High Blood Pressure and Dizziness – Learn 6 Symptoms Of Hypertension

High blood pressure or hypertension is often associated with few or no symptoms. There’s a reason why hypertension is called the “silent killer” because many people suffer from it without facing any symptoms.

However, just because high blood pressure is often symptomless doesn’t mean it’s harmless. In fact, uncontrolled high blood pressure, or hypertension, causes damage to your arteries, especially those in the kidneys and eyes. High blood pressure is also a risk factor for stroke, heart attack, and other cardiovascular problems.

If you are worried that you could be suffering from hypertension, here are 6 signs that you need to watch out for.

1. Your Reading Is Above 140/90

Blood pressure readings consist of two numbers. The top number is your systolic blood pressure and the bottom one is your diastolic blood pressure. Generally, a normal blood pressure reading was considered to be more than 120 over 80 and less than 140 over 90.

However, in 2017, major heart health organisations around the globe unanimously decided to lower the blood pressure (BP) levels for the diagnosis of hypertension from the older threshold of 140/90 mm Hg (under 65 years) and 150/80 mm Hg (above 65 years) to 130/80 mm Hg and higher for all adults. Based on this new criteria, if your numbers are over 130/80 mm Hg then you should consult a doctor immediately or find ways to lower your blood pressure.

It is essential to keep tabs on your blood pressure, especially when you lead an unhealthy life or have a family history of hypertension. You can easily purchase a blood pressure monitor from your local pharmacy and drugstore to keep a check on your blood pressure. The readings are very accurate and similar to what you would get in a hospital.

Your blood pressure keeps changing constantly to adjust to your body’s activity level, hydration, sleep, food intake, and other factors. In order to get an accurate reading, you may need to take several readings of your blood pressure over time.

Pick a time when you are calm and well-hydrated, and repeat the test weekly or monthly under the same conditions. Write down the dates and readings so that you can take them with you on your next doctor’s visit.

2. Family History of Hypertension

While exercising and healthy eating go a long way towards lowering your blood pressure, there are some risk factors that you may not be able to change.

Genetics is a major contributing factor when it comes to your heart’s health, and blood pressure can be hereditary. If you are aware of your immediate family (parents, grandparents, and siblings) being hypertensive or having had a heart attack before the age of 45 , you should make it a priority to visit a doctor.

Understanding family history is important to recognize the cause of high blood pressure, further evaluating whether it is genetic, poor eating habits or lack of exercise repeating itself across generations is also essential.

Even if you have a family history of high blood pressure, it doesn’t mean that you can’t take actions to avoid another heart episode in the family. Recognizing high blood pressure is challenging, but with regular blood pressure readings, you can easily track it.

3. Experiencing Brain Fog

Some people with hypertension may experience mild, chronic headaches, and what is known as brain fog. This is a condition that occurs when the oxygen supply to the brain is poor or blocked, causing a sense of forgetfulness, trouble with learning, memory and comprehension. If hypertension goes undetected for long periods of time, overall brain health may be compromised, increasing the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

If you have been getting frequent crushing headaches or experiencing intense brain fog, you need to visit the doctor immediately.

4. Change in Vision

Tiny, delicate blood vessels transport blood to the eyes. Long-term high blood pressure can squeeze off blood flow and damage the blood vessels. Fluid may build up under the retina, making you lose focus of objects. These blocks can cause distortion of vision and even result in complete loss of vision. If you are experiencing blurry vision or noticeable swelling in your eyes, make an appointment to see a doctor right away.

5. Sudden Dizziness

Dizziness and feeling slightly off balance are early warning signs of a stroke caused by high blood pressure. These symptoms occur due to lack of oxygen supply to the brain. If the dizziness has to do with standing up too fast or watching a sped-up video, it’s probably nothing to worry about. However, if the dizziness doesn’t go away for a long period of time, make an appointment with your doctor.

Hypertension is a chronic condition that can be managed with lifestyle changes including a healthy diet and regular exercise.

