High blood pressure is a dangerous condition that can damage the heart and lead to a stroke if left unchecked. If you’ve been diagnosed with high blood pressure you might be worried about taking medication to bring down your numbers, but taking drugs and not making healthy lifestyle choices is not exactly ideal.
It is possible to reduce your numbers and lower your risk by just making lifestyle changes, but please always remember to discuss them with your doctor first if you’ve been diagnosed with high blood pressure.
Eat a healthy diet
If you have high blood pressure, it is best to eat meals that are low in Saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, salt ( sodium) and added sugar. Too much salt or sodium can cause your body to retain fluids which increases blood pressure. Get plenty of potassium, it helps balance the amount of sodium in your blood, less potassium might mean more sodium.
Heart-healthy foods that you should eat may include:
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Fish
- Poultry
- Nuts
- Low-fat dairy products
- Whole grains
While food you should avoid include:
- Red meats
- Sweets
- Added sugar
- Drinks that contain sugar
Exercise
Making exercise a habit can help lower your blood pressure. It also gives you more energy and makes you feel better.
You can engage in any activity you like and must not necessarily have to go to the gym, as long as you’re moving around and your heart beats a little faster. As you increase your heart and breathing rates, your heart gets stronger and pumps with less effort.
You don’t have to engage in strenuous activities, simple activities like walking, riding a bike, using the stairs or playing a sport are enough. Just make sure you do it regularly for half an hour
Reduce your stress
Chronic stress is a major contributor to high blood pressure.
Take some time to think about what causes you to feel stressed and find healthy ways to cope with them if you cannot completely eliminate them. Make time to relax and engage in activities you enjoy.
Quit smoking
Each cigarette you smoke increases your blood pressure for many minutes after you finish. In the long term, the chemicals in tobacco can increase your blood pressure by damaging your blood vessel walls and narrowing your arteries. The hardened arteries cause higher blood pressure. The chemicals in tobacco can affect your blood vessels even if you’re around second-hand smoke.
Cut back on caffeine
Caffeine is a stimulant, it quickens the heart rate and increases blood pressure soon after consumption. If your blood pressure is high already, then this might cause some problems.
Caffeine can cause heart problems and chronic heart issues are partially attributed to high blood pressure. Also, cut back on sugar and refined carbohydrate.
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This article was first published on 17th October 2017
amarachi
Amara Adanna Ogbonna is a Christian, foodie, and lover of arts. She spends most of her time on Facebook.
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