What is dangerously high blood pressure for the elderly?
High blood pressure control is critical for the elderly’s health because it is common among the elderly. According to the first comprehensive global analysis of trends in the prevalence, detection, treatment, and control of hypertension, which is led by Imperial College London and the World Health Organization, the number of aged people 31 to 80 with high blood pressure has increased from 650 million to 1.27 billion in recent years.
High blood pressure is also known as the “silent killer” because its symptoms are not always obvious. Although there is no quick fix, the hypertension of aged people can be well controlled by changing their lifestyle and taking appropriate medications regularly.
High blood pressure can lead to heart attacks, strokes, and many other serious health conditions, so the elderly need to maintain their blood pressure.
Some steps the elderly can take to reduce symptoms of high blood pressure:
- Reduce stress
Emotions have a significant impact on the health of the elderly. Chronic fatigue is one of the symptoms of hypertension in the elderly because they have permanently elevated levels of cortisol, the stress hormone that can cause a significant increase in blood pressure if not controlled. Yoga, hiking, and sports can help the elderly reduce stress.
- Exercise
A simple exercise can alleviate the symptoms of hypertension in the elderly or prevent it from worsening. Exercising for at least 30 minutes per day can reduce blood pressure by up to 9 mm Hg. Swimming, cycling, and walking are three of the most effective exercises for lowering blood pressure. Encourage the elderly around you to exercise at least three times per week to improve their health.
- Lose weight
Excess weight is one of the symptoms of hypertension in the elderly, as it raises blood pressure, and obesity is one of the leading causes of high blood pressure. The outside of the blood vessels is under pressure, while inside the blood vessels, excess fluid accumulates.
- Eat less sodium
Excess sodium directly raises blood pressure in the elderly. Because sodium can increase blood pressure by up to 8 mm Hg, doctors advise the elderly who are at risk of developing high blood pressure to limit their daily sodium intake to less than 2,300 mg.
- Maintain a healthy diet
Maintaining a healthy, balanced diet is one of the best ways for the elderly to avoid high blood pressure symptoms. Processed foods are frequently high in salt, as salt is the primary cause of hypertension. Fast food, smoked meats, and frozen pizza are examples of high-fat, high-salt foods that cause blood pressure symptoms in the elderly. Fresh ingredients rich in magnesium and potassium will help regulate blood pressure levels in the elderly and alleviate the symptoms of hypertension.
Magnesium-rich foods, such as whole grains, salmon, and spinach, can also help the elderly relax their blood vessels. Potassium relaxes blood vessels and helps to reduce the negative impact of salt on your health. Many foods, including low-fat yogurt, avocados, and bananas, are naturally high in potassium.
To alleviate hypertension symptoms, the elderly should consume more whole grains and fresh vegetables while limiting their cholesterol and unhealthy fats intake.
- Avoiding alcohol excessively to alleviate hypertension symptoms
According to the elderly, drinking alcoholic beverages can cause hypertension. Whereas alcohol is one of the drinks that raise blood pressure, studies have shown that the presence of a certain percentage of alcohol in the bloodstream of the elderly causes difficulty in delivering oxygen to the heart, thereby exacerbating hypertension symptoms.
- Quit smoking
Even smoking one cigarette can worsen high blood pressure symptoms in the elderly. All nicotine sources, including patches and chewing gum, cause hypertension in the elderly, so it is best for them to avoid them entirely in order to maintain good health.
- The effect of dark chocolate on the blood pressure of the elderly
Dark chocolate is considered a healthy snack as it is rich in flavanols, a plant compound that dilates blood vessels and enhances blood flow. Eating massive amounts of food will not accelerate the drop in blood pressure levels for the elderly. Eating one or two squares of dark chocolate daily is one of the best ways to lower blood pressure and reduce symptoms of hypertension.
- Drink enough water daily
Fluids are critical for the elderly with high blood pressure because they improve the flow of oxygen-rich blood through the blood vessels while also playing an important role in maintaining the body’s salt balance. Staying hydrated and drinking water can also help maintain normal blood pressure. Whereas doctors recommend drinking eight glasses of water a day, in addition to eating plenty of water-rich foods, such as fruits and vegetables, to reduce the symptoms of hypertension in the elderly, drinking water and staying hydrated always helps in maintaining blood pressure levels at healthy levels.
- Get a good night’s sleep
Doctors recommend that the elderly should sleep from 7 to 8 hours per night. Sleeping for less than six hours is harmful to the elderly’s health and is thought to be an indicator of high blood pressure symptoms. Stress and sleep disturbances, on the other hand, increase the risk of heart disease. The shorter the periods of sleep, the greater the risk of hypertension. The elderly who sleep six hours or less per night are more likely to have high blood pressure. Not getting enough sleep can also lead to a potentially dangerous condition if you already have hypertension.
Sleeping assists the body in controlling the hormones that are required to reduce stress and regulate metabolism. Sleep deprivation can cause hormonal imbalances over time. These hormonal changes may cause high blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease in the elderly.
Don’t try to compensate for the lack of sleep at night by sleeping excessively at noon. Although too much sleep is less harmful than not enough sleep, it can lead to high blood sugar and weight gain, both of which are detrimental to heart health. That is why, if you have high blood pressure, you should talk to your doctor about improving your sleep.
