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High blood pressure lifestyle
If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure (a systolic pressure of 140 or above or a diastolic pressure of 90 or above) or with pre-hypertension (a systolic pressure between 120 and 139 or a diastolic pressure between 80 and 89), you might be concerned about taking 'prescription drugs' to bring those numbers down.
But those medications are not the only key to controlling high blood pressure/hypertension. Everyone who has high blood pressure should lead a healthy lifestyle. This plays an important role in treating your high blood pressure especially it can help to make the medication more effective.
And lifestyle changes should be adopted by the whole family, as this may prevent high blood pressure from occurring later in life. In fact, a healthy lifestyle will also make some one feel better generally.
Lets talk about only two major today:
Cut down on salt and intake of Potassium
If you cut down on the amount of salt you eat your blood pressure will come down even further.
Just 1 level teaspoon of salt has 2,300 mg of sodium. Individuals suffering from hypertension should consume 2-3 gm of salt daily. Even a modest drop off in the sodium in diet can decrease blood pressure by 2 to 8 mmHg.
And bigger cutbacks mean greater reductions in blood pressure. Even some foods we think are healthy, such as some vegetable juices, may contain surprisingly high amounts of sodium. In order to make food palatable and to add more flavour with less salt one should make use of herbs, pepper powder, lemon juice etc. Also avoid food items like jam, canned fruits, sauces, pickles, salted biscuits , potato chips, salted dry fruits, cheese and butter.
Potassium, which is found in fruits and vegetables can help to lower blood pressure. Some Potassium rich foods are coconut water, water obtained after boiling Moong Dal, Amla, Guava, Papaya, Sweet lime, Peaches and Plums.
However, many people will also need to take medication to control their condition. The higher your blood pressure, the more likely it is that you will need to take medication and the more likely it is that this will be the only thing that will lower your blood pressure.
Regular physical activity and weight control
Blood pressure often increases as weight Increases. Losing just 10 lb can help reduce your blood pressure significantly. As a general rule, the more weight you lose, your blood pressure will be much better. Losing weight also helps the prescribed drugs for blood pressure to be more effective.
Besides shedding extra fat, one should also keep an eye on another important marker — the waistline. Carrying too much weight around waist can put someone at greater danger. Men are usually considered at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 40 inches (102 cm). And women usually are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 35 inches (88 cm).
However, for people of Asian descent, men are considered at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 36 inches (90 cm), and women are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 32 inches (80 cm).
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