Symptom of hypertension?

Occasionally the veins in my hands and wrists appear larger than normal. I am a Certified Nursing Assistant, so I know how to take BP, but unfortunately I do not have a cuff at home. My pulse is normal, around 80-85 BPM. I get headaches upon awaking nearly every morning, but it has been like that for many years. I only get nosebleeds when I have a cold. I last had my BP measured a couple months ago, and it was 110/70 (which is normal for me; I tend to run on the low side.)

However, my father has hypertension, so I'm afraid that I may be starting to develop it. I recently got the Lupron Depot shot to control my endometriosis, and prior to that I was on OCPs. I am only 17 years old, I have never smoked, I am borderline overweight, I have never consumed alcohol, and I have moderate salt intake.

Could the "puffier" appearance of my veins be a sign of hypertension?

That blood pressure isn't low at all, in fact the new guidelines set by the American Heart Association states that optimal blood pressure is now below 120/80. Headaches and nosebleeds are signs of hypertension, but then again, the nosebleeds come about when you have a cold, so the mucus membranes tend to bleed slightly due to the harsh conditions and headaches may be caused by a number of other things like sinus problems so they need not be attributed to hypertension. Regulations to date state that if a person has a blood pressure above 120/80 that places them in a prehypertensive condition; this condition usually means that hypertension will develop soon afterwards. A good thing to do is to visit your local pharmacy or superstore and purchase a blood pressure machine, be it automatic or manual, and test your pressure every week or so just to check on it. If it remains above 120/80 for a long time, a visit to a doctor can help fix the problem.

Hypertension is a silent disease. There are no real signs of it. There are days that you are going to see veinous expansion and this has nothing to do with hypertension. Remember that veins are on the return side of the circulatory system and hypertension is on the output side. With the other things that you describe, I would say that you have sleep apnea.

The appearance of the veins on the tops of your hands often has a direct association with how much fluids you have consumed. The little, flat, tiny veins indicate you have not been drinking much; the larger, full veins indicate you have had an adequate amount of water/fluids recently.

- ok, i want you to try this. if you raise your hand, do the veins in your hands still look puffy? cause normally, veins in the hands look distended when they're in downward position and somewhat constrict when they're raised. so if they're still distended even if you raise them up, then there must be a problem. check also if you have distended neck veins. it could be a sign of congested heart failure.

- well you seem to have a fine bp reading though. just watch out for symptoms like headache (esp on the nape part), difficulty in breathing, dizziness or decreased activity tolerance. those might indicate hypertension. and just to be sure, have your bp monitored regularly.

- regarding your headaches every morning, you just might be (1) experiencing orthostatic hypotension (--a sudden fall in blood pressure, typically greater than 20/10 mm Hg, that occurs when a person assumes a standing position, usually after a prolonged period of rest).what you can do, when you wake up, do not stand up immediately. rise up in progress. OR (2) probably you just didnt get enough rest/ sleep.

Feeling lonely may hurt your heart in more ways than one.

A University of Chicago study of 229 men and women between the ages of 50 and 68 showed that those who said they lacked companionship were more likely to have elevated blood pressure, a risk factor for heart disease.

People who felt the loneliest had systolic blood pressures (the top number) 10 to 30 mm Hg higher than those who felt the least lonely. Though the extent of the rise in blood pressure increased with age, the link between loneliness and blood pressure remained after accounting for age, weight, smoking, depression, and other risk factors for hypertension.

The authors of the study point out that the magnitude of the effects of loneliness on blood pressure was as great as the reduction in blood pressure expected to result from weight loss or increased exercise.

There's more news linking loneliness and the risk of cardiovascular disease. A Harvard study has shown an association between loneliness among men and an increase in a type of inflammation linked to cardiovascular disease. In addition, a Duke study has found that socially isolated patients with heart disease have a higher risk of death.

These findings are especially significant now, as the U.S. population is aging and more people are living alone. Some research suggests that a feeling of isolation and a lack of companionship may affect more than 11 million elderly Americans as friends and family move, become ill, or die.

I agree with the authors of the Chicago study, who suggest paying more attention to family and friends and getting involved in volunteer work and other activities that make you feel useful.