If you were diagnosed with
high blood pressure (a systolic pressure — the top number — of 140 or above or
a diastolic pressure — the bottom number — of 90 or above), you might be
worried about taking medication to bring your numbers down. Your lifestyle
plays an important role in treating your high blood pressure. If you
successfully control your blood pressure with a healthy lifestyle, you may
avoid great danger.
Here
are the Top 10 methods you can make to lower your blood pressure and keep it
down.
1. Lose over weight and watch your waistline
Blood
pressure often increases as weight increases. Losing just 10 pounds (4.5
kilograms) can help reduce your blood pressure. In general, the more weight you
lose, the lower your blood pressure. Losing weight also makes any blood
pressure medications you're taking more effective. You and your doctor can
determine your target weight and the best way to achieve it.
Besides
shedding weight, you should also keep an eye on your waistline. Carrying too
much weight around your waist can put you at greater risk of high blood
pressure. In general:
v Men are at risk if their waist measurement
is greater than 40 inches (102 centimeters, or cm).
v Women are at risk if their waist
measurement is greater than 35 inches (89 cm).
v Asian men are at risk if their waist
measurement is greater than 36 inches (91 cm).
v Asian women are at risk if their waist
measurement is greater than 32 inches (81 cm).
2. Exercise regularly
Regular
physical activity — at least 30 to 60 minutes most days of the week — can lower
your blood pressure by 4 to 9 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). And it doesn't
take long to see a difference. If you haven't been active, increasing your
exercise level can lower your blood pressure within just a few weeks.
If
you have pre hypertension — systolic pressure between 120 and 139 or diastolic
pressure between 80 and 89 — exercise can help you avoid developing full-blown
hypertension. If you already have hypertension, regular physical activity can
bring your blood pressure down to safer levels.
Talk
to your doctor about developing an exercise program. Your doctor can help
determine whether you need any exercise restrictions. Even moderate activity
for 10 minutes at a time, such as walking and light strength training, can
help.
But
avoid being a "weekend warrior." Trying to squeeze all your exercise
in on the weekends to make up for weekday inactivity isn't a good strategy.
Those sudden bursts of activity could actually be risky.
3. Eat a healthy diet
Eating
a diet that is rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy
products and skimps on saturated fat and cholesterol can lower your blood
pressure by up to 14 mm Hg. This eating plan is known as the Dietary Approaches
to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet.
It
isn't easy to change your eating habits, but with these tips, you can adopt a
healthy diet:
Ø Keep
a food diary. Writing
down what you eat, even for just a week, can shed surprising light on your true
eating habits. Monitor what you eat, how much, when and why.
Ø Consider
boosting potassium. Potassium
can lessen the effects of sodium on blood pressure. The best source of
potassium is food, such as fruits and vegetables, rather than supplements. Talk
to your doctor about the potassium level that's best for you.
Ø Be
a smart shopper. Make
a shopping list before heading to the supermarket to avoid picking up junk
food. Read food labels when you shop and stick to your healthy-eating plan when
you're dining out, too.
Ø Cut
yourself some slack. Although
the DASH diet is a lifelong eating guide, it doesn't mean you have to cut out
all of the foods you love. It's OK to treat yourself occasionally to foods you
wouldn't find on a DASH diet menu, such as a candy bar or mashed potatoes with
gravy.
4. Reduce sodium in your diet
Even
a small reduction in the sodium in your diet can reduce blood pressure by 2 to
8 mm Hg. The recommendations for reducing sodium are:
Ø
Limit sodium to 2,300 milligrams (mg) a day or less.
Ø
A lower sodium level — 1,500 mg a day or less — is appropriate
for people 51 years of age or older, and individuals of any age who are
African-American or who have high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney
disease.
Ø
To decrease sodium in your diet, consider these tips:
Ø
Track how much salt is in
your diet. Keep
a food diary to estimate how much sodium is in what you eat and drink each day.
Ø
Read food labels. If possible, choose low-sodium
alternatives of the foods and beverages you normally buy.
Ø
Eat fewer processed foods. Potato chips, frozen dinners, bacon and
processed lunch meats are high in sodium.
