“Our health is our wealth”, so the saying goes. Although it may seem like a common cliche, it has never been truer and more significant. Many individuals would believe that eating healthy is simple, yet doing so requires so much discipline that many people find it difficult to maintain.
How do we rein in our excesses? How do we not give in to the pleasures of the delectable, scrumptious, decadent, and sublime? Maybe as soon as we hear the words “hypertension” or “high blood pressure”, those would already put a screeching halt to our food excesses.
Hypertension, often known as high blood pressure (HBP), is a “silent killer” that stealthily harms blood vessels and causes major health issues.
Although there is no cure, you can improve your quality of life and lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and other conditions by taking your medications as directed and changing your lifestyle.
Keeping track of your numbers will help you spot patterns and notice any changes. Monitoring your progress over time will also show you whether the improvements you’ve made are effective. Download a blood pressure log to keep track of your readings.
Blood pressure control requires lifelong dedication. It’s crucial that you follow your doctor’s advice and do remember that you are a member of your healthcare team. Actively participate in working with your doctor.
7 Lifestyle Changes You Can Do To Manage Hypertension
Fighting back against this silent killer means knowing your numbers by having your blood pressure checked. Is it in a healthy or an unhealthy range? With this knowledge in hand, you can resolve to lead a heart-healthy lifestyle.
Here are seven lifestyle adjustments you may make to bring down and maintain your blood pressure:
1) Regular exercise
If you have high blood pressure, engage in regular physical exercises, such as 150 minutes a week, or roughly 30 minutes most days of the week, can reduce your reading by 5 to 8 mm Hg. Consistency is key because if you stop working out, your blood pressure may start to increase again.
Exercise helps prevent hypertension if your blood pressure is already high. Regular exercise can help people lower their blood pressure to healthy ranges. You might try aerobic exercises like walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, or dancing to lower your blood pressure.
2) Healthy diet
A diet should be low in saturated fat and cholesterol and high in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products. It can drop your blood pressure by up to 11 mm Hg. The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet is the name of this eating regimen.
3) Reducing sodium
Even a minor reduction in salt in your diet will help your heart health and lower your blood pressure by roughly 5 to 6 mm Hg.
Different groups respond differently to sodium consumption in terms of blood pressure. Maintain your daily sodium intake to 2,300 mg or fewer. For most adults, a daily salt consumption of 1,500 mg or less is ideal.
4) Weight loss and trimming the waistline
Weight gain often causes an increase in blood pressure. Aside from the increase, being overweight can lead to sleep apnea, a condition that disrupts breathing while you’re asleep.
One of the best ways to lower blood pressure is weight loss. If overweight or obese, losing even a tiny amount of weight can help lower your blood pressure. Losing one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of weight can lower your blood pressure by roughly one millimeter of mercury (mm Hg).
5) Stress reduction
High blood pressure can be a result of too many stressors in your life. Constant stress can increase your HBP numbers if you respond to it by consuming junk foods, alcohol, and cigarettes.
Think of the things that stress you out, such as work, family, money, or illness. Once you are aware of the sources of your stress, think of ways to lessen or eliminate them.
6) Cutting back on caffeine
More research is needed to establish how caffeine affects blood pressure. When consumed less often, caffeine can cause blood pressure to rise up to 10 mm Hg compared to habitual coffee drinkers who aren’t as affected as we would have thought.
Caffeine may cause a slight increase in blood pressure, even though the long-term effects are still unclear.
7) Stopping the cigarettes
When you finish smoking a cigarette, your blood pressure rises. Quitting can lower your blood pressure, and your overall health will improve. Also, the risk of heart disease will decrease, thereby making those who stop live longer than those who do not.
You can fight hypertension. Death rates have dramatically fallen, even though heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the US and the rest of the world. That decline has been significantly attributed to earlier and more effective treatment of high blood pressure.
For a better tomorrow, you may regain your health right now. Consult with your healthcare professional and participate in clinical trials for hypertension to learn about the latest in treatments and breakthroughs in the study of the condition.