There are about 108 million adults in the USA who are diagnosed with hypertension. Out of this statistic, 21 million aren’t required to take medications—only lifestyle modification is recommended.
Your lifestyle plays a huge role in controlling hypertension. This includes your daily habits, pastime, diet, and routine. If you’re leading an unhealthy lifestyle, then you have a greater risk of contracting heart diseases due to high blood pressure.
Fortunately, controlling your blood pressure is doable with a healthy lifestyle. Here are 10 things you can do:
Monitor your blood pressure at home
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Keeping track of your blood pressure is important especially if you already know that you have hypertension. It helps you determine if your medications are working so your doctor can make adjustments or changes. Plus, it decreases your doctor’s appointments so you don’t have to go to the clinic to have your blood pressure taken.
Self-monitoring also encourages you to take better care of your health. Knowing that you can control your blood pressure by adjusting your lifestyle can be rewarding and motivating. There are many digital blood pressure monitors for home use, such as those from www.raycome.com that are easy to operate.
Watch your weight
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High blood pressure often rises as your weight increases. Thus, it’s important to know the ideal weight for your height, gender, race, and age. Watching your weight is important as being overweight can increase your chances of developing hypertension.
Weight loss is effective in lowering your blood pressure. Even losing a small amount of weight can already make a huge difference.
Losing weight is often a long process, so you must be committed if you want to do it. A few things you can do is to cut back on processed, sugary foods and eat healthy snacks instead. Reduce your carbohydrate and calorie intake, and focus on whole and fiber-rich food. Lastly, engage in physical activity such as walking, jogging, or running.
Engage in regular physical activity
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Exercise can make your heart stronger, allowing it to pump blood more efficiently. As a result, your blood flow increases as the pressure in your arteries decreases, lowering your blood pressure.
However, exercising is not a one-time thing. You must exercise consistently to control your blood pressure. You don’t need to spend a fortune on a gym membership or fancy equipment. There are simple exercises that you can do at home. Brisk walking for 30 minutes, climbing up and down the stairs, or swimming in the pool every day can help.
Even simple activities that keep your heart pumping and make you break a sweat will do. Mopping the floor, mowing your lawn, walking your dog, or gardening are also considered physical activities.
Eat a healthy diet
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One of the best ways to control hypertension and lose weight is to eat a healthy diet. Whole grains, leafy green vegetables, fruits, and nuts and other food from the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet is ideal.
To help you track your food intake, you can keep a diet journal and list down everything that you eat in a day. Include the portion sizes, and you’ll see what type of food you have been eating regularly. From there, you can start switching a few items on your menu. You can replace white bread with whole wheat bread, chips with trail mix, and soda with lemon water.
You can also boost your potassium intake since it’s a mineral that’s good for your blood flow. There are plenty of fruits and vegetables that are rich sources of potassium. Ask a dietitian to know the best potassium levels you should consume.
Quit smoking
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Tobacco immediately elevates your blood pressure for several minutes after you finish smoking. This can be bad especially if you already have hypertension. If you want your blood pressure to go back to normal, then it’s time to quit smoking.
In addition to raising your blood pressure, smoking also damages the linings of your arteries. This causes your arterial walls to narrow down, increasing your risk of contracting heart diseases. Additionally, smoking causes respiratory diseases, diabetes, and reproductive problems.
Manage your stress
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Feeling stressed makes your body produce adrenaline and cortisol, a stress hormone. Adrenaline increases your heart rate and elevates your blood pressure. Cortisol, on the other hand, increases the sugar in your bloodstream. If you’re constantly stressed, then your blood pressure is always elevated as well.
It’s difficult to eliminate everything that triggers stress, but you can learn how to manage it healthily. You can try meditating, listening to soothing music, reading, or simply talking to someone else. Exercise is proven to be a stress-reliever because it releases endorphins, the happy hormone.
Reduce your caffeine intake
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It’s unclear why caffeine causes a spike in your blood pressure, but it’s best to cut back on caffeine if you have high blood pressure. The short but dramatic rise in the blood pressure after consuming caffeine could be caused by a compound that causes the arteries to constrict. If you really want to have your coffee fix, you can opt for decaffeinated coffee.
Lower your alcohol intake
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Having an occasional glass or two of your favorite booze is alright. However, drinking more than three glasses in one sitting can temporarily elevate your blood pressure. And if you drink every day, it can lead to long-term high blood pressure. If you have hypertension, staying away from alcoholic drinks can keep your blood pressure in check.
Conclusion
Hypertension is a dangerous condition that can lead to potentially fatal diseases. Fortunately, it’s possible to control your blood pressure by changing your lifestyle. The above mentioned tips should guide you on how you can lower your blood pressure naturally.
This is a guest blog entry.
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