Hypertension or high blood pressure is a severe health issue that directly impacts your heart and causes cardiovascular diseases. If you are suffering from hypertension, chances are that you would be on a strict medicine schedule. However, if you have just started observing the symptoms or fear that you might get diagnosed with hypertension soon, here are a few important health tips and lifestyle changes that can help get rid of high blood pressure. Also Read - What is World Telecommunication Day And Why is it Celebrated? Theme of World Communication And Information Society Day 2020
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If you are obese or overweight as per your height and age, you need to seriously work towards losing some of that fat because not just hypertension, obesity may lead to many other serious illnesses. Dont fret out! What you need first is a strong determination. The right diet plan-exercise routine will help serve the purpose. It is believed that your high blood pressure goes down by 1 millimeter of mercury (mm Hg) with every kg you lose. Also Read - Specific Gut Bacteria That Could be Linked to High Blood Pressure Identified
While losing weight, keeping an eye on the size of your waist is paramount. Whatever weight loss plan you are following, it should be focusing more on reducing the fat from your waistline area first.
Exercise is a universal solution:
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If you have checked your weight or suffers from hypertension without suffering from obesity, its time to reflect back on your regular day-to-day schedule and ask yourself if you practice yoga or do regular exercises? If not, then thats where your body wants you to work.
More physical activity means blood pressure coming down to safer levels. If not rigorous exercise, you can also add cycling, swimming, dancing, playing any sport of your choice and activities that make your body active and makes you sweat out some in your lifestyle.
Dont forget the diet:
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Its confirmed, observed and known worldwide that if you are not giving your body the kind of food it needs, you are going to face repercussions.
If you have high blood pressure, include whole-grain food items and rich items like vegetables and low-fat dairy products in your diet. You have to stay away from saturated fat and cholesterol. A single day of one good rich meal as per your diet plan can show your blood pressure going down by 11 mm Hg.
The best way to maintain a healthy diet program is to develop a habit of putting self-made rules. Start checking the labels that are put on your food products to analyse the ingredients and per centage of nutrients fat, cholesterol it carries. Monitor your eating habits and ask your loved ones for help. Make them realise how desperately you want to lose some weight and ask them to take care that you are not eating anything that you should not, and motivate you whenever its necessary.
Salt is your enemy:
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A patient with high blood pressure should eat food that has the least amount of salt possible. This is to reduce the level of sodium in your diet. If you are doing away with sodium in your diet, your blood pressure can even go down by 5-6 mm Hg. Dont worry about restricting salt in your diet because your body will derive the necessary amount of salt it needs from vegetables and fruits that occur naturally in them.
Smoking, alcohol, and caffeine are a no-no:
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Cutting down on smoking, alcohol intake and caffeine in your diet is always the best and the foremost step you should take if you are worried about your health due to any reason. For a patient of hypertension, drinking in moderation is important. This includes not having more than 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine and 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor in a day. In fact, drinking more than this limit can actually increase your blood pressure even more.
If you quit smoking, it will help you improve your overall health apart from lowering blood pressure. Reducing the risk of heart disease is the biggest result of quitting smoke. You are also saving others around you, especially your family members and colleagues, from getting health problems by passive smoking if you quit puffing on the cigarette now.
Caffeine is believed to raise your blood pressure up to 10 mm Hg if you are the one who is not a habitual drinker.
Stress management is your key
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If you are suffering from both hypertension and anxiety-stress problems, its time to realise that these two are interrelated. If youll work on decreasing your stress levels, your blood pressure will start lowering down on its own. Have 15-20 minutes of yoga include in your daily schedule. Meditating for even 10 minutes brings unexpected positive changes in your body and ease your senses that in turn helps in lowering down your stress levels and eventually helps in lowering the blood pressure.
Also, start working on identifying the situations, conversations, and people that trigger anxiety or stress in you. Stay away from confrontation if that causes your stress levels to shoot up. Do lighter things in life, you dont need to be overly ambitious about everything in life its not a race, its meant to be lived.
Before you freak out by knowing about your illness, you have to realise that hypertension is a lifestyle problem and depends a lot on your working schedule, sleep pattern, and food choices. If you are able to manage and find a balance in your life, you will be free of tension, in this case hypertension!
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World Hypertension Day 2020: How to Lower Blood Pressure Without Medicines? Follow These Steps - India.com