High blood pressure symptoms.
Among the symptoms of high blood pressure for the elderly is the feeling of severe headache, especially in the back of the head on the side of the neck, the feeling of extreme dizziness and imbalance in movement that may lead to loss of consciousness, severe pain in the neck area, shortness of breath accompanied by a feeling of nausea, lethargy, laziness, and a feeling of constant fatigue and stress. A patient with high blood pressure may experience nosebleeds, frequent headaches, psychological imbalance, a feeling of anxiety and tension all the time, tremors in the muscles of the body, in addition to an increase in heart rate than normal.
What should the elderly do if they develop high blood pressure symptoms?
If your blood pressure is high, then your first resort is medications but following a healthy life is the best option as changing lifestyle plays an important role in treating high blood pressure and avoiding the need for medications constantly. Like losing more weight and adjusting your waist circumference, blood pressure increases mostly the greater the weight. Being overweight may cause breathing defects during sleep, which also increases blood pressure.
What is the quickest way to bring down blood pressure?
Symptoms of high blood pressure appear in the elderly when the blood pressure rises due to the narrowing of the blood vessels, which are called the arteries. As a result, the heart has to pump harder to overcome resistance in the narrowed blood vessels, which leads to higher intravascular pressure. The pressure is considered high when it is 140 or higher for the systolic pressure or 90 or higher for the diastolic pressure. Blood pressure readings over 120/180 mmHg are considered dangerously high and require immediate medical attention and hospitalization.
High blood pressure for the elderly is a serious problem that requires a solution without delay, but there are many ways to reduce the symptoms of high blood pressure naturally. If the elderly have high blood pressure without noticing any complications, the first thing they should do is to calm down and lie down. Where he should leave what occupies him aside, and begin to breathe deeply and slowly, as the breathing process slowly helps to reduce tension and thus reduce high pressure quickly to a certain extent.
If the slow breathing process does not help in reducing the symptoms of high pressure, then steps to change lifestyle and diet are taken. As for the high pressure that cannot be controlled by following a healthy and sound lifestyle and a healthy diet. The doctor’s intervention should be requested as soon as possible, and medications that work to reduce the symptoms of high pressure should be taken.
How can I bring my blood pressure down in 5 minutes?
There are many drinks that play a major role in reducing the symptoms of high blood pressure for the elderly, such as:
Tomato juice
Tomato juice is the main drink to promote heart health and reduce symptoms of high blood pressure. Studies have shown that drinking a glass of tomato juice daily improves the elderly’s blood pressure and cholesterol levels. But what is meant by homemade tomato juice, not ready-made tomato juice, because it contains large amounts of sodium, which raises blood pressure.
Beetroot juice
Red beet juice is rich in nitric oxide, which works in dilating blood vessels and lower blood pressure. It is considered a quick home solution that works to reduce high blood pressure symptoms in less than 24 hours only.
Berry juice
Raspberry juice, especially cranberry juice, is one of the drinks that works to reduce the symptoms of high blood pressure that the elderly face, because it is rich in natural compounds (Flavonoids), as studies have shown that consuming these compounds works to reduce high blood pressure and its symptoms associated with it.
Hibiscus drink
The hibiscus drink is considered one of the drinks that support a healthy life and reduce the symptoms of high blood pressure because it helps in lowering the level of blood pressure because it contains antioxidants. It is easy to add this drink to your daily routine, and studies have shown that consuming three cups a day of hibiscus works to reduce the symptoms of high blood pressure.
pomegranate juice
Pomegranate juice is one of the drinks that reduce the symptoms of high blood pressure, as it contains properties that help lower blood pressure. Pomegranate juice is a natural inhibitor of angiotensin-converting enzyme, as it takes the role of medicines recommended by doctors to treat high blood pressure symptoms, so this drink is very special in combating high blood pressure. Some studies have shown that pomegranate juice can lower systolic blood pressure by up to 30 %.
water
Water is a simple drink that is indispensable, but some people ignore consuming it in sufficient quantities daily, but its effects are high because it treats many diseases, and many people suffer from chronic dehydration, which increases the symptoms of high blood pressure.
Milk
Milk contains high levels of calcium, and studies have shown that high blood pressure has a great relationship with a lack of calcium in the body, so the higher the amount of calcium in the body, the lower the risk of developing high blood pressure. And the elderly should drink milk that is higher in calcium and lower in fat to reduce the symptoms of high blood pressure.
Green tea
Many experiments have shown positive results for green tea in reducing symptoms of high blood pressure, so it can be added to the list of drinks that lower blood pressure.
olive oil
Olive oil is the best example of a healthy fat, as it contains polyphenols, which are anti-inflammatory that can help reduce symptoms of high blood pressure.
What causes high BP in elderly?
Certainly, there is a relationship between high cholesterol in the blood and high blood pressure. When the body cannot resist high cholesterol in the bloodstream, a person develops atherosclerosis due to cholesterol deposits along the walls of the arteries. Thus the heart is forced to make a greater effort to pump blood through it, so blood pressure rises.
References
https://dailycaring.com/10-ways-to-improve-health-in-seniors-living-with-high-blood-pressure/
https://homecareassistancecalgary.ca/how-to-lower-aging-adults-risk-of-high-blood-pressure/
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/high-blood-pressure-and-older-adults
