High blood pressure that is also called hypertension. Learn about the common what can cause blood pressure to spike, symptoms, and treatments for high blood pressure.
Table of Contents
What is high blood pressure?
High blood pressure is also known as hypertension. High blood pressure is a measurement of the force with which blood pushes against arterial walls as it travels through your body. It’s normal for your blood pressure to go up and down throughout the day, but you have high blood pressure if it stays high.
Blood pressure consists of 2 numbers:
The first number measures the force when the heartbeats. It is called systolic pressure.
The second number measures the force when the heart relaxes. It is called diastolic pressure. Someone with a systolic blood pressure readings of 120 and a diastolic blood pressure readings of 80 has a blood pressure of 120/80, or “120 over 80.”
The ideal blood pressure for an adult is less than 120/80. You have high blood pressure if your top number is 130 or higher, your bottom number is 80 or higher, or fluctuating blood pressure.
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What causes blood pressure to spike over 200?
In most cases, doctors can’t pinpoint the exact cause of sudden blood pressure spikes. However, several things are known to raise blood pressure, including:
- Age: The risk of high blood pressure increases with age. Until early middle age, high blood pressure is more common in men. In women, it is more likely to develop after menopause.
- Family background
- Being overweight or obese: The more you weigh, the more blood you need to carry nutrients to your tissues. As the volume of blood increases, so does the pressure against the arterial walls.
- Lack of physical activity: Inactive people tend to have a faster heart rate. This increases the force of the blood against the arterial walls.
- Tobacco use: Tobacco use sudden increase in blood pressure and dizziness. Also, the chemicals in tobacco can damage the lining of artery walls.
- Too much salt
- lack of potassium
- Lack of vitamin D
- drink too much alcohol
- Stress: High-stress levels can cause a temporary but drastic increase in blood pressure.
- Certain chronic conditions: Include high cholesterol, diabetes, kidney disease, and sleep apnea.
What are the symptoms of high blood pressure?
High blood pressure can cause heart attacks, strokes, and other problems. High blood pressure is called a “silent killer” because it usually doesn’t cause symptoms while it’s doing this damage. Most people don’t know they have it until they go to the doctor for some reason.
Very high blood pressure can cause some symptoms, such as headaches, dizziness, or nosebleeds, more often than average. But these signs usually do not appear until they reach a severe stage. When these signs appear, high blood pressure could be life-threatening.
There are usually no symptoms. It is essential to measure your blood pressure regularly.
How to lower sudden spike in blood pressure?
Changing your lifestyle can help improve high blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure, be sure to talk to your doctor about taking the following steps:
- Eat healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy foods. Get a lot of potassium. Reduce the consumption of saturated and total fats.
- Reduce the salt in your diet. Try to maintain a salt intake of 1,500 milligrams per day. Many foods already contain a lot of salt. Look at the salt content of processed foods, such as canned soups or frozen dinners.
- Maintain a healthy weight. If you’re overweight, losing even 5 pounds can lower your blood pressure.
- exercise regularly.
- Limit alcohol. That means one drink a day for women and those over 65, and 2 a day for men.
- Do not smoke.
- Manage stress. Practice healthy coping techniques like muscle relaxation and deep breathing. Try to get a lot of sleep.
- Check your blood pressure at home.
Many people need the help of medication. Lifestyle changes alone are often not enough to control high blood pressure. Your doctor might also prescribe medication to keep it at a safer level. Many types of medications are available that work in different ways to lower blood pressure. Some relax blood vessels to make blood flow easier. Some help the body get rid of excess salt and water. This reduces blood volume to help lower blood pressure. Other medications make your heartbeat more slowly. Your doctor might also prescribe a combination of medications. Often two or more together work better than just 1.
