What are the Causes of High Blood Pressure in Seniors?

As you age, you might find yourself thinking more about your health than you did in years past. And that makes sense. Why wouldn’t you spend more time making sure you can spend your years of senior living in the best health possible?

One of the biggest health risks to seniors is high blood pressure because it can lead to very scary outcomes like strokes, heart attacks and heart failure. All of which have the potential to result in death. Take a minute to read about the causes of high blood pressure in seniors so you can make the best decision for your health.

What Is High Blood Pressure?

Before you learn about the causes of high blood pressure, it’s important to understand what high blood pressure is. High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a condition that occurs when the long-term force of the blood against your artery walls is so high that it could eventually result in other undesired health outcomes, like heart disease.

You’ve probably had your blood pressure taken many times, but you might not understand what the reasoning means. It’s easy to have a nurse check your blood pressure, tell you everything looks good and then walk away without fully understanding what is happening in your body.

Two numbers are used to indicate your blood pressure, and they are determined by the amount of blood your heart pumps and the amount of resistance to blood flow in your arteries. Measured in millimetres of mercury (mmHg), the first number measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats. The second number measures the pressure in your arteries in between the beats. Ideal blood pressure is considered to be between 90/60mmHg and 120/80mmHg.

Causes of High Blood Pressure

Living While Overweight

Living while overweight, especially senior living while overweight, can definitely raise your blood pressure. The more excess weight you carry, especially fat, raises the amount of blood in your system, naturally causing increased pressure in your arteries. A few specific hormones also regulate blood pressure. When you carry extra weight, your body does a poor job of balancing these hormones, making it more difficult for your body to control blood pressure.

Alcohol Use

You want to enjoy your retirement, and there’s nothing wrong with having a drink every now and then. However, excess alcohol consumption can be extremely conducive to high blood pressure. You have heard that alcohol actually relaxes your arteries, and this is true, but only in very small amounts. As your alcohol intake rises, so will your blood pressure.

Lack of Exercise

As you age, you’ll find it gets more difficult to find ways to exercise. But you should do everything you can to keep active as a lack of exercise also contributes to high blood pressure. Physical activity keeps your arteries flexible and reduces activity in your sympathetic nervous system (the system that controls your “fight or flight” mode).

Unhealthy Diet

Never found too far from the word exercise is the word diet. What you put into your body is guaranteed to affect your health, which goes extra for seniors. The biggest dietary factor that leads to high blood pressure is high sodium intake, usually because of the amount of processed foods we eat. A lot of salt makes your body retain more water, resulting in tightened blood vessels. Avoiding excessive sodium and saturated fat consumption like pizza can go a long way in lowering your blood pressure.

Smoking

This one is a no-brainer. Smoking damages your arteries, and other chemicals found in cigarettes can also increase your blood pressure.

High Levels of Stress

Similar to how your parasympathetic nervous system works, stress can cause your body to release hormones that increase blood pressure. Living a stress-free life isn’t easy to achieve, but there are a few ways you can start. Breathing exercises and fitness activities will help; even meditation can reduce your risk for heart attacks and strokes if you have high blood pressure.

Healthy Senior Living

If you have a hard time finding ways to avoid the causes of high blood pressure, you might want to look into retirement homes like The Manor Village. These homes are experts in senior living and help seniors like you maintain a healthy balanced lifestyle that can keep you healthy longer.