One of the worst things about high blood pressure is that it's possible to have this problem without knowing it. The only way to be sure is to have your blood pressure checked, as hypertension does not necessarily have warning signs. High blood pressure can have many causes, and we will be discussing some of these in this article.

One such cause is being overweight. There has been a sharp rise in cases of high blood pressure in developed countries as a result of obesity. If you are overweight, you are at risk for many health problems, and high blood pressure is often one of the early warning signs. One way to reduce risk is to start an exercise regimen and change your diet.

One problem with high blood pressure is that, in many cases, there is no known cause. Essential hypertension is the name for high blood pressure with no identifiable cause, and this actually accounts for the majority of cases.

Even without knowing the exact cause of high blood pressure, however, we do know that you can lower your risks by making many changes in your lifestyle. It's important to realize that the only way to know if you have high blood pressure is to have it tested frequently. There are many changes you can make to lower your risk, and ways to treat it when it's been diagnosed, but doctors are still doing research on the exact cause of high blood pressure.

Don't be a couch potato. The experts will tell you that more people have high blood pressure because of the job they have combined with not enough exercise. It's known that getting even moderate amounts of exercise can help to lower your blood pressure. Even many younger people today have the risk of being overweight and developing hypertension because of a lack of physical activity. Fortunately, this is one cause of high blood pressure that's fairly easy to reverse, though it takes some effort to change your habits.

High blood pressure can be caused by many factors, depending on your own habits and genetic makeup. If you have high blood pressure, your doctor can help you identify any risk factors so you can make the necessary changes. As we've seen, there are many possible causes of high blood pressure, which is why it's recommended that you get your checked consistently. Reducing your blood pressure is something everyone can do once you know it's something you have to focus on.