Blood pressure is the force that the blood exerts on the walls of the blood vessels. High blood pressure, resulting in hypertension, occurs when the pressure of the flowing blood is persistently high. It has been identified as one of the greatest threats to your health. It is often referred to as the silent killer disease, due to its nature.

You are not absolutely safe, if high blood pressure does not run in your family. There are various factors that you should be aware of, and concerned about, in order to avoid the possibility of high blood pressure and stay hale and hearty for long.

A high sodium diet
Researchers have thrown light to the fact that dietary sodium can influence your blood pressure levels. Since yummy food rich in salt is in our easy reach, we can’t say no to it most times when we are hungry. Unfortunately, such salt-rich food is a cause of high blood pressure. Also, processed foods have shown higher content of sodium in it, which shoots up your blood pressure. If you are someone happy eating at fast food centers often, keep an eye on your pressure levels.

Age
Age increases the risk of high blood pressure. As your age goes up, your chances of developing hyper tension also go up. Moreover, the socioeconomic conditions and ethnocentric factors can influence the blood pressure levels. Studies show people who belong to the African American race are at a higher risk. Among them, high blood pressure is observed at younger ages.

Heavy weight
Obesity is a leading cause of high blood pressure, apart from leading to a number of health issues. Lack of physical exercise and consumption of unhealthy food results in obesity, thereby causing hypertension.

Family matters
As you know, high blood pressure is a hereditary disease. If it runs through your family, you have a higher chance of developing the condition. However, your lifestyle factors can increase or decrease the possibility of giving you high blood pressure levels. The hereditary factors, when combined with lifestyle factors, will double up the possibility of giving you high blood pressure levels. Moreover, you can control your blood pressure levels by leading a healthy lifestyle even though it runs in your family.

Lifestyle factors
Physical inactivity is another major lifestyle factor that keep you at an increased risk of getting high blood pressure. Regular exercise can help your blood vessels to show better strength and hence the blood pressure levels can be normalized. Lack of exercise and chronic stress can lead to hypertension in any individual.

Drinking and smoking
Alcohol consumption and smoking are factors that put you at a higher risk of getting hypertension. If you are someone who consumes one or more drinks every day, or are a heavy smoker, you can get high blood pressure at a younger age.