A high blood pressure diagnosis can be worrying, particularly when you’re not sure how to help the situation on your own. Fortunately, there are ways you can help to mitigate hypertension on your own with some simple lifestyle changes.
Hypertension and Exercise
150 minutes of regular physical activity, or about 30 minutes most days of the week, can help you decrease your blood pressure noticeably. You’ll need to be consistent to see reliable results, though, because stopping your exercise regimen can cause your blood pressure to rise again.
Modifying Your Diet
Healthier dietary choices can play a substantial role in controlling hypertension. As an example, increasing your potassium intake can lessen the effect sodium has on your blood pressure.
When it comes to diet and lifestyle, one of the most important things you can do is to reduce your overall sodium consumption. Naturally occurring sodium levels are quite low, with most sodium added to food products as part of the processing purpose. Reducing the amount of processed food you eat and exchanging it for whole, unprocessed options will lower your sodium intake quite substantially on its own.
Vices and High Blood Pressure
If you smoke cigarettes or drink more than a moderate amount of alcohol, it may be time to reevaluate their place in your life. Each cigarette you smoke will increase your blood pressure for several minutes. Quitting will help not only reduce hypertension and related health-issues, but also your risk of heart disease.
As for alcohol, about one drink per day for women and two per day for men may help to lower blood pressure. Beyond that amount, you can raise blood pressure by several points while also affecting the efficacy of any hypertension medications you may be taking.
Managing your hypertension doesn’t have to be an uphill battle, and you don’t have to do it alone. At Clinica las Americas, all our healthcare providers and clinical staff are committed to your health. If you’re concerned about your blood pressure, call today for an appointment.