Is it a Blood Pressure Headache?

If you have been experiencing headaches lately that you just cannot shake, you may want to visit your doctor. Headaches are often indicative of a lot of different health problems. Occasionally, headaches can be a symptom of high blood pressure. High blood pressure can be a life threatening condition if it goes unchecked. It’s important to visit your doctor if you are unsure of what is causing your headache or if you believe that you are experiencing other symptoms of high blood pressure

The Classic High Blood Pressure Headache

Most people do not experience any symptoms associated with high blood pressure until organ damage has been done, but occasionally people will experience headache. Generally, a high blood pressure headache, most of them report that this is a headache that often occurs in the morning upon rising. Other people also experience a high blood pressure headache after lying down for awhile and then getting up. Some people find that the headache is constant throughout the day while others find that is subsides by late morning or early afternoon.

For those that do report a high blood pressure headache occurs in the back of the head, which distinguishes it from a sinus headache, although many people blame the headache on stress or tension. The pain is usually one that is described as a throbbing or pulsating pain. A headache of this nature is usually made worse when one exercises, strains, or bends or stoops down as they activities are all known to increase blood pressure in the human body.

If you believe that you are experiencing a high blood pressure headache, you should visit your doctor or purchase a home monitoring device. When you take your blood pressure you can easily determine whether or not you have high blood pressure or not, though blood pressure fluctuates so one reading is usually not indicative of a chronic high blood pressure problem. When you take your blood pressure the first number will be the systolic pressure should be right around 120. The second number is your diastolic pressure and it should be around 80. If your diastolic blood pressure is 100-110 mm than hypertension or high blood pressure can be diagnosed.

For most people to get rid of the high blood pressure headaches they will need to take medication, lower the amount of salt in their diet, lose weight and exercise regularly. Patients will also need to be seen by a doctor regularly so that their blood pressure continues to be in a healthy range, which may include introducing new medications and changing up the diet from time to time. Many patients think that once they are on medication that they have no worries, but they will still need to be monitored closely.