High-per Tension?! - Being mindful of the rush of busy schedules.

Our lives move in a rhythm of surprises. And your heart rate? Just like life, sometimes it gets fast, moderate, or slow-paced. Having a heart-to-heart conversation (pun intended) is what makes a family stick together. But we rarely talk about blood pressure. Here is a simple guide to take you through the knowledge of Hypertension, finding whether you or someone you know has it, and how we can tackle it through our daily practices.

Let’s start slowly.

1. What is Blood Pressure?

Blood pressure measures the force of blood pushing against the walls of your arteries in the heart. It's recorded in two numbers:

• Systolic Pressure: The top number, indicating the pressure when your heart beats.

• Diastolic Pressure: The bottom number, showing the pressure when your heart rests between beats.

Now the pressure is measured in something called “mm Hg,” which stands for millimetres of mercury, not the planet, not the superhero, just a way to measure pressure. A normal reading is around 120/80 mm Hg. But when these numbers creep up, it's a sign your heart is working overtime. 

1. What are stress hormones?

When you're stressed, your body goes into "fight or flight" mode. This releases stress hormones like adrenaline (epinephrine) and cortisol. Take a pause to know what they are.

Meet your friendly neighbour, Mr. Cortisol, who manages 

• Metabolism

• Inflammatory Response

• Immune Functioning 

And Mr. Catecholamine’s children, epinephrine and norepinephrine, who take care of

• Heart Rate and Blood Pressure Regulation

• Blood sugar regulation

• Mood regulation

• The sleep-wake cycle

These hormones increase vascular tone (the tightness of your blood vessels) to help you identify whether you are in danger. But when is the problem? When the stress gets held in a little too long.

2. What causes Hypertension?

Hypertension can be both chronic and a disease. To really find out the cause, we need to take further steps to know where we stand. The busy schedules clashing with their normal life routines are bound to be the first known triggers for any working professional, with so many things on their plate, people on average, tend to face a lot of stress during their day. 

So why does this even matter? Because when the pressure’s too high for too long, your heart and arteries start struggling. They wear out faster, get stiff, and make you more vulnerable to all sorts of unwanted drama, like heart attacks, strokes, kidney problems… yes, the big ones. 

3. What to look out for?

The starting stages of an increased BP level show up as severe headaches, difficulty in breathing, vision changes, chest pain, irregular heartbeats, and fatigue

Hypertension is the extreme of blood pressure. The extreme the numbers are, the extreme the signs are:

• Frequent headaches

• Shortness of breath

• Nosebleeds

But the only definitive way to know? Regular blood pressure checks. It's a simple step that can make a world of difference.

Taste? Yes. But health?

Food, Glorious Food (And Salt, Sneaky Salt)

Here’s where things get personal. That plate of buttery biryani? That endless stream of salty snacks during your Netflix binge? That third cup of coffee because of “Mondays”? All of these everyday habits of adding a little more salt, saturated fats, alcohol, or caffeine slowly and silently push your blood pressure up. And the scary part? You might not even feel it happening. 

That’s why hypertension is nicknamed “the silent killer.” No alarms, no flashing red lights just a slow, quiet buildup until one day something breaks. But the good news? You can do something about it. And it starts in your kitchen. 

Diet plans and schedules need not be scary or intimidating. There’s always a starting point for everybody, we’re not aiming for Summer bods right now. A good functioning body needs healthy internals. You could also start your journey with Plant-Protein Powders that are a quick fix to your dietary concerns. Ones that you can add to meals, desserts, and consume as shakes, easy and on-the-go.

Does weight matter?

Here’s something not everyone talks about gently. Weight. Carrying extra weight puts extra pressure on your heart. Imagine running with a heavy backpack every day, your heart feels that first.

On the flip side, being underweight can also mess with your pressure, just in a different way. But when we talk about high blood pressure, it's often tied to excess weight. More fat tissue can mess with how your kidneys work, throw off your hormones, and make your heart pump harder than it needs to. Be it losing weight or gaining weight, slowly implementing Healthier foods can make huge differences, silently.

We’re not saying you need bulky gains or to go keto overnight. Just small steps — a walk after dinner, swapping fried for compressed popped once in a while, and hydrating like you mean it. 

Not to worry, take measures!

A healthy and functional heart is far more important than aiming only for flat tummies and rushing to meet deadlines. In between the rush of the day, try walking to the chaiwala’s shop, pausing work when you need to breathe in stillness for a few minutes and having a happy tummy

If you take one thing away from this, let it be this: hypertension isn’t just about you. It’s about your mom who says she’s “just tired,” your dad who says “I’m fine,” your partner who powers through headaches with coffee, and your grandparents who rarely complain.

This is your gentle nudge to ask them when they last had their blood pressure checked. Or better yet, go with them. Make a day of it.