A healthy lifestyle can help people with various disorders and diseases to better control them and obtain a better quality of life. High blood pressure is one of the diseases that can be better controlled by a healthy lifestyle. For some people, a healthy lifestyle can prevent the development of high blood pressure.
Many of us have heard over and over “lose weight and exercise more” because it will help one maintain better health. Maintaining a healthy weight and exercising regularly can do a lot to prevent and control high blood pressure.
High blood pressure and high weight are closely related. Being overweight significantly increases the risk of developing high blood pressure. An overweight person increases their risk up to six times. But as a person begins to shed excess pounds, their blood pressure usually drops as well.
Try eating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and lean protein.
Exercise is another important factor in preventing and controlling high blood pressure (http://www.gothypertension.com/managing/highbloodpressureandexercise). Exercise strengthens the heart and allows it to pump blood throughout the body with less effort. The easier it is for the heart to pump blood, the easier it is on the arteries.
Regular physical activity helps a person achieve and maintain a healthy weight. The most recent federal guidelines suggest that a person engage in moderate physical activity for 30-60 minutes a day, 5-7 days a week. Walking is a good physical activity, especially for people who are just starting an exercise routine. Swimming, cycling and jogging are also great forms of exercise. In addition, federal guidelines recommend that a person engage in vigorous physical activity, such as weight training, three times a week for at least 20 minutes.
Smoking is hard on the heart, and nicotine causes the blood vessels to constrict, narrowing the blood vessels and making the heart work harder to pump blood through the body. Smoking also interferes with some blood pressure medications, making them much less effective. Quitting smoking reduces the risk of high blood pressure, will help control existing high blood pressure, and will also reduce the risk of lung cancer, heart disease and stroke. Quitting smoking is very difficult, perhaps the hardest thing a person will ever do, but if you do, it will go a long way to improving one's health.
Avoiding excess sodium is suggested to help control and prevent high blood pressure, although in recent years there has been controversy over whether reducing sodium intake will have much of an effect on blood pressure. It may not have a big impact, but even a small reduction in sodium can have a positive effect on a person's health.
Take any prescribed high blood pressure medication as directed – do not skip doses or stop taking them completely. If the blood pressure returns to normal values after a certain period of medication, it does not mean that the person's blood pressure has normalized. It means the medicine is doing its job and controlling the blood pressure. Blood pressure medication must be taken indefinitely, often for life.
Avoid excessive alcohol consumption. Not only can it cause high blood pressure, it is also bad for the liver and kidneys.
Although studies have not shown whether caffeine affects high blood pressure or not, some studies have shown that people who regularly consume caffeine every day have higher blood pressure than people who do not consume it. On the other hand, some studies have shown that people eventually develop a tolerance to caffeine and that it no longer affects their blood pressure. As a precaution, doctors usually advise patients with high blood pressure to limit their caffeine intake.
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