself every time you check your blood pressure, then you must look into your lifestyle to find the answer. Make the right lifestyle choices. Quit smoking and reduce your intake of alcohol. Besides including fruits and vegetables that lower blood pressure in your diet, also find out more about the foods to avoid with high blood pressure. Refrain from consuming processed foods. The high level of sodium in these foods is highly responsible for increase in diastolic blood pressure. Since water helps in flushing out the toxins from our body, make sure that you drink adequate amounts of water. Shed all those layers of extra fat through exercise. Get rid of stress with the help of relaxation techniques such as yoga and meditation. I am sure that following these simple tips will help in bringing down the diastolic pressure to the normal range. Since both high as well as low diastolic blood pressure readings are indicative of health problems, don't ignore them. Consult a doctor immediately.

This was some information on what makes diastolic blood pressure high. Hope you found the information on causes, symptoms and treatment of high diastolic blood pressure useful.