6 Lifestyle Changes for Hypertension
When was the last time you thought about your hypertension? If you’re like most people, it probably hasn’t been since your doctor mentioned it during your last visit. But high blood pressure (hypertension) is a serious ailment that can lead to life-threatening dilemmas, like heart attack and stroke. The important news is that you can lower your risk of hypertension with lifestyle changes.
- Lose Weight
- Blood pressure often increases with weight gain. Being overweight also can cause interrupted breathing while you sleep (sleep apnea), which further increases your blood pressure.
- Weight loss is one of the most powerful lifestyle changes for controlling blood pressure. Losing just 4.5 to 5 kilograms can help reduce your blood pressure!
- Move Often!
- If you have slightly raised blood pressure (prehypertension), exercise can help you avoid growing full-blown hypertension. If you already have hypertension, regular exercise can bring your blood pressure down to more reliable levels. It can also help prevent further heart diseases.
- The best types of exercise for overcoming blood pressure include walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, or dancing. Talk to your physician about beginning an exercise program.
- Eat Healthily!
Consuming a diet that is rich in cereals, 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.
Keep a food diary. Penning down what you eat, even for a week, can shed remarkable light on your true eating habits. Observe what you eat, how much, when, and why. Talk to your physician about it.
Aim to have a diet that’s rich in:
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Whole-grain, high-fiber meals
- Fat-free and low-fat or 1 percent dairy products
- Beans
- Skinless poultry and lean meats
- Fish, especially fatty fish including omega 3 fatty acids such as salmon, trout, and herring (eat at least twice a week)
- Lessen sodium in your diet
- Even a small decrease in sodium in your diet can reduce blood pressure by 2 to 8 mm Hg.
- In general, restrict sodium to less than 2,300 milligrams (mg) a day or less. However, a lower sodium consumption — 1,500 mg a day or less — is suitable for people with greater salt sensitivity.
- Limit alcohol
- Liquor can be both good and bad for your health. In small quantities, it can potentially lower your blood pressure by 2 to 4 mm Hg.
- Drinking more than average amounts of alcohol can elevate blood pressure by several points. It can also degrade the effectiveness of blood pressure medications.
- Stop smoking
- Every cigarette you smoke raises your blood pressure for many minutes after you finish.
- People who quit smoking, regardless of age, have plentiful increases in life expectancy.
Whether you have been diagnosed with hypertension, or are concerned because you could soon have high blood pressure, adopt a heart-healthy lifestyle now! Talk to your chest physician in Nashik about more suggestions to add to the above! list This will lower your blood pressure, prevent the development of high blood pressure, enhance the effectiveness of medications if you are taking them, and lower your risk of heart attack, heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease! Start now!
