When researching the physical symptoms of high blood pressure, the first thing that you need to keep in mind is that they are usually very mild. In many cases, they do not appear at all. This is why high blood pressure is generally known as a, “silent killer,” because many people will never know that they have it until they begin to develop more serious complications as a result.

That damage begins very subtly, but will soon grow into more serious complications. Heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, heart attack, and more become much more likely after a prolonged period of hypertension.

Considering everything that could go wrong later on, it is important that hypertension be treated as soon as possible to avoid the dangerous complications of leaving it untreated. Again, while the physical symptoms of high blood pressure tend to be quite mild, any manifestation of them should be investigated to rule out any problems. Some of the more common symptoms follow below.

• Dizziness – Whenever there is a rapid change in the physical state of the brain, dizziness is one of the most common physical reactions. Whether there is a rapid change in blood sugar, blood pressure, or otherwise, dizziness is usually the first physical indicator. If you are frequently becoming dizzy, it should become a priority to get checked out, because something is definitely wrong.
• Headache – Along with dizziness and other common physical symptoms of high blood pressure, headache is usually caused by a shifting in the blood pressure in the brain. Headache is not the most common symptom people exhibit, but when hypertension turns out to be the cause, the headaches tend to be frequent and persistent. They are not entirely responsive to medication, returning even when the person is medicated.
• Decreased Physical Endurance – This is one of the most powerful indicators of any sort of cardiac condition. In a hospital setting, this is generally tested by connecting you to monitoring equipment while you walk or run on a treadmill. If your physical fitness level is unchanged, but you find that you are losing your ability to exercise, you will want to visit the doctor to ensure that nothing else is wrong.
• Nausea – When accompanying other physical symptoms of high blood pressure, nausea tends to show itself as a persistent abdominal discomfort that does not fade easily, though actual vomiting is not common.
• Fatigue – Fatigue refers to a persistent lack of energy and motivation that does not go away, even after prolonged rest. It is another of those symptoms that is very common among many chronic medical conditions, from diabetes to kidney failure to heart disease to hypertension. For this reason, it should not be ignored when it appears, even though it may seem like a minor complaint at most.

Again, most of these symptoms will be very mild when they do appear. Even trained doctors can sometimes have trouble identifying them. The only way to know for sure if you are suffering from high blood pressure is to actually have it tested. Many grocery stores and clinics have blood pressure monitors available for free use. Regular use of such monitors can go a long way to stopping any problems before they get out of hand. Don’t wait for the physical symptoms of high blood pressure to appear; take a proactive role. It’s the only way to be sure.