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The objective is to maintain blood pressure at the level of 120/80mm/hg or below this level.
By Mahmood Hussain, 9th January 2019, the article and blog are written for www.babyfirst.com.pk BABY FIRST PAKISTAN and on Facebook.babyfirstPakistan and other social media such as LinkedIn, Twitter and so on.
Writer Mahmood Hussain is from Karachi Pakistan and currently at Philadelphia USA.
Hypertension also commonly referred to as high blood pressure and it is also term as a silent killer. Mostly cause of hypertension is due to living in a stressful condition. There is numerous published article which validates this statement I will mostly refer data from WebMD and Harvard Health Publishing.
Our body is well equipped and capable to respond to stress. It’s the response in shape of either fight or flight. That normally refers as the tendency which may lead either fear, flight, and flight. Stress keeps us on the edge. If it persists, with the passage of time living in a stress full condition may have a negative impact on our mental and physical health.
In my earlier article on www.babyfirst.com.pk published last year in February 2018 having headline “Hypertension & High blood pressure guideline redefined in November 2017” which provides basic guidelines to control blood pressure bring it to the normal recommended level. We all have to work and aim to reduce stress full conditions, which may trigger the raise blood pressure level. Below is the chart which depicts systolic and diastolic blood pressure level observed in a human being?
| Classification | Systolic Blood Pressure | Diastolic Blood Pressure |
| Normal | 120mm/Hg | 80mm/Hg |
| Elevated | 120 to 129 mm/hg | 80mm/Hg or less |
| Stage 1 | 130 to 139mm/Hg | 80 to 89mm/Hg |
| Stage 2 | 149mm/Hg and above | 90mm/HG and above |
| Severe Hypertension | 180 mm/Hg or above | 120mm/Hg and above |
Classification Systolic Blood Pressure Diastolic Blood Pressure
Normal 120mm/Hg 80mm/Hg
Elevated 120 to 129 mm/hg 80mm/Hg or less
Stage 1 130 to 139mm/Hg 80 to 89mm/Hg
Stage 2 149mm/Hg and above 90mm/HG and above
Severe Hypertension 180 mm/Hg or above 120mm/Hg and above
How to cope with stress below are few recommended tips by experts.
• Have a positive attitude
• Be prepare yourself and to realize that there are events and people who are not under your control.
• Be positive and confident rather than aggressive in the attitude.
• Do regular exercise and have routine physical activities. With this, our body can fight stress better cope up with stress.
• Eat a balanced and healthy diet.
• Learn, apply and follow relaxation techniques. This can be achieved by a brisk walk, yoga or meditation.
• Find time for hobbies, interests, and relaxation, this will create a positive mindset.
• Have enough rest and sleep daily. Our body needs rest and relaxation which leads to the recovery from hectic and stress full states.
• Not to be dependent on alcohol, drug or obsessive /compelling /attention grabbing behavior.
• If you are smoker say goodbye to tobacco such as cigarettes, pipe, cigar or shisha.
• Avoid and should give up Beatles, gutka and pan masala.
• Time management needs to be managed effectively to reduce stress.
• Find enjoyable company of people or social support where you can spend your time.
• You may have to stretch or have stress full assignment on your job and assignments but never overstretch yourself & find few minutes break on your assignment to overcome stress.
If stress full condition is still felt and observe that you do need to consult mental health professional or psychologist. They are trained in assessing and managing stress. They are quite capable in dealing and coping with stress in our life.
Avoid imposition and getting angry within discussion and communication. Instead of expressing your feeling, beliefs, and opinion which may lead or trigger angry behavior or defensive or passive attitude, which may lead to the introvert or reserved behavior
A patient or sufferer with hypertension, need to consult & visit the physician. He or she will assess and tend to treat high blood pressure. The physician often overlooked the factor of stress which may be triggering raised blood pressure level, this aspect also needs to be managed.
If the sufferer is tense or finds as a borderline case than patient have to work on following ways to reduce stress which will ultimately reduce hypertension.
• Have enough sleep (that is 7-8 Hours per day). If he/she has poor sleep, which adversely affects the mood, reduces mental alertness, low energy levels and overall physical health is also affected
• Work on how to relax the body. Learn how to relax your muscle by recommended exercise, do meditation, such as yoga, deep breathing exercises and go for a brisk walk of short durations.
• Develop and strengthen your social network, such as joining the organization which works on stress management.
• Work on your time management routinely and also find time to relax during the assignments. Secondly, have a balanced life in your work and home. Be good and if needed, improve your problem-solving approach while managing home and work life balance which will reduce stress.
Develop yourself and do work on to massage and relax yourself to reduce the stress level. To have real benefits you need to follow a few examples in daily routine, such as:
Eat slowly and chew it properly.
Do need to focus on food taste and also feel taste with each bite you took.
Listen to your favorite music, go for a walk or take a nap.
If have the feeling to consult and get help from your spouse, friends, relative or neighbor please go head to find good and healthy advice. If the condition still persists please do consult with your physician.
