Why Young Men are at Elevated Risk of Hypertension?

Currently, hypertension is one of the most common lifestyle diseases in the world. However, hypertension is more prevalent in young men than in women. What causes high blood pressure in young men?”. The 21st-century lifestyle, including high alcohol consumption, obesity, smoking, drug intake, and other unhealthy habits, has put men at an increased risk of developing hypertension at a young age. If hypertension is left untreated, it can cause a lot of damage to the body, especially the heart and other vital organs.  Therefore, young men need to check their blood pressure regularly and ensure that they are prepared for hypertension, should it arise as a specific threat.

Here are five reasons why young men are at high risk of hypertension.

1. Lack of Physical Activity

Doing little to no physical exercise significantly increases the risk of high blood pressure in young men. People who don’t exercise regularly have a 30-50% greater risk of hypertension. If you have a high heart rate, your heart will have to work harder to pump blood, putting a lot of pressure on your arteries. A strong heart will pump more blood to your body with less effort. As a result, the pressure on your arteries will reduce, which will lower your blood pressure. Regular exercise will make your heart strong and save you from obesity, another leading cause of hypertension.

2. Being Obese or Overweight

Being overweight will put a lot of pressure on your heart. This can cause the heart to be weak and not pump blood. And the more weight you have, the more blood your heart has to pump to supply necessary nutrients and oxygen to your body tissues. An increase in the amount of blood flowing through your blood vessels will also increase the pressure on your artery walls. And this increases the risk of hypertension. Obesity increases the stress in your circulatory system, and this can cause severe health problems. Being obese will also put you at a high risk of contracting other heart diseases, diabetes, stroke, etc.

3. Smoking or Tobacco Use

According to the CDC, 24.7% of young men use any tobacco product, 20.4% use electronic cigarettes, and 5.4% smoke regular cigarettes. Without any doubt, Smoking and Tobacco use puts young men at a high risk of hypertension. Chewing tobacco and smoking will instantly raise your blood pressure. Also, the chemicals found in tobacco can cause severe damage to the wall of your arteries. This can ultimately damage your arteries or cause the arteries to be restricted, increasing the risk of heart diseases and high blood pressure.  Also, for people who don’t smoke, exposing yourself to environments where people smoke will also increase the risk of developing heart diseases. And this can also lead to hypertension.

4. Unhealthy Diet With High Sodium Intake

An unhealthy diet contributes a lot to developing high blood pressure. Food high in calories, sugar, saturated fat, trans fat, etc., puts young men at an increased risk of hypertension. Also, high sodium intake, especially salt, can make your body retain fluids, increasing the risk of developing high blood pressure. A healthy diet is vital for your health. And that is because healthier food choices will help lower your blood pressure. It would be best to consider adding more potassium intake to your diet. A proper potassium intake is essential for your health. Potassium can help you to balance the sodium in your body. It will also neutralize the excess sodium in your body. Less potassium in your diet will lead to dehydration and other severe health problems.

5. High Alcohol Consumption

High intake of alcohol is one of the leading causes of high blood pressure in young men. It will severely damage your heart after some time. You are at an increased risk of developing fatal diseases like stroke, heart failure, arrhythmia( irregular beating of the heart), etc., if you take a lot of alcohol regularly. Heavy alcohol intake can significantly increase your blood pressure and increase the risk of obesity, cancer, suicide, and even accidents. If you want to take alcohol, make sure you take it in moderation.

Final Thoughts

Hypertension is a disease you should not overlook; it requires prompt and immediate action. Reduction in alcohol consumption, healthy diet with the proper balance of potassium, regular physical activities, little or no smoking and tobacco use, etc., are a few of the lifestyles that are key to preventing the development of hypertension in early adulthood. These lifestyles will reduce the risk of hypertension and help you live a healthy life. To better understand more about hypertension in young adults, BPinControl is here for you. The platform will give you everything you need to prepare yourself for hypertension, whether through prevention or through adequate response measures.