Health Tips : How to Control Blood Pressure

How to Control Blood Pressure

If you have been diagnosed with hypertension, then you may be concerned about taking medicines to bring your numbers down.

Your style of living is very important while treating your high blood pressure. If you successfully maintain a decent lifestyle combined with diet and exercise you can control your blood pressure. This will avoid all the further troubles.

Here are some lifestyle changes that you can do to reduce your blood pressure and keep it low.

1. Lose extra pounds and watch your waist

Often blood pressure increases with weight gain. Having more weight, you can breathe (sleep apnea) while sleeping, which increases your blood pressure.

Weight loss is one of the most effective lifestyle changes to control blood pressure. If you are overweight or obese, weight loss may also help. Generally, you can reduce your blood pressure by about 1 millimeter (MM Hg) in which weight of each kilogram (about 2.2 pounds) decreases.

In addition to shedding pounds, you should usually keep an eye on your waist. Taking too much weight around your waist can put you at high risk of high blood pressure.

In general:

Men are at risk if their waist size is more than 40 inches (102 centimeters).

If the female waist measurement is more than 35 inches (89 cm) then women are at risk.
These numbers are different in ethnic groups.

2. Exercise Regularly

Regular physical activity - such as 150 minutes in the week, or about 30 minutes of the week most of the day - if you have high blood pressure, you can reduce your blood pressure by about 5 to 8 mm Hg. It is important to be persistent because if you stop exercising, then your blood pressure may increase again.

If you have increased blood pressure, exercise can help you avoid developing hypertension. If you already have hypertension, the regular physical activity can bring your blood pressure to a safe level.

Some examples of aerobic exercise can be attempted to reduce blood pressure, including walking, jogging, cycling, swimming or dancing. You can also try high-intensity interval training, which involves making alternate small explosions of acute activity with the recovery period after a light activity. Strength training can also help reduce blood pressure. Make sure to include strength training exercises for at least two days a week. Talk to your medical specialist/ doctor about developing a practice program.

3. Eat a healthy diet

By eating whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products and eating foods containing saturated fats and skimps on cholesterol, your blood pressure can be reduced to 11 mm Hg if you have high blood pressure. This food scheme is known as a dietary approach to prevent hypertension (DASH) diet.


Changing your eating habits is not easy, but with these tips, you can adopt a healthy diet:

Keep a food diary. You can put astonishing light on your eating habits, by writing whatever you eat, even for only a week.

Consider promoting potassium. Potassium is helpful to reduce the unhealthy effects of sodium on blood pressure. The best source of potassium is food and vegetables instead of supplementary substances. Talk to your doctor about potassium level which is best for you.
Become a smart shopper. Read food labels when you buy and stick to your healthy eating plan when you are eating food.

4. Reduce sodium in your diet

A decrease in sodium in your diet can improve your heart's health and if you have high blood pressure, then blood pressure can reduce by about 5 to 6 mm Hg.

Sodium intake on blood pressure is different in groups of people. In general, limit sodium to 2,300 milligrams (mg) days or less. However, low sodium intake - one day or less, 1,500 mg - is ideal for most adults.

Here are some Tips to reduce Sodium intake:

Read the food label. If possible, then choose the low-sodium option of food items and drinks you normally purchase.

Eat less processed foods. Foods contain naturally only a small quantity of sodium. Most sodium is added during processing.

Do not add salt. Only 1 level spoon of salt is 2,300 mg sodium. You can use natural ingredients in form of herbs or spices to add flavor to your diet.
Easy if you do not think you can suddenly reduce sodium in your diet, cut back slowly. Your rhythm will be adjusted over time.

5. Limit alcohol consumption

Drinking alcohol only in abstinence - Normally a person drinks one day for women, or two days for men - you can potentially reduce your blood pressure to about 4 mm Hg. A beverage is equal to 1.5 ounces of 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of alcohol or 80-proof alcohol.

But if you drink too much alcohol then the protective effect is lost.

Drinking a small amount of alcohol actually increases blood pressure by several points. It can also reduce the effectiveness of blood pressure medicines.

6. Quit Smoking

Each cigarette you smoke increases your blood pressure after several minutes to finish. Stop smoking, your blood pressure becomes normal. Quitting smoking can reduce the risk of heart disease and improve your overall health.

 Smoking people can survive for longer periods of time than those who never quit smoking.

7. Cut back on caffeine

Role of caffeine in blood pressure has been played. Caffeine can increase blood pressure by up to 10 mm Hg in those who rarely consume it. But people who regularly drink coffee can have little or no impact on their blood pressure.

Although long-term effects of caffeine on blood pressure are unclear, it is possible that blood pressure may increase slightly.

To see if caffeine increases your blood pressure, check your pressure within 30 minutes of drinking caffeinated drink. If your blood pressure increases from 5 to 10 mm Hg, then you may be sensitive to blood pressure that increases the effect of caffeine.

8. Reduce your stress

Severe stress can contribute to high blood pressure. Continuous research is required to know the effects of chronic stress on blood pressure. Occasionally stress may also contribute to high blood pressure while reacting to stress by eating unhealthy food, drinking or smoking.

Take some time to think about the reasons for feeling stress like work, family, finance or disease. Once you know what your stress is happening, then consider how you can eliminate or reduce stress.

If you can not eliminate all your stressors, then you can at least face it in a healthy way. try this:

Change your expectations. For example, plan your day and focus on your preferences. Avoid trying to do a lot and learn to say no. Understand that there are some things that you can not change or control, but you can focus on how you react to them.

Focus on issues that you can control and plan to solve them. If you are having any problems at work, try talking to your manager. If you are struggling with your children or spouse then take steps to solve it.

Avoid stress triggers. Try to avoid triggers when you can. For example, if the traffic that goes on the road to work causes stress, try to go in the morning or on public transport. If possible, avoid those who create tension.
Make time to relax and do the activities you enjoy. Make time for fun activities or hobbies in your schedule, such as walking, cooking, or volunteering.
Practice gratitude. Expressing gratitude towards others can help reduce your stress.

9. Monitor your blood pressure at home and see your doctor on a regular basis.

Home monitoring can help you keep tabs on your blood pressure, make sure changes in your lifestyle are working, and alert you and your doctor for potential health complications. Blood pressure monitors are widely available and without prescription. Before starting, talk about your monitor about home surveillance.

Regular visits to your doctor are also important for controlling your blood pressure. If your blood pressure is well controlled, then check with your doctor how often you have to check it. Your doctor may suggest checking it daily or less frequently. If you are making any changes to your medicines or other treatments, your doctor can check your blood pressure two weeks after treatment and one week before your next appointment.

10. Get Support

Helpful family and friends can help improve your health. They can encourage you to take care of yourself, take you to a doctor's office or start an exercise program to keep your blood pressure low.

If you feel that you need support beyond your family and friends, then consider joining the support group. It can put you in touch with people who can give you emotional or emotional support and who can make practical suggestions to deal with your condition.