What are the Symptoms of High Blood Pressure

Many people believe that they would know if they had high blood pressure symptoms. This is in fact not the case, as the common symptoms of high blood pressure are very difficult to diagnose. Most people with high blood pressure have no symptoms at all, so you can't just assume that your blood pressure levels are normal if you haven't had them tested.

People with high blood pressure often do not feel sick. In fact, long term high blood pressure or 'hypertension' is often called 'the silent killer' because it may cause no symptoms at all for a long time. Your organs and tissues can be damaged by hypertension without you knowing or feeling any 'external' symptoms.

If you have long term high blood pressure, then you will have a higher risk for heart disease and other medical problems than people with normal blood pressure. Serious complications can be avoided by getting regular blood pressure checks and treating hypertension as soon as it is diagnosed.

What are the Common Symptoms of High Blood Pressure?

Most people with long term high blood pressure or 'primary hypertension' (see below) don't have any obvious symptoms at all, also the possible symptoms of high blood pressure vary quite a lot from one person to another. Also, many of these symptoms could also be symptoms of other health problems, however here are a few of the more common symptoms of high blood pressure to keep an eye out for.

1. One of the common symptoms of high blood pressure is chronic headaches. When you get chronic headaches that last for days (rather than just hours) you should immediately see a doctor to get your blood pressure checked.
2. Dizziness or Vertigo
3. Blurry or double vision.
4. Drowsiness
5. Nausea
6. Shortness of breath. Usually when this occurs people start to get a little concerned. Often by this time though the blood pressure has probably reached high enough levels to be dangerous as this is one of the later symptoms of high blood pressure you'll experience.
7. Heart palpitations
8. Fatigue - general tiredness
9. A flushed face
10. Nosebleeds
11. A strong need to urinate often (especially during the night)
12. Tinnitus (a ringing or buzzing in the ears)

    If you have any combination of these symptoms, then you should get your blood pressure checked by a doctor.

What is Hypertension?

Hypertension is high blood pressure that is above normal levels consistently for more than about 6 months. So, long term high blood pressure = hypertension.

Blood Pressure Levels above 140/90 are considered 'high'.
Systolic is the top number. Diastolic is the bottom number.

Definitions of blood pressure numbers - Systolic pressure is the force of blood in the arteries as the heart beats. It is shown as the top number in a blood pressure reading. Diastolic pressure is the force of blood in the arteries as the heart relaxes between beats. It's shown as the bottom number in a blood pressure reading.

Hypertension puts a strain on the heart by increasing its need for oxygen making it work harder than normal, over time this also causes the walls of the arteries to harden.

Hypertension is a major health problem, especially because it has no obvious symptoms. Many people have hypertension without showing any symptoms. If you do not know your blood pressure, you should have it taken.

So, if you're over weight, eat a poor diet, drink coffee and alcohol, then you should keep a regular check on your blood pressure levels.

There are two main types of hypertension

If you have hypertension and have no easily identifiable cause you're considered to have primary essential hypertension, while if you have a specific gene or organ directly responsible for your hypertension then you have a secondary hypertension.

The most serious type of hypertension is called Malignant hypertension. This is a particularly severe form of high blood pressure where the pressure level is at least 210/120 mm Hg. It occurs in only about 1 of 200 people who have high blood pressure. This type of hypertension is several times more common among blacks than among whites, among men than among women, and among people in poorer economic groups.

Malignant hypertension may produce a variety of severe symptoms. If untreated, malignant hypertension usually leads to death in 3 to 6 months.

More than facts about High Blood Pressure Symptoms

We hope you've found the information about high blood pressure symptoms useful. There are many factors involved in lowering high blood pressure, so please take a look at coffee and blood pressure and the general blood pressure diet pages.