Specific symptoms in women

The symptoms in women are identical to those of men. Especially in women from menopause onwards, the symptoms are often due to a hormonal change in the body. If the symptoms mentioned above occur during pregnancy or when taking oral contraceptives, they may also be the cause of the symptoms.

They should therefore disappear after the pregnancy has ended or after discontinuing the contraceptive. Elevated blood pressure represents an increased physical strain. This can lead to a reduction in performance, which is often characterized by fatigue.

The need for sleep increases. Tiredness is always a signal from the body that it needs rest and recuperation. A stressful everyday life with few breaks additionally increases the tiredness.

8 hours of sleep per night are considered optimal. In case of high blood pressure, additional physical strain and depending on age, the need can increase. If the need for sleep is not satisfied, or an increased blood pressure is not sufficiently lowered, further symptoms caused by tiredness, such as concentration problems and reduced attention can arise.

This topic might also be of interest to you: Long-term blood pressure measurement – How to diagnose high blood pressure The ringing in the ears is a collective term for variously occurring ear noises, e.g. audible as whistling, humming or hissing. It is characteristic that this form of noise does not originate outside the body, but inside the own body and is therefore usually only audible by the patient himself. Every affected person can perceive the most different sounds.

Which type of noise is produced is very individual. High blood pressure can lead to such ear noises. The special thing about this is that sounds that emanate from diseases of the blood vessel system can often be perceived not only by the patient but also objectively.

This means that not only the patient perceives these noises inside his ear, but through special procedures these noises can be recorded and thus become comprehensible for the examiner. They can occur in both ears at the same time, as well as on one side. The sclera serves to protect the eyeball from the cornea to the entrance of the optic nerve.

A part of it is visible as a white area around the pupil and iris.Apart from a few places, there are hardly any blood vessels localized in it. Therefore, these remain mostly untouched in the case of high blood pressure. However, if there is inflammation or severe dryness of the eyes, the part of the eyes that normally appears white can turn red or, depending on the clinical picture, red, bluish or yellow.

However, high blood pressure does not leave the whole eye untouched. Persistently high blood pressure can cause the retina’s vessels to close and deposits to form on the retina’s walls. This causes the vessels to narrow and become inelastic.

There is a barrier between the vessels and the retina, which ensures that only certain substances circulating in the blood can enter the retina. High blood pressure destroys this barrier. This can lead to retinal bleeding and fluid accumulation.

These resulting reddening cannot be perceived by the naked eye (i.e. from the outside). This requires special, so-called ophthalmoscopes with which the fundus of the eye can be viewed and assessed. It is important that this examination can be used to draw conclusions about possible further changes in vessels located elsewhere in the body.

Which can confirm or increase the diagnosis of high blood pressure. In principle, headache, like all pain, is a warning signal from the body that should be taken seriously. Especially in the case of frequently recurring headaches where the cause is unknown, high blood pressure should always be considered.

This can manifest itself in the form of mild headaches or even migraine-like attacks. A headache associated with high blood pressure is often located at the back of the head. Here too, every person affected reacts differently to increases in blood pressure, fluctuations in blood pressure and feels the pain differently, in different places.

In the worst case, hypertension only becomes noticeable when it is caused by or involved in the triggering of cerebral haemorrhages in pre-damaged brain vessels. In most cases, the symptoms then occur suddenly and with high intensity. In this case, it is highly recommended to consult a doctor and have the symptoms clarified by a physician.

Since high blood pressure causes changes in the blood vessels, there is an increased risk of a stroke with the corresponding symptoms. Internal restlessness, even in combination with sleep disturbances, can indeed indicate high blood pressure. however, it is rarely associated with high blood pressure.

If patients suffer from anxiety, this is often a state of emotional upheaval. Which can also be accompanied by feelings of excitement and tension. Patients feel helpless, hopeless and complain about concentration problems, rapid exhaustion, sometimes depressive moods, anxiety and stroke disorders.

These kinds of symptoms can also be caused by substances that cause vivid perceptual disturbances, such as when taking so-called hallucinogens. Not to be confused with inner restlessness is the frequently occurring motor restlessness, with a restless, hardly satisfyable need for movement. This is usually manifested in increased inner excitability.

