How To Keep Your Blood Pressure Under Control?

High blood pressure is a health condition that’s not only common but critical too. As the incidences of this condition increase worldwide, we should take the necessary steps to manage or prevent high blood pressure. The following article provides nine ways to lower your blood pressure, including staying active, cutting down on salt, lowering alcohol intake, follow a DASH diet plan, and more.

While you must be knowing high blood pressure or low blood pressure as a common problem today, did you know that it is one of the leading causes of premature death too? Are you surprised? As per the research presented at the 70^th Annual Conference of Cardiological Society of India (CSI), one in every five young Indians grapples with high blood pressure. So, if you have not yet taken this issue seriously, now you should. Be informed that not only is high blood pressure a fatal issue, it is also a risk factor that can cause other problems like atrial fibrillation, cognitive decline, stroke, and heart failure. Consequently, if you have high blood pressure, you should know how to keep it under control, and if not, you may as well take the necessary steps to avoid it. Let’s look up what are the nine ways you can prevent high blood pressure or manage it well:

1. Be Physically Active:

Being physically active not only keeps you fit but also keeps your blood pressure under control. Many times, people take being physically active as doing rigorous exercise, but it is not so. It can be beneficial if you exercise, although you can even opt for several other methods that you are comfortable with. You can go walking in the evening with your loved one and spend some memorable time you will come to love. Make it a habit of walking instead of taking a vehicle for shorter distances. Take your children to the park, arrange your bed, clean your bedroom, and wash the window panes. You can get involved in many other activities to stay active.

2. Go On A DASH Diet:

Follow the DASH diet is made only for people with high blood pressure. Intended to control high blood pressure, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension has been recommended by experts for treating hypertension naturally. If you think this diet might need you to avoid certain foods, then you are wrong. Instead, this diet plan is concerned with the proportion of all food groups you should consume. It requires you to limit your intake of nuts and legumes to 4 to 5 servings per week, intake of vegetable oils like soft margarine to two to three servings on a day, etc. You can consult your doctor to know about it in detail.

3. Limit Sodium Intake:

When your body’s sodium level increases, the body tends to hold on to excess water to wash away that excess sodium entering through salt. Thus, the heart works harder to regulate more blood through the blood vessels resulting in high blood pressure or hypertension. So, cut the salt down to only 1,500 mg a day by reducing the salt in your food and cutting down processed foods that contain salt.

4. Keep Your Weight Under Control:

Follow a weight loss regimen if you are overweight or obese, as quite often than not, being overweight leads to increased blood pressure. Shedding those extra kilos from your waistline would be ideal for keeping this condition under control. You can discuss the right waist measurement as per your body with your doctor and take the necessary steps to lower your weight.

5. Quit Smoking:

Understandably, this might be a little difficult for chain smokers, but smoking increases the risk of high blood pressure by multiple times. Even passive smoking can result in an immediate incidence of high blood pressure. According to research, children in smoking households detected high blood pressure than their non-smoking counterparts. So, better quit smoking as soon as possible.

6. Avoid Drinking Too Much:

As per doctors, consuming more than three drinks in a sitting can increase your blood pressure instantly for a short time. Generally, your body regains the normal blood pressure within 2 hours. So, the American Heart Association (AHA) advises only drinking one or two drinks a day for people who drink. Also, binge drinking can lead to a long-term increase in blood pressure to dangerous levels. Drinking in moderation is not only good for your blood pressure but also for your overall health.

7. Keep Stress At Bay:

Stress and high blood pressure are strongly interlinked. Although there is no evidence that stress alone can cause blood pressure to spike, how you react to stress can result in high blood pressure. If stress leads to an outburst of anger or depression, it might lead to a temporary increase in blood pressure. If it causes you to overeat, it can affect your blood levels.

8. Lower The Sugar And Carbohydrates:

A research study in 2012 found low-carb diets decreased blood pressure more than low-fat diets. Additionally, a low-carb and low-sugar diet can make you feel full and cut down on your need to consume more food. So, avoid refined carbs and sugar, especially those found in processed foods, to manage high blood pressure better.

9. Get Some Undisturbed Sleep:

Sleep deprivation for long has been linked to increased blood pressure. Mostly, it’s sleep apnea that is the reason behind a blood pressure spike. So, if you have not been able to sleep lately or felt tired even after sleeping, go to a doctor as soon as possible. Sleep apnea is one of the risk factors for high blood pressure. Typically, you should be concerned if you have been sleeping less than six hours at night. A full 7 to 8 hours of sleep is ideal for a healthy heart and mind.

You can easily keep your blood pressure normal if you follow the above advice and practice it in your daily life.