High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) | The Texas Heart Institute

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Hypertension, the medical term for high blood pressure, is known as “the silent killer. ” More than 80 million Americans (33%) have high blood pressure, and as many as 16 million of them do not even know they have the condition. If left untreated, high blood pressure greatly increases your risk for heart attack and stroke. Hypertension is projected to increase about 8 percent between 2013 and 2030.

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Your heart pumps blood through a network of arteries, veins, and capillaries. The moving blood pushes against the arterial walls, and this force is measured as blood pressure.

High blood pressure results from the tightening of very small arteries called arterioles. Arterioles regulate the blood flow through your body. As these arterioles tighten (or constrict), your heart has to work harder to pump blood through the smaller space, and the pressure inside the vessels grows.

High blood pressure can affect your health in four main ways:

• Hardening of the arteries. Pressure inside your arteries can cause the muscles that line the walls of the arteries to thicken, thus narrowing the passage. A heart attack or stroke can occur if a blood clot blocks blood flow to your heart or brain.
• Enlarged heart. High blood pressure increases the amount of work for your heart. Like any heavily exercised muscle in your body, your heart grows bigger (enlarges) to handle the extra workload. The bigger your heart is, the more it demands oxygen-rich blood but the less able it is to maintain proper blood flow. As a result, you feel weak and tired and are not able to exercise or perform physical activities. Without treatment, your heart failure will only get worse.
• Kidney damage. Prolonged high blood pressure can damage your kidneys if their blood supply is affected.
• Eye damage. If you have diabetes, high blood pressure can cause the tiny capillaries in the retina of your eye to bleed. This condition, called retinopathy, can lead to blindness.

What causes high blood pressure?

About 90% to 95% of all high blood pressure cases are what is called primary, or essential hypertension. That means the real cause of the high blood pressure is not known, but a number of factors contribute. You are at increased risk if you –

• Have a family history of high blood pressure.
• Are African American. African Americans develop high blood pressure more often than whites, and it tends to happen earlier in life and be more severe.
• Are a man, but women are at an increased risk after age 55.
• Are older than 60. Blood vessels become more brittle with age and are not as flexible.
• Face high levels of stress. In some studies, stress, anger, hostility, and other personality traits have been shown to lead to high blood pressure.
• Are overweight or obese.
• Use tobacco products. Smoking damages your blood vessels.
• Use oral contraceptives. Women who smoke and use oral contraceptives greatly increase their risk.
• Eat a diet high in saturated fat.
• Eat a diet high in salt (sodium).
• Drink more than a moderate amount of alcohol. Experts say that moderate intake is an average of one to two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women. One drink is defined as 1½ fluid ounces (fl oz) of 80-proof spirits, 1 fl oz of 100-proof spirits, 4 fl oz of wine, or 12 fl oz of beer.
• Are physically inactive.
• Have diabetes.

Researchers have also found a gene that appears to be linked to high blood pressure. If you have the gene, you are more likely to develop high blood pressure, so you should monitor your blood pressure and eliminate as many of the other risk factors as you can.

The remaining patients with high blood pressure have what is called secondary hypertension which means the high blood pressure is the result of another condition or illness. Many cases of secondary hypertension are caused by kidney disorders. Other conditions that can cause secondary hypertension are

• Problems with the parathyroid gland.
• Acromegaly, which is a condition where the pituitary gland makes too much growth hormone.
• Tumors in the adrenal or pituitary glands.
• Reactions to medicines for other medical problems.
• Pregnancy.

What are the symptoms of high blood pressure?

Most people who have high blood pressure do not have symptoms. In some cases, people with high blood pressure may have a pounding feeling in their head or chest, a feeling of lightheadedness or dizziness, or other signs. Without symptoms, people with high blood pressure may go years without knowing they have the condition.

How is high blood pressure diagnosed?

A visit to your doctor is the only way to find out if you have high blood pressure. You should have a general medical check-up that includes a review of your family’s medical history. Your doctor will take several blood pressure readings using a device called a sphygmomanometer and run a few routine tests.

