In a fast forward lifestyle, sneaking in 45 minutes of midday nap can help you drop your raised blood pressure levels significantly increase. Hypertension is a condition in which the force exerted by blood on your arterial walls is alarmingly high. According to WHO, if your blood pressure level is 120/80 mm Hg, it is considered as normal. But a reading over 140/90mm Hg is considered as high. Hypertension, if not managed on time, can increase the size of your heart leading to cardiac failure, a fatal condition. Also, hypertension can damage the blood vessels of various organs like kidneys and eyes. In both the cases, these organs may fail to function.

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According to various studies, one in three Indian adults suffer from high blood pressure. Globally, it affects millions taking a toll on their lives. However, the symptoms being silent, people don’t access treatments at the right time. So, in order to make more people aware of this condition, World Hypertension Day (WHD) is celebrated every year on 17th May. Like every year, WHD has a theme this year too. It is “Know Your Number.”

Various lifestyle factors including stress, alcohol intake, smoking, being overweight, eating habits like high consumption of saturated fats and salt elevate your risk of developing hypertension. The other risk factors are genetic predisposition, high cholesterol levels, a history of sleep disorder and age. Though high blood pressure doesn’t manifest itself through symptoms at the initial stage, you may experience shortness of breath, frequent headache, dizziness, nausea and nosebleed among others at an advanced stage. Doctors suggest oral drugs like ACE inhibitors, beta blockers, diuretics, alpha blockers, calcium channel blockers alongside lifestyle modifications to manage the condition.

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