Ø
Don't add salt. Just 1 level teaspoon of salt has 2,300
mg of sodium. Use herbs or spices, rather than salt, to add more flavor to your
foods.
Ø
Ease into it. If you don't feel like you can
drastically reduce the sodium in your diet suddenly, cut back gradually. Your
palate will adjust over time.
5. Limit the amount of alcohol you drink
Alcohol
can be both good and bad for your health. In small amounts, it can potentially
lower your blood pressure by 2 to 4 mm Hg. But that protective effect is lost
if you drink too much alcohol — generally more than one drink a day for women
and men older than age 65, or more than two a day for men age 65 and younger.
Also, if you don't normally drink alcohol, you shouldn't start drinking as a
way to lower your blood pressure. There's more potential harm than benefit to
drinking alcohol.
If
you drink more than moderate amounts of it, alcohol can actually raise blood
pressure by several points. It can also reduce the effectiveness of high blood
pressure medications.
Ø Track
your drinking patterns. Along
with your food diary, keep an alcohol diary to track your true drinking
patterns. One drink equals 12 ounces (355 milliliters, or mL) of beer, 5 ounces
of wine (148 mL) or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor (45 mL). If you're drinking more
than the suggested amounts, cut back.
Ø Consider
tapering off. If
you're a heavy drinker, suddenly eliminating all alcohol can actually trigger
severe high blood pressure for several days. So when you stop drinking, do it
with the supervision of your doctor or taper off slowly, over one to two weeks.
Ø Don't
binge. Binge
drinking — having four or more drinks in a row — can cause large and sudden
increases in blood pressure, in addition to other health problems.
6. Avoid tobacco
products and secondhand smoke
On top of all the
other dangers of smoking, the nicotine in tobacco products can raise your blood
pressure by 10 mm Hg or more for up to an hour after you smoke. Smoking
throughout the day means your blood pressure may remain constantly high.
You should also avoid
secondhand smoke. Inhaling smoke from others also puts you at risk of health
problems, including high blood pressure and heart disease.
7. Cut back on
caffeine
The role caffeine
plays in blood pressure is still debatable. Drinking caffeinated beverages can
temporarily cause a spike in your blood pressure, but it's unclear whether the
effect is temporary or long lasting.
To see if caffeine
raises your blood pressure, check your pressure within 30 minutes of drinking a
cup of coffee or another caffeinated beverage you regularly drink. If your
blood pressure increases by five to 10 points, you may be sensitive to the
blood pressure raising effects of caffeine.
8. Reduce your stress
Stress or anxiety can
temporarily increase blood pressure. Take some time to think about what causes
you to feel stressed, such as work, family, finances or illness. Once you know
what's causing your stress, consider how you can eliminate or reduce stress.
If you can't eliminate
all of your stressors, you can at least cope with them in a healthier way. Take
breaks for deep-breathing exercises. Get a massage or take up yoga or
meditation. If self-help doesn't work, seek out a professional for counseling.
9. Monitor your blood
pressure at home and make regular doctor's appointments
If you have high blood
pressure, you may need to monitor your blood pressure at home. Learning to
self-monitor your blood pressure with an upper arm monitor can help motivate
you. Talk to your doctor about home monitoring before getting started.
Regular visits to your
doctor are also likely to become a part of your normal routine. These visits
will help keep tabs on your blood pressure.
Ø Have a primary care
doctor. People who don't have
a primary care doctor find it harder to control their blood pressure. If you
can, visit the same health care facility or professional for all of your health
care needs.
Ø Visit your doctor
regularly. If your blood pressure
isn't well controlled, or if you have other medical problems, you might need to
visit your doctor every month to review your treatment and make adjustments. If
your blood pressure is under control, you might need to visit your doctor only
every six to 12 months, depending on other conditions you might have.
10 Support
Supportive family and
friends can help improve your health. They may encourage you to take care of
yourself, drive you to the doctor's office or embark on an exercise program
with you to keep your blood pressure low. Talk to your family and friends about
the dangers of high blood pressure.
If you find you need
support beyond your family and friends, consider joining a support group. This
may put you in touch with people who can give you an emotional or morale boost
and who can offer practical tips to cope with your condition.
Happy Life: So
you can enjoy the life by reducing high blood pressure and avoid any problem in
life.