Your doctor may also use a device called an ophthalmoscope to look at the blood vessels in your eyes. Doctors can see if these vessels have thickened, narrowed, or burst, which may be a sign of high blood pressure. Your doctor will also use a stethoscope to listen to your heart and the sound of blood flowing through your arteries. In some cases, a chest x-ray and electrocardiogram may be needed.

Blood pressure readings

Blood pressure readings measure the two parts of blood pressure: systolic and diastolic pressures. Systolic pressure is the force of blood flow through an artery when the heart beats. Diastolic pressure is the force of blood flow within blood vessels when the heart rests between beats.

A blood pressure reading measures both the systolic and diastolic forces, with the systolic pressure listed first. The numbers show your pressure in units of millimeters of mercury (mm Hg)—how high the pressure inside your arteries would be able to raise a column of mercury. For example, a reading of 120/80 mm Hg means a systolic pressure of 120 mm Hg and diastolic pressure of 80 mm Hg.

Most doctors do not make a final diagnosis of high blood pressure until they measure your blood pressure several times (at least 2 blood pressure readings on 3 different days). Some doctors ask their patients to wear a portable machine that measures their blood pressure over the course of several days. This machine may help the doctor find out whether a patient has true high blood pressure or what is known as “white-coat hypertension.” White-coat hypertension is a condition in which a patient’s blood pressure rises during a visit to a doctor when anxiety and stress probably play a role.

How often should blood pressure be checked?

Adults should have their blood pressure checked at least once a year. Many grocery or drug stores have blood pressure machines that you can use for free any time you visit the stores. Keep in mind, though, that these machines may not give you a correct reading.

Blood pressure monitors for use at home can be bought at drug stores, department stores, and other places. Again, these monitors may not always give you a correct reading. You should always compare your machine’s reading with a reading from your doctor’s machine to make sure they are the same. Remember that any measurement above normal should prompt a visit to the doctor, who can then talk with you about the best course of action.

How high is high?

According to guidelines from the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC), a reading below 120/80 mm Hg is classified as normal blood pressure. Those with a blood pressure reading anywhere from 120/80 up to 129/80 are classified within a category called elevated blood pressure. Hypertension is defined as a reading of 130/80 or higher.

The classification chart is based on adults, aged 18 and older, who are not taking high blood pressure medicines and who are not acutely ill. If systolic and diastolic measurements fall into different categories, the higher category should be used to classify the person’s blood pressure status.

How is high blood pressure treated?

The first course of action involves lifestyle changes, especially for people with elevated blood pressure.

• Start eating a low-fat and low-salt diet.
• Lose weight, if you need to.
• Begin a regular exercise program.
• Learn to manage stress.
• If you smoke, quit.
• Drink alcohol in moderation, if at all. Remember that moderate intake is an average of one or two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women.
• Control obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), if you have it. Many patients who get their OSA under control see improvements in their blood pressure.

Medicines are available if these changes do not help control your blood pressure within 3 to 6 months. Diuretics help rid your body of water and sodium. ACE inhibitors block the enzyme that raises your blood pressure. Other types of medicines— beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, and other vasodilators—work in different ways, but their overall effect is to help relax and widen your blood vessels and reduce the pressure inside the vessel. [See also the free government publication “Medicines to Help You: High Blood Pressure” (PDF) from the US Food and Drug Administration.]

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Dizziness at high pressure. Dizziness, pressure, what to do?

Patients who suffer from elevated blood pressure often complain of dizziness. Symptoms perceived as dizziness are very subjective. The patient may have a staggering gait, he may feel that the surrounding objects are rotating, feel that fainting is approaching. It is also difficult for him to concentrate, and his head seems to be “clouded”.

If such a phenomenon occurs with hypertension, then the blood circulation of the brain is most likely disturbed. You should definitely tell your doctor about this. It may be necessary to adjust the basic treatment regimen and supplement it with new drugs that will improve brain function.

Other causes of dizziness

In addition to GM circulatory disorders, dizziness can also be caused by other diseases.

The phenomenon can be systemic and non-systemic. Most often the head is spinning if:

• the inner ear is affected;

• the patient has Meniere’s disease;

• there is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo – BPPV;

• The patient suffers from vestibular neuronitis.

