High blood pressure is a risk factor for more than heart disease. Discover what complications high blood pressure can cause. Left uncontrolled, you can see the development of heart disease, a fatal heart attack, and overall poor quality of health. If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, you might try taking medication to bring your levels lower. However, this might seem like a hassle at times, and maybe the medication just isn’t in your budget. Have you considered a change in lifestyle? If you successfully control your blood pressure with a healthy lifestyle, you might avoid, delay, or reduce the need for medication. Below are a few tips that can significantly make a difference in helping control your blood pressure:
Fitness, Weight, and Diet
Blood pressure has a continuous correlation to weight gain. As weight goes up so does blