These two interventions will ensure your BLOOD PRESSURE stays below 120/80

High blood pressure (hypertension) is an endemic disease that is associated with poor diet and lifestyle. Its cause is not known, but there are risk factors. If these factors are present, your chances of getting hypertension, it’s complications or poor control of the disease, will be higher. In this post, we look at how you lower blood pressure mainly by changing lifestyle and diet.

2 approaches to lower blood pressure

1. Diet and lifestyle changes


2. Medications

1. DIET AND LIFESTYLE CHANGES

The good thing about this aspect is that you can make adjustments and live a more health life. Usually there is need for commitment in order to achieve the desired lifestyle because it’s a gradual process that takes months. The changes you have to do include:

Eating a healthy diet

The most important part of the diet you have to limit when we consider hypertension is salt. A low salt diet is mandatory when you want to achieve normal blood pressure. Salt tends to increase fluid retention and hence elevate blood pressure. Therefore, if you are a barbecue enthusiast and love sprinkling salt on your food all the time, it’s high time you migrate to a low salt diet.

Another dietary change you have to implement is to eliminate/reduce anything that promotes weight gain. High sugar, high carbohydrate and high fat diet is not advisable when you want to control your blood pressure. It’s high time you read food labels when shopping for food. If a product is high in cholesterol, for instance, you have to be cautious because all fat will clog blood vessels, causing  cardiovascular complications.

Weight loss

Being obese and overweight are risk factors of hypertension.  In order to reduce weight you have to read this article on how to lose weight. you will learn natural ways which assit you in achieving the desired weight.

Exercise

You can’t mention weight loss without talking about exercise. There is an article about exercise which can motivate you to start exercises. Exercise burns fat and promotes a healthy body. To avoid the risk of getting complications of hypertension, you have to exercise regularly.  By burning fat you also lose weight, hence promoting lower blood pressures.

Stress management

Stress is part of life. You can’t run away from stress. The following everyday life events can cause significant stress:

• Changing a job


• Shifting to a new place


• Expecting a new child


• Preparing for exams


• Winning a lotto


• Low smartphone battery (imagine the battery dies before you text back)

What separates people is not the presence or absence of stress, but how they manage stress. Good stress management is a skill that is learnt. If you blow a fuse every time a flight is cancelled, you need to acquire the skill. Stress must be dissipated the right way, else you increase your chances of raising blood pressure. Some monks in east Asia have mastered the art of deep meditation to stay calm and eliminate any background stress.

Organize your life

Learn to eliminate clutter from your life. One way to do it is plan your day, month or year before it comes. That way most often events that take place don’t come as a surprise. It allows you to deal with things you can manage. Although some are good at multitasking, generally if you focus on one task and complete it then move to the next task, you will see yourself less burdened.  Your blood pressure will also be lower. Compare that with someone who is on the phone, stirring a pot of soup, while feeding the baby. Verily, that person's blood pressure will be higher.

Quit smoking

It’s well-documented that smoking makes blood vessels lose their elasticity. As a result, this raises the risk of cardiovascular complications. Blood pressure is also elevated and difficult to control. These effects become more pronounced in those above 40. Men may start to find it difficult to achieve an erection as blood vessels become less distensible. Smoking also increases the risk of cancer so it’s best to put down the pipe.

Programs are there to assist people addicted to smoking. Treatment modalities may include use of nicotine patches, drugs that reduce craving, counselling and fake cigarettes. The good thing is once you stop smoking the effects start to wear off and you will be on your path to recovery.

2. MEDICATIONS

Medical practitioners prescribe medications to lower blood pressure and to prevent complications of hypertension. The indications for medications are:

• Diet and lifestyle changes have failed to control the hypertension


• The blood pressure readings are very high such that you need medication right away, to prevent complications


• There are other co-morbidities, like diabetes mellitus, that can further increase the risk of complications of hypertension, so to reduce that risk your doctor may add anti-hypertensive medication.

Visit you Doctor regularly for hypertension screening. As a result, you are conscious of what happens in your lifestyle that may have an impact on hypertension.

To calculate you BMI go to this page.