The absence of a clear cause of dizziness indicates its psychogenic nature.

Relationship between dizziness and hypertension

In most cases, the head is dizzy with hypertension due to impaired circulation in the brain . Systemic vertigo in people suffering from high blood pressure is often due to BPPV. Non-systemic dizziness often have a psychogenic nature.

With hypertension, dizziness can occur if blood pressure drops too quickly or too much. This happens when the patient exceeds the dose of prescribed medication to reduce pressure. The cause can also be violations of the conduction of the heart and heart rhythm.

The patient may feel dizzy with a sharp transition to an upright position (orthostatic hypotension) – this is especially true for older people with diabetes. This happens with healthy young people when standing up abruptly, but with age, the likelihood of dizziness increases. This is due to the fact that the blood, after taking a vertical position, does not immediately enter the brain, and the person feels dizzy. That is why it is recommended to sit for a while before getting up.

In people suffering from hypotension, dizziness due to the transition from horizontal to vertical position – postural hypotension – is often observed. The same is true for hypertensive patients who reduce pressure too intensively. In the latter case, it is necessary to adjust the dose of the antihypertensive drug.

It is recommended that everyone monitor the pressure – for this you can buy a tonometer. It is important to understand that dizziness may not be related to high blood pressure. Often, some drugs, heart disease and other pathologies become its causes. Therefore, it is important to be examined in a timely manner.

Complications

Most often, hypertension is not accompanied by dizziness and headache, but these phenomena, as scientific data show, are characteristic of hypertensive crises. The crisis is regarded as a condition requiring emergency care. The pressure indicators with it are high and range from 180/120 mm Hg. Art. Call an ambulance if:

• such indicators are not typical for you;

• you suffer from a severe headache;

• have nausea or vomiting;

• you feel dizzy;

• blood flows from the nose.

Important: if a person often has a headache or dizziness due to high pressure, it is necessary to conduct a differential diagnosis with other diseases. Symptoms that appear for the first time may indicate a stroke.

Falls are the main complication of dizziness in the elderly. They often lead to limited mobility and even disability.

Diagnostics

A patient who, against the background of long-term hypertension, notices for the first time that he is dizzy, his gait has become unstable, and memory and attention have begun to deteriorate, should contact a neurologist. Perhaps we are talking about GM ischemia or dyscirculatory type encephalopathy.

“Chronic fatigue syndrome” is often put after a viral illness and severe mental stress.

Treatment and prevention

For the prevention and treatment of dizziness on the background of arterial hypertension and their complications, you need:

• monitor blood pressure;

• take prescribed drugs and, if necessary, adjust the treatment regimen;

• lead an active and healthy lifestyle;

• adhere to a rational diet;

• reduce salt intake;

• eliminate bad habits.

Do not delay treatment, see a doctor right now:

Dizziness with pressure – why is the head spinning, what to do?

Gimranov Rinat Fazylzhanovich
Neurologist, neurophysiologist, experience – 33 years;
Professor of Neurology, MD;
Clinic for Rehabilitation Neurology. About the author

Publication date: December 2, 2021

Among health problems in people of both sexes in Russia, high blood pressure (arterial hypertension or hypertension) leads in frequency. Up to 40% of people of different ages face a similar unpleasant and dangerous condition. There are pressure surges and in the form of single episodes, without turning into a disease.

People have learned to identify a problem by its characteristic symptoms. “Dizziness means increased pressure,” patients with hypertension argue. But a similar symptom may also indicate other, no less dangerous diseases [1]. It should be treated with caution.

Content of the article:

• 1 Causes
• 2 Additional symptoms
• 3 possible complications
• 4 Diagnostics
• 5 Treatment
• 6 Prevention
  • 6.1 Enough physical activity
  • 6.2 Mental health
  • 6.3 Nutrition
  • 6.4 Weight management
  • 6.5 Avoiding bad habits
  • 6.6 Required amount of rest 90 018
• 7 References

Causes

Spinning, light nausea and weakness are not as safe as they seem at first glance. These may be signs of a lack of oxygen for brain tissue or circulatory disorders.

