Managing Blood Pressure
Hypertension is a major health problem and many people don’t even know they have . Often, people are told that changes in their diet and exercise habits are enough to control blood pressure, without the use of medication.This is important for persons with mild to moderate blood pressure.
Cutting back on sodium will greatly help you control your hypertension. Those affected with high blood pressure often claim that reducing their sodium intake reduces their blood pressure as well. It is important to learn which foods are high in sodium and limit your intake or avoid them all together.
Eating more vegetables and fruits and some grains will increase your daily consumprtion of fiber, vitamins and minerals. Changing your diet in this way together with a reduction in the amount of fats you eat will help you control your blood pressure.
Adding exercise to this change in diet can improve the blood pressure reduction.Exercise not only helps lower hypertension, but even people without hypertension have longer life expectancies if they exercise regularly. An added bonus is that studies suggest that exercise not only reduces the risk for cardiovascular and other diseases, but can help prevent obesity, which is another high blood pressure risk factor.
Exercise is said to be the foundation for successful behavioral change programs. Exercise has been shown to make people feel positive about themselves and helps to reduce stress, a factor that not only raises blood pressure, but makes you feel less inclined to stick to the positive plans you’ve set in motion.
Eating well and exercising are the cornerstone to reducing your blood pressure levels.Other factors can also help lower your hypertension.Reducing your alcohol and caffeine intake will also reduce your blood pressure.You should try to drink these in moderation, or not at all.Quitting smoking also makes a big differenc,too.These are serious issues. You may find that you cannot simply give these things up.It may take many months to modify your behavior successfully.
Reducing stress is another highly important factor in reducing your blood pressure.This is a lifetime commitment, but you’ll be able to enjoy life ten to twenty years longer.If your stress is really bad, you might want to go to a stress control workshop.
Diet and exercise will reduce the need for your blood pressure medication, but you should let your physician make those decisions.
It is advisable to check your blood pressure often to see how your corrective and preventative measures are doing.Fortunately, it is rather easy in this day and age to monitor your blood pressure on a daily basis . Blood pressure monitors for personal use are now readily available and inexpensive. Ther are digital home monitors now that are much improved over the earlier types and very easy to use. I say “now” because when the digital models first were introduced, their accuracy was suspect. And now everything is all right.
Controlling your blood pressure takes commitment and effort. It’s especially difficult because you don’t feel sick or are in pain. Hypertension wears your body down more quickly than would be the case if you didn’t have it. That’s why they refer to it as the “Silent Killer.“