What is hypertension?
High blood pressure is simply an increase in blood pressure on the artery wallsthat occurs as you get older, but it can also occur at a younger age for various reasons
There are measures to know if one is affected by this pathology that can be checked by the attending physician. It is important to know that high blood pressure persists over time, which can rule out high blood pressure at a key time in your life that was very stressful. The two measurements needed for diagnosis are
- a rise in systolic blood pressure to 14 cmHg or higher
- a diastolic blood pressure elevation of 9 cmHg or more
- measurements taken repeatedly over three visits within a period of three to six months.
This disease is widespread in France and in most countries of the world, affecting approximately one French adult in three. Worldwide, deaths related to heart problems are estimated at 17 million per year and within this figure, it is estimated that about 9.4 million deaths are related to hypertension
Areas around the world are affected differently regarding hypertension, as in America, this rate is the lowest, as it affects about 35% of adults, while in Africa, this rate is the highest, as it affects about 46% of adults.
However, this pathology intensifies with age and the elderly are certainly the most impacted and vulnerable to this pathology. It is important to know that about 50% of seniors over the age of 80 are affected by high blood pressure. The reason for this consequence is simply that ageing favours the loss of elasticity of our arteries, which therefore become rougher and more vulnerable.
But hypertension can also attack young people who sometimes suffer from quite serious pathologies. Thus, 10% of young people between 18 and 24 years old also suffer from high blood pressure
However, it is possible to prevent it by trying to limit the risk factors that can lead to this disease. Let's look at the different risk factors that lead to this disease.
What are the risk factors?
There are many risk factors that lead to high blood pressure. Although this disease is not a fatal disease per se, it can however be the cause of death or any other complications that can occur at any age. Concerning the risk factors, there are many that we will see together.
The hygiene of life
The hygiene of life is very important for the daily health, from the youngest age until the end of life. We regularly consume foods that can lead to high blood pressure because of the abuse of consumption that we can do. Among these foods, we can find salt, which is known to "clog the arteries". This food, very useful for our body which needs it to live and function properly, turns out to be dangerous when we consume a lot of salty foods and few fruits and vegetables which can counteract its harmful effects on our health
Salt can also be "hidden", which means that we do not add salt to our meals, but we still consume a lot of it. For example, pre-prepared foods such as bread, industrial products and canned foods can contain a lot of salt, which is harmful in the long term.
It is therefore important to pay attention to your diet and not to abuse it!
Excessive alcohol consumption
Another important point is alcohol. It is preferable to consume it in moderation, because its harmful effects are not only felt through high blood pressure, but through several diseases affecting the liver or kidneys
For this reason, it is recommended not to drink more than three glasses per day for a man and two glasses per day for a woman, in order to prevent all the risks related to this consumption. The best thing to do is to drink in moderation during meals or festive events. Don't forget that you can also have fun without alcohol!
Lack of physical activity and sport
Sport is certainly the best weapon to keep fit and maintain your body. In addition to nutrition, sport helps greatly in the prevention of certain diseases, such as high blood pressure. Thus, it allows the body to reduce daily stress and strengthens the heart muscles through physical activity
Many sports are available everywhere and in all cities, it is up to you to choose the one that suits you best!
Being overweight
Weight plays a major role in the understanding of certain diseases, and in their onset. What you need to know is that if you keep your weight stable and within the norms for several years, you are less likely to develop any disease and to carry out a serious form of it. On the contrary, the more the individual is at the stage of obesity, the more likely he will develop cardiovascular or pulmonary diseases
It is extremely important to understand that hypertension is related to weight gain. This means that an obese person will have more chances to develop this disease
But it seems that CBD contributes to delay the appearance of this pathology thanks to its beneficial effects on health. We will see together the different relationships between CBD and hypertension.
CBD helps to fight against anxiety
It has been known for many years that CBD is ideal for fighting anxiety. When the consumer is going to use CBD, then it is going to help the mind and body to rest, relax and avoid thinking about the day that they have had
This will help the individual to think about other things, which will have the effect of lowering their blood pressure and removing anxiety from their mind. This effect is certainly the most well-known in the eyes of popular culture, as CBD is also prescribed by some doctors for their patients who suffer from anxiety
When one is anxious, the heart rate speeds up and this can cause damage to the heart, to the arteries, in the long run and cause cardiovascular disease. That's why it's important to rest your mind and not stress about events for no reason
CBD improves sleep
CBD is also known to improve the quality and duration of sleep in some individuals. By acting on the endocannabinoid system, CBD will help individuals suffering from sleep disorders, to rest their mind and relax, in order to find sleep quickly
Sleep will also be improved with an increase in deep sleep which allows the body to rest from its day and repair the damage done. In addition, sleeping well greatly reduces the chances of developing cardiovascular and other diseases. High blood pressure is also greatly impacted, as lack of sleep is a risk factor for high blood pressure
CBD improves nutrition
Another little-known feature of CBD is that it helps the individual to eat healthier and also improves bowel movements. This allows the individual to eat healthier, favoring fruits and vegetables while avoiding junk food
It is known that salt and junk food in general promotes the development of high blood pressure by attacking the arteries of the heart and other nerve combinations located there. CBD will help the individual by acting on the CB1 and CB2 receptors of the endocannabinoid system in order to allow the body to better assimilate the products and perform a more consistent sorting, while acting in the brain and favoring the healthy products for the health of the individual
This action is not well known by consumers, because CBD is far too much assimilated to the 'foncedalle ' caused by the absorption of THC, which is the other molecule much appreciated by recreational cannabis consumers.
CBD helps you quit smoking
This point is not well known among smokers and CBD users, but it is real, CBD could stop smoking. Tobacco plays a very important role in high blood pressure, as it is certainly the main risk factor
The more an individual consumes tobacco, the greater the chances of developing this pathology. This is due to the action that tobacco causes in the lungs which, after a certain time, prevents oxygen from moving freely in the body. In addition, tobacco clogs the arteries and this greatly increases the chances of having a heart attack or developing high blood pressure which leads to this phenomenon.
CBD plays a major role in smoking cessation as it helps in three areas
- the dependence on the gesture
- the physical dependence
- the psychological dependence
Because of its beneficial action on the human body, CBD allows tobacco users to feel the same relaxing effects, although these are directly linked to the absorption of nicotine in the brain
CBD could reduce alcohol consumption
This point is very recent and the lack of information related to scientific research is to be taken into consideration. It seems that CBD can help to lower alcohol consumption in individuals with alcoholism
Alcohol is essentially composed of ethanol, which gives the same taste in the mouth in all the alcohols available on the market. What you need to know is that CBD seems to help alcohol consumers by limiting the urge to receive that ethanol. This product acts like nicotine in some individuals, as the brain can become addicted to it like nicotine and craves it at certain intervals. Alcohol is also an important risk factor for the development of high blood pressure
It is important to know that a study conducted on mice showed that CBD allowed mice to limit their consumption of ethanol by acting on their brain so that they do not feel like working to receive ethanol. The job was to push a lever to access the ethanol.
CBD reduces bad cholesterol
Bad cholesterol is very debilitating to the heart, as it is the one that can clog the arteries and cause heart ailments. In addition, it can also cause blood pressure in some individuals. It is important to know that CBD does not actually work on bad cholesterol, but through another process
This cholesterol is mainly caused by eating fatty, salty or sweet foods such as fast food, or sodas in large quantities. As for CBD, it allows us to transform bad fat into good fat, which is used to supply our body with energy. This is extremely interesting concerning cholesterol, because it allows us to reduce the amount of it in a rather long time
To achieve these results, you need to consume CBD regularly and adjust your dosage
