Hypertension
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| 5 Lifestyle Modifications To Reduce Blood Pressure |
The force that a person's blood exerts on the blood vessel walls is known as blood pressure. A medical condition known as hypertension or high blood pressure is characterized by elevated artery pressure. This pressure can be worse by certain medical conditions, medications, and health factors. Over time, this causes damage to your arteries, which can result in severe complications like a heart attack or stroke.
There are two types of high blood pressure:
primary and secondary hypertension. The underlying cause of primary
hypertension is unknown. Certain meds or ailments, like immunosuppressants,
nonsteroidal mitigating drugs (NSAIDs), kidney infections, Conn's condition,
and others, can cause secondary hypertension.
Mostly hypertension is asymptomatic. People with
very high blood pressure report headaches, blurred vision, shortness of breath
(apnea), and nose bleeding.
Hypertension is known as the "silent
killer" because it typically causes no symptoms until it has already
caused damage to organs like the heart, brain, or kidneys.
The treatment or prevention of hypertension
relies heavily on lifestyle modifications. The AHA's guidelines for lifestyle
changes call for regular exercise and a healthy diet. Everyone is encouraged to
make these changes to forestall the onset of hypertension. Your healthcare
professional recommends these modifications as part of the first-line treatment
in many cases of prehypertension and all patients with a determination of hypertension.
1. Eating A Healthy Diet
The DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop
Hypertension) is a healthy eating plan to prevent or treat high blood pressure.
On the internet, you can find the patient education booklet titled "Your
Guide to Lowering Your Blood Pressure with DASH." For most patients, the
DASH diet can significantly lower BP (8–14 mmHg in systolic blood pressure) and
produce comparable results to single-drug treatment. It reduces low-density
lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, which causes many heart diseases.
The DASH diet's foods contain a lot of
potassium, calcium, magnesium, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Dairy
products without or with low fat, fish, poultry, beans, and nuts are all
included. The diet restricts foods high in sodium, saturated fat, and added
sugar. The DASH diet restricts salt intake to 2,300 milligrams (mg) per day.
You can consume a diet high in foods grown on
the ground (8 to 10 servings per day) and low-fat dairy (2 to 3 servings per
day) while having lower levels of saturated fat and cholesterol.
Weight gain frequently leads to an increase in
blood pressure. Being overweight likewise can cause disturbed breathing while
you sleep (sleep apnea), which further raises your blood pressure.
2. Weight Reduction
One of the best ways to control blood pressure
is to lose weight. Even a modest weight loss can lower blood pressure if you
are overweight or obese. With each kilogram (approximately 2.2 pounds) of
weight lost, blood pressure may decrease by approximately 1 millimeter of
mercury (mm Hg).
Additionally, waistline size matters. Being
overweight around the waist can make you more likely to have high blood
pressure. A woman's high waist is greater than 35 inches. It is greater than 40
inches for men. If you are overweight or obese, you should lose weight, ideally
to a BMI below 25 kg/m2. If you are not overweight or obese, your BMI should
remain between 18.5 and 24.9 kg/m2.
3. Exercise
You can lower your blood pressure and lose
weight with exercise. Attempt to exercise for at least 150 minutes each week.
Search for aerobic exercises that make your lungs and heart work a bit harder.
Regular exercise can lower systolic blood pressure by 4 to 9 mm Hg. Most
hypertensive patients can safely increase their usual physical activity using
oxygen.
Before increasing the level of physical
activity, those who have more severe forms of damage to the target organ (such
as angina or a previous MI) may, in any case, require a clinical assessment.
Physical activity should occur for at least 30 minutes 5 days a week,
preferably consistently. Activities that require a lot of oxygen, such as
strolling, running, cycling, swimming, dancing, biking, vigorous walking, and
cross-country skiing, are suggested for active work. Indeed, even tasks like
raking leaves or washing windows count.
4. Decrease Sodium &
Increase Potassium
You should decrease sodium and increase
potassium in your diet. Blood pressure can rise if you consume too much sodium.
A daily intake of no more than 1,500 milligrams should be your goal. The salt
you sprinkle on foods is not the only source of sodium. Additionally, packaged
foods may harbor it. Before purchasing, read the labels. Pizza, sandwiches, and
soups can all contain salt.
If you don't get enough potassium, your blood
pressure will probably go up. Try to get 3,000 to 3,500 milligrams per day. A
medium banana has around 420 milligrams. You get over 900 milligrams from a
baked potato with the skin on. Spinach, beans, tomatoes, oranges, yogurt, and
yams are additionally high in potassium. People who take certain medicines or
have kidney diseases should use potassium cautiously. So, before making any
dietary changes, consult your doctor.
5. Stress Reduction
When stressed, the body releases a lot of
hormones. These hormones cause the heart to beat faster and the blood vessels
to narrow. For a while, these actions raise blood pressure. There's no
confirmation that stress itself can cause hypertension. However, unhealthy
responses to stress can elevate blood pressure and raise the risk of heart
attack and stroke.
Your blood pressure will rise if you deal with
stress by smoking, drinking, or eating a lot of unhealthy foods. Take deep
breaths, meditate, or do yoga to cope with stress. Relax and do things you
enjoy, such as gardening, listening to music, or hanging out with friends.