Anyone who has at least once encountered a similar situation should understand that only a visit to a doctor will help you figure out how to get rid of dizziness during a pressure surge.

High blood pressure is not always an independent pathology. The numbers on the tonometer may indicate a pathological process in the body. They also increase due to negative external influences on a person.

Therefore, before deciding what to do when faced with symptoms such as severe dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting in women and men with high or low pressure or after it, you need to determine the causes that provoked poor health.

Common negative factors that cause pressure surges and dizziness are:

1. regular stress or severe psychological exhaustion;
2. frequent physical fatigue, overexertion;
3. vasospasm against the background of VVD of hypertonic type;
4. lack of physical activity, sedentary lifestyle;
5. malnutrition, the predominance of fatty, salty foods in the diet;
6. overweight, diabetes mellitus, kidney damage, thyroid gland;

There is also weather dependence. This is when people, when changing atmospheric pressure, increase their own, arterial. As a rule, this is one of the symptoms of VVD (vegetovascular dystonia).

Depending on the initial characteristics of the body and the causes that provoked an increase in pressure, dizziness and nausea can occur at normal rates: 120 to 80 and 110 to 60, and 140 to 90 are already considered dangerous, can become a direct indication for hospitalization.

Additional symptoms

Thinking about the problem at what pressure nausea and dizziness, weakness are manifestations of a serious pathology, whether it can be deadly if the pressure jumps regularly and how to remove the consequences, what remedy will help, you need to pay attention to additional symptoms [2].

Extremely important additional symptomatology during an attack:

1. Headache, which comes on gradually, increases along with an increasing feeling of dizziness. As a rule, it has a certain place of localization – in the back of the head. But gradually spreads to the whole head.

1. Nausea is often the result of feeling dizzy, vertigo. A slight unpleasant sensation of lightheadedness is not dangerous. But if it becomes pronounced, leads to bouts of vomiting, then the situation of a person is serious, medical help is needed.

1. Presyncope is a clear signal from your brain that it is sorely lacking in strength to withstand blood pressure. First aid measures must be taken immediately. Regardless of whether increased or vice versa – decreased blood pressure.

There are two types of situations: constantly elevated blood pressure (hypertension) and spasmodic, hypertensive crisis. The feeling of vertigo is characteristic of the second variant.

By the strength and combination of symptoms, the doctor will rarely be able to determine whether the health is really associated with jumps in blood pressure. Here you can not do without the use of a medical tonometer.

A description of how you feel will help clarify the degree of danger of the patient’s condition and provide him with the necessary medical assistance.

Possible complications

If you feel dizzy and feel a little sick when your blood pressure rises, then this is an occasion to urgently take care of your health. Such attacks are possible manifestations of conditions that can be life-threatening.

Against the background of increased pressure, the walls of blood vessels that feed the cerebral cortex experience overload. Against this background, the level of tissue oxygen supply decreases, that is, the main organ of the human body is harmed. The heart muscle also suffers from overload [3].

During such a crisis episode, terrible things can happen:

1. cerebral hemorrhage;
2. cerebral edema;
3. myocardial infarction;
4. hemorrhagic stroke.

In patients with a long-standing pathological process, the brain suffers in its own way: hypertensive encephalopathy develops.

It doesn’t matter at what pressure your head is spinning and hurting, swimming before your eyes and feeling sick, if this happens regularly, when a person has some kind of overstrain or stress, regardless of the cause, such a condition can lead to tragic consequences. After the first such situations, you should consult a doctor.

Diagnosis

If you regularly feel dizzy and have a headache, feel sick, stagger with high or low blood pressure, then only a doctor should figure out what this disease is and what to do about it [4].

It can be dangerous to take blood pressure pills from an advertisement or on the advice of a neighbor. This condition often only signals the presence of a serious illness. Eliminating the symptom for a while, you aggravate the course of the present pathology.

When referring to a doctor with complaints of pressure surges, the patient is examined to determine the weaknesses of health.

