High blood pressure and pregnancy can go hand in hand. It is not unusual to see a slight increase in your blood pressure whilst you are pregnant.  It is when the high blood pressure increases to levels which may also lead to some serious side effects especially for the fetus during gestation that the doctors become concerned. When it comes to being pregnant though, there are three possibilities which can lead to high blood pressure.

For starters, you could suffer from chronic hypertension in which basically you may have the high blood pressure long before even becoming pregnant. In many cases, the woman may have this high blood pressure for years and not even have known about it until she goes in for a prenatal check up and her blood pressure is taken by the clinic’s staff.

Another possibility with regards to pregnancy and high blood pressure is what’s called preeclampsia. In this form of high blood pressure, not only is the mother in serious danger, but the fetus is as well. Preeclampsia usually occurs during the second half of the pregnancy and not only can it cause high blood pressure, but is also known to cause protein in the urine as well as many other blood and fluid related issues.

The final type of hypertension associated with pregnancy is what is known as transient hypertension in which they simply suffer from high blood pressure during the second half of the pregnancy. In the case of transient hypertension, although it is similar to that of preeclampsia, the major difference is that the only issue associated with it is the high blood pressure. When it is not accompanied with the other symptoms of preeclampsia it is considered to be transient hypertension.

If you have chronic hypertension, this high blood pressure that is associated with the condition has been known to decrease the growth rate of the fetus as well as having the possibility of incurring preeclampsia during the second half of the term. The reason preeclampsia is talked about so much, is not for the fact that the high blood pressure is dangerous for the fetus during a pregnancy, but rather it is the other symptoms associated with the condition which can be extremely dangerous. In the case of preclampsia, not only you, but your unborn fetus can have troubles with the brain which can include things like headaches as well as seizures. Furthermore your vision may become blurred as well as you may develop a lower abdominal pain. This pain comes directly from the liver and is a result of the pressure of the blood.

As for treatment options, the chronic hypertension can be remedied through the prescription of specialized high blood pressure medications while at the same time, the transient hypertension poses no threat to the mother or the fetus. However, the only treatment for preeclampsia is birth. I the case of preeclampsia, your doctor will ask you to spend much of the remaining pregnancy under close observation and induce the birth as soon as safely possible for both the baby and the mother.

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Laughter is one of the best home remedies to lower blood pressure.   It works by reducing your stress levels.

How often do we hear that laughter is the best medicine especially for reducing stress and hypertension?    Studies have shown that too much stress can cause high blood pressure.  Being stressed causes the body to release adrenaline which in turn speeds up the heart.  This process is often described as the bodies “fight or flight” mode. Fairly useful in past generations when the cave men were dealing with roaming wild animals – not as useful these days when sitting in a major traffic jam stressing as we are late to collect the kids from school again!

We all need some stress in our lives otherwise we would never achieve anything.   But, chronic stress can lead to anxiety, depression and a wide range of other problems. In order to relieve stress, some people resort to smoking or drinking to excess.  None of these are useful when treating high blood pressure.

One of the best ways to reduce stress is to laugh – it is very hard to remain angry with the world if you are laughing or even smiling.  A study was carried out at the University of  Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore into laughter as a “cure”.  The volunteers were divided into two groups – one watched the comedy “There’s something about Mary” and the second group watched “Saving Private Ryan” – a tear jerker based on the Second World War.  The researchers wanted to measure the rate of blood flow through the brachial artery.  The dilation of this artery accurately indicates the blood flow to and from the heart.  Medics use this artery a lot in research as studies have shown that improving arterial dilation helps lower blood pressure.  The results of the study showed that the group watching the comedy had significantly better dilation compared to those watching the sad movie.

But who needs studies to know that laughing is good for you?  Think about how you feel yourself when you have just laughed at something your child has done?  Think of those times when you are trying to correct a child for doing something naughty whilst at the same time trying desperately hard to keep a straight face as you want to laugh out loud. How difficult is it to stay annoyed?

Every day more and more products, gimmicks and “treatments” are released in order to reduce stress levels.  Perhaps they should put monthly subscriptions to comedy channels on prescription at your local medical centre?

Why not try it for yourself – maybe a laugh a day can reduce your blood pressure levels even slightly.  If it doesn’t work at least you will have enjoyed a more pleasant existence.  Hey it’s free and imagine how much nicer the world would be if people smiled more.  Maybe you can prove that laughter is the best natural cure for high blood pressure?