If
you've been diagnosed with high blood pressure (a systolic pressure — the top
number — of 140 or above or a diastolic pressure — the bottom number — of 90 or
above), you might be worried about taking medication to bring your numbers
down.
Lifestyle
plays an important role in treating your high blood pressure. If you
successfully control your blood pressure with a healthy lifestyle, you may
avoid, delay or reduce the need for medication.
Here
are 10 lifestyle changes you can make to lower your blood pressure and keep it
down.
1.
Lose extra pounds and watch your waistline
Blood
pressure often increases as weight increases. Losing just 10 pounds (4.5
kilograms) can help reduce your blood pressure. In general, the more weight you
lose, the lower your blood pressure. Losing weight also makes any blood
pressure medications you're taking more effective. You and your doctor can
determine your target weight and the best way to achieve it.
Besides
shedding pounds, you should also keep an eye on your waistline. Carrying too
much weight around your waist can put you at greater risk of high blood
pressure. In general:
- Men
are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 40 inches (102
centimeters, or cm).
- Women
are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 35 inches (89 cm).
2.
Exercise regularly
Regular
physical activity — at least 30 to 60 minutes most days of the week — can lower
your blood pressure by 4 to 9 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). And it doesn't
take long to see a difference. If you haven't been active, increasing your
exercise level can lower your blood pressure within just a few weeks.
If
you have prehypertension — systolic pressure between 120 and 139 or diastolic
pressure between 80 and 89 — exercise can help you avoid developing full-blown
hypertension. If you already have hypertension, regular physical activity can
bring your blood pressure down to safer levels.
Talk
to your doctor about developing an exercise program. Your doctor can help
determine whether you need any exercise restrictions. Even moderate activity
for 10 minutes at a time, such as walking and light strength training, can
help.
But
avoid being a "weekend warrior." Trying to squeeze all your exercise
in on the weekends to make up for weekday inactivity isn't a good strategy.
Those sudden bursts of activity could actually be risky.
3.
Eat a healthy diet
Eating
a diet that is rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy
products and skimps on saturated fat and cholesterol can lower your blood
pressure by up to 14 mm Hg. This eating plan is known as the Dietary Approaches
to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet.
It
isn't easy to change your eating habits, but with these tips, you can adopt a
healthy diet:
Keep
a food diary. Writing down what you eat, even for just a week, can shed
surprising light on your true eating habits. Monitor what you eat, how much,
when and why.
Consider
boosting potassium. Potassium can lessen the effects of sodium on blood
pressure. The best source of potassium is food, such as fruits and vegetables,
rather than supplements. Talk to your doctor about the potassium level that's
best for you.
Be a
smart shopper. Make a shopping list before heading to the supermarket to
avoid picking up junk food. Read food labels when you shop and stick to your
healthy-eating plan when you're dining out, too.
Cut
yourself some slack. Although the DASH diet is a lifelong eating guide, it
doesn't mean you have to cut out all of the foods you love. It's OK to treat
yourself occasionally to foods you wouldn't find on a DASH diet menu, such as a
candy bar or mashed potatoes with gravy.
4.
Reduce sodium in your diet
Even
a small reduction in the sodium in your diet can reduce blood pressure by 2 to
8 mm Hg. The recommendations for reducing sodium are:
- Limit
sodium to 2,300 milligrams (mg) a day or less.
- A
lower sodium level — 1,500 mg a day or less — is appropriate for people 51
years of age or older, and individuals of any age who are African-American or
who have high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease.
To
decrease sodium in your diet, consider these tips:
Track
how much salt is in your diet. Keep a food diary to estimate how much
sodium is in what you eat and drink each day.
Read
food labels. If possible, choose low-sodium alternatives of the foods and
beverages you normally buy.
Eat
fewer processed foods. Potato chips, frozen dinners, bacon and processed
lunch meats are high in sodium.
Don't
add salt. Just 1 level teaspoon of salt has 2,300 mg of sodium. Use herbs
or spices, rather than salt, to add more flavor to your foods.
Ease
into it. If you don't feel like you can drastically reduce the sodium in
your diet suddenly, cut back gradually. Your palate will adjust over time.
5.
Limit the amount of alcohol you drink
Alcohol
can be both good and bad for your health. In small amounts, it can potentially
lower your blood pressure by 2 to 4 mm Hg. But that protective effect is lost
if you drink too much alcohol — generally more than one drink a day for women
and men older than age 65, or more than two a day for men age 65 and younger.
Also, if you don't normally drink alcohol, you shouldn't start drinking as a
way to lower your blood pressure. There's more potential harm than benefit to
drinking alcohol.
If
you drink more than moderate amounts of it, alcohol can actually raise blood
pressure by several points. It can also reduce the effectiveness of high blood
pressure medications.
Track
your drinking patterns. Along with your food diary, keep an alcohol diary
to track your true drinking patterns. One drink equals 12 ounces (355
milliliters, or mL) of beer, 5 ounces of wine (148 mL) or 1.5 ounces of
80-proof liquor (45 mL). If you're drinking more than the suggested amounts,
cut back.
Consider
tapering off. If you're a heavy drinker, suddenly eliminating all alcohol
can actually trigger severe high blood pressure for several days. So when you
stop drinking, do it with the supervision of your doctor or taper off slowly,
over one to two weeks.
Don't
binge. Binge drinking — having four or more drinks in a row — can cause
large and sudden increases in blood pressure, in addition to other health
problems.
TO
BE CONTINUED...
Keep calm and stay healthy,
With love,
LadyMay
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