Embracing Lifestyle Changes to Manage Hypertension

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Hypertension commonly referred to as high blood pressure (HBP),is a global health problem of the present time. The disease is commonly referred to as the “silent killer”because it presents no symptoms and elevates risks for heart disease, stroke and kidney failure. Medicines are highly effective treatments but so to an extent is making changes in your life style that can help manage and even prevent hypertension. Habits are not set in stone — and sometimes, they shouldn't be. You might be pleasantly surprised to discover that just a few, simple steps can make big improvements in your blood pressure readings, health and sense of well-being.

Change Your Diet

Some of the best remedies for high blood pressure are simple and right under our noses. The Vegetarian and DASH diets do this. It encourages fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and low-fat dairy and recommends limits to sodium and added sugars. That's an especially important consideration when it comes to sodium intake — too much salt can cause the body to retain fluid and increase blood pressure. The American Heart Association says sodium intake should be capped at 2,300 milligrams per day or even less for most adults. But several potassium-rich foods (bananas and spinach, sweet potatoes and lentils, among them) have the ability to help neutralize sodium's vilest effects by relaxing the tension in blood vessel walls.

Change Your Laziness

Like diabetes, the second pillar of therapy for hypertension is exercise. As well as decreasing blood pressure, brisk walking or cycling, or swimming lowers the chance of suffering a stroke or heart attack by at least 20 per cent. If you work the heart, it gets stronger and more efficient. This takes some of the pressure off your arteries and allows your blood pressure to work properly. Exercise can also help you maintain a normal weight, and it is associated with lower blood pressure. Overweight may at least in part cause a raised blood volume and arterial resistance, contributing elements for highers blood pressure. You can achieve a lot of benefits from 5 to 10 percent weight loss.

Change Your Mood

Stress management is also one of means to control hypertension. And those who live with chronic stress are also more likely to engage in other unhealthy behaviors that can lead to high blood pressure — eating junk food, for example, skipping exercise or consuming too much alcohol. Stress hormones, including cortisol and adrenaline, can also make your blood pressure spike temporarily — and then become chronically elevated if you are under a lot of pressure. Meditation, deep breathing exercises and yoga also relieve stress, as does good sleep. These are the type of practices that create ease, improve mood and can have an indirect effect on higher blood pressure.

Change Your Bad Habits

Alcohol should be restricted and tobacco avoided. Too much alcohol can increase blood pressure or make hypertension medications less effective. Men should restrict alcohol consumption to 2 drinks and women to 1 drink per day. Tobacco, meanwhile, slaps around the fragile inside of your blood vessels and encourages atherosclerosis by making your blood pressure go up and raising the risk of cardiovascular disease. The vascular health and potential hypertension risks can be substantially mitigated by quitting smoking or avoiding secondhand smoke.

So, hypertension, being a scary disease can usually be treated and prevented with healthy lifestyle. Diet, exercise, stress management and elimination of noxious agents constitute the wholesomeness scale for blood pressure control. Such improvements will not only help in controlling hypertension, but also contribute to general good health by reducing the risk of other chronic diseases. It also takes commitment to embracing these changes, and patience about how long it can take for the trade-offs they bring to pay off, but the results in the long run — a healthier heart and a longer, more active life — make it well worth the trouble.

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