At the initial examination, a series of questions are asked to determine the severity of symptoms:

• when discomfort first appeared;
• in what situation the seizure occurs;
• how long does dizziness last after the normalization of the numbers on the tonometer;
• whether there are additional accompanying symptoms;
• whether the head hurts at the same time as dizziness, whether there is a feeling of nausea;
• what actions help to cope with the problem (rest, medication, walk, etc.).

After determining the severity of the condition, the doctor will prescribe hardware studies for accurate diagnosis:

• ECG, electrocardiogram and its professional interpretation is extremely important in this diagnostic algorithm;
• a cardiac test (echocardiography), which will show how the heart is coping with the increased workload;
• CT or MRI of the brain to determine the state of the cerebral cortex, identify problems in the state of the vessels that provide the brain with nutrition;

Additionally, laboratory blood and urine tests are prescribed, as kidney disease can provoke hypertension.

The doctor will not only find out why, at high pressure or after it, the head hurts and feels dizzy, will determine the reasons for which then nausea and staggering, but will also explain in detail what to do when an attack occurs [5].

Treatment

Each patient is unique, requires the selection of therapy in the names and doses of drugs.

Depending on the patient’s condition, comorbidities and underlying causes of hypertension, various therapies are used:

• Medical, priority. Doctors prescribe drugs from different groups. The goal is to relieve the symptoms of an attack, but also to eliminate the causes of its occurrence. Therefore, the patient will have to take not only pressure pills, but also drugs against the root cause of the disease (if blood pressure rises as a symptom).

• Medicinal herbs. You can use traditional medicine, but before that you need to consult a doctor.

• Physiotherapy and exercise therapy. Physical exercise performed every day improves the well-being and well-being of the patient.

Do not exercise without a doctor’s consent. Until the condition stabilizes, physical activity is dangerous, it can provoke a deterioration in the condition.

When wondering if a pressure of 130 over 90 or a jump in blood pressure can make you feel dizzy, you should also figure out why such indicators occur. Having got rid of the root cause, the disease, it will be possible to forget about bouts of dizziness.

Prevention

Hypertension sufferers are wondering what to take when they are haunted by dizziness, drops and pressure surges, or it suddenly rises and the person begins to feel sick. In this case, only drugs prescribed by specialists, taking into account individual characteristics, will help [6]. But after all, such a deterioration in well-being can be prevented.

To keep your BP readings in the green zone, follow these rules.

Sufficient physical activity

A similar problem spoils the lives of citizens. To maintain health, doctors recommend at least an hour a day to walk in the fresh air. If there is a risk of high blood pressure, replace the trip in transport by walking. Or use a bicycle (of course, when the head stops spinning).

Psychological health

Stressful situations, depression have an extremely negative impact not only on mood, but also on physical health. An overload of the psyche leads to a reaction of the body in the form of an exacerbation of chronic diseases, the development of various pathologies, including hypertension.

Try to maintain psychological balance, avoid severe stress, undergo rehabilitation. To do this, you should choose effective ways: playing sports, meditation, relaxing for your favorite hobby.

Nutrition

Proper diet can improve physical well-being already 2-3 weeks. With developed hypertension, the doctor will prescribe a separate diet, a treatment table with salt restriction.

Maintain a balance of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. The diet should contain a sufficient amount of fresh vegetables and fruits, lean meat, dairy products.

Weight normalization

Increased body weight contributes to the development of chronic diseases, an increase in average blood pressure. Every 5 kg thrown off, on average, lowers the usual indicators by 5-10 points.

At the same time, you should not bring the body to a weight deficit, such a state also has a negative effect.

Refusal of bad habits

The use of alcoholic beverages, drugs and tobacco smoking directly affect the level of blood pressure in the body. Lead to disturbances in well-being. With daily smoking and regular alcohol consumption, the risk of hypertension increases many times over.

Required amount of rest

Follow the sleep and rest schedule according to the needs of your body. Avoid overwork. Healthy sleep for 8 hours every day is of great importance. At the same time, it is recommended to maintain a constant regime of going to bed and waking up.