Blood Pressure

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29.     Patients of hypertension often suffer from sleep apnea, in which they stop breathing. Apnea is associated with bad snoring and restless sleep. It is not unusual for the apnea patient to feel excessively sleepy during the day.

30.     Some more serious symptoms like dizziness, nose bleeding, and blood in the urine or pain in the chest typically don’t occur till BP has reached a more advanced stage of hypertension that is possibly life-threatening. In these conditions, immediate medical attention is necessary.

Caution: Since these symptoms can be of some other diseases, the easiest way to detect high BP is through regular checkups.

Low Blood Pressure (Hypotension)

Introduction

31.     Frequently giddy or tired? Low BP, medically termed “hypotension”, could be the culprit. People with low BP are about 2½ times more likely to be significantly depressed than people with normal BP. Women generally have low BP than men. All elderly too are more susceptible to low BP as the nerve signals and the regulatory system responses become slower. Although low BP does not generally call for constant monitoring and presents no apparent danger, it takes a significant toll on quality of life by impacting productivity, vigour and general well-being.

What is Low Blood Pressure?

32.     While normal BP is considered to be 120/80, healthy zone extends generally to either side. However, if your reading is below 90 for systolic pressure (when your heart beats) and below 60 for diastolic pressure (when your heart relaxes between beats), you would be considered to have low BP. This does not necessarily indicate a problem. In fact people with low BP are believed to live longer than people with high BP. No body really knows how common is low BP, as doctors traditionally thought of it as the healthy alternative to high BP.

Symptoms of Low Blood Pressure

33.     Symptoms of low BP, not in any order of importance, can be as below:

(i)      Giddiness – This prominent symptom of low BP can occur when a person stands up from the resting position.

(ii)     Dizziness – This serious symptom of low BP, termed “postural hypotension”, can occur while walking after exercising or eating or when a person tries to stand up too quickly. The latter is because the force of gravity causes blood supply to pool in the legs, which produces a sudden drop in blood supply to the brain. People suffering from dizziness need immediate medical attention.