Pulse-Racing Facts That Will Pump Up Your Knowledge About Blood Pressure

5. Maintaining Healthy Blood Pressure

There are several ways an individual can keep their average blood pressure levels healthy, depending on their circumstances. Maintaining healthy blood pressure may be easier for one individual than it is for another because everyone's body has slight variations in genetics and other factors that influence the stability of their blood pressure. One of the best ways an individual can maintain healthy blood pressure is by exercising regularly. When an individual exercises, their body releases a substance called nitric acid, which is a vasodilator and helps open up the blood vessels, effectively reducing an individual's blood pressure. Exercise also helps an individual with obtaining and maintaining a healthy body weight, which also decreases blood pressure. An individual can maintain healthy blood pressure levels by monitoring and limiting their intake of salty foods, sugary foods, fats, red meats, and processed foods. An individual who drinks alcohol heavily or uses tobacco products can help obtain and maintain healthy blood pressure by stopping the use of tobacco and limiting their consumption of alcohol. It is also helpful for an individual to find healthy ways to cope with and reduce stress.

6. Causes Of Hypotension

Hypotension describes when an individual has a blood pressure level of under 90/60. Occasional low blood pressure in a healthy individual is not a cause for concern, but frequent symptomatic episodes of hypotension can be indicative of another underlying health problem. Some common causes of hypotension include low blood sugar, pregnancy, diabetes, hypothyroidism, heart failure, heatstroke, liver disease, and arrhythmias. Postural hypotension or low blood pressure upon posture change can be caused by disorders of the central nervous system, cardiovascular disorders, nutritional diseases, and alcoholism. Severe dehydration or blood loss can cause individuals to experience a dramatic drop in blood pressure. A severe allergic reaction referred to as anaphylaxis and a severe blood infection called septicemia can produce hypotension.