Shaking is the contraction of opposing muscle groups that are not influenced or triggered by the will. It usually occurs in cases of alcohol withdrawal, hyperthyroidism, hypoglycemia and excitement, as well as neurological diseases. It is important to distinguish whether the tremor occurs at rest or during targeted or non-targeted movements.

With high blood pressure, tremor is as unspecific a symptom as most others. As a rule, it does not occur with hypertension; however, if the hypertension rises acutely above 230/120mmHg, tremor can be a symptom of a hypertensive crisis, which usually occurs in the context of untreated hypertension. Breathlessness is not usually caused by high blood pressure.

However, if the patient already has secondary damage from hypertension or heart disease associated with hypertension, breathing difficulties may occur during exertion. In this case, the patient should immediately consult a doctor and have the cause of the shortness of breath determined. Breathlessness usually occurs when climbing stairs, doing sports or other physical exertion in everyday life, such as cleaning or carrying heavy objects.

Chest pain is not a symptom of high blood pressure, but in association with it it can be a sign of secondary diseases and/or diseases of the cardiovascular system. Usually these show up as a tightness in the chest area, like a belt that is tied around the chest.Especially these occur under stress, up to spontaneous pain and the so-called death pain, like a heart attack. The pain can radiate into the lower jaw, one or both arms and often into the upper abdomen, or even be felt only there.

Chest pain of unclear cause should therefore be clarified by a physician. A feeling of pressure in the head can have a variety of causes. The exact localization of the pressure in the head area is important to be able to identify it better.

It is important to assess whether the pressure (only) occurs in stress situations, such as when the head is hanging down or when bending forward – whether additional symptoms such as dizziness or nausea occur. If there is also an acute cold or sinusitis, this is more likely to be the cause. If there are recurring feelings of pressure without an explainable reason, regular blood pressure checks should follow.

Palpitations can occur during high pressure crises, i.e. when the blood pressure rises acutely and extremely high. Often with values above 230/120mmHg. This can occur, among other things, if chronic high blood pressure exists but has not been treated.

Other causes may be the occurrence of extra heartbeats, called extrasystoles, in cases of hyperthyroidism and heart defects. Tachycardia can occur as a result of cardiac dysrhythmia or in cases of severe psychological stress. If the heart gets out of synch and beats much too fast, the patient often experiences this as palpitations.

Tachycardia is not associated with high blood pressure, but is the cause of other conditions. An elevated blood pressure can destroy vessels in our bloodstream, especially the small branches and junctions of the smallest vessels are particularly at risk. Because their walls are particularly thin.

Thus a permanently high blood pressure leads to bleeding of fine vessels, such as those found inside the nose. Especially the vessels that supply the nasal septum and the upper nasal cavity can break down under permanently high pressure and thus start bleeding heavily. Sweating is caused by the increased secretion of sweat, through which the body releases heat to the surroundings and at the same time cools the skin from the outside.

Triggering illnesses can be, for example, hyperthyroidism, chronic stress and permanent strain, such as anxiety. Permanently elevated high blood pressure can also lead to sweating, but here it is a very unspecific symptom. Dizziness is usually an accompanying symptom when blood pressure drops and not when it rises too high, as is the case with high blood pressure.

Dizziness occurs more often when the ejection capacity of the heart is insufficient. For example, due to a slowed heart rate, as the blood supply to the brain is no longer guaranteed. Or as a side effect when drugs such as ß-blockers, which lower the heart rate, or which lower the blood pressure, are given.

Other causes can be blood loss/anemia or various damages of the balance organ of the ear. Sleep disturbances can occur both with high blood pressure and with blood pressure below the norm. Sleep disorders can also occur, for example, when the thyroid gland is overactive, which can also indirectly cause an increase in blood pressure.

The symptom is therefore very unspecific. Many other causes speak more strongly in favor of sleep disorders, such as cardiac dysrhythmia, strokes, heart attacks, heart failure or cognitive disorders. In the case of high blood pressure, it is not causally clear whether it really leads to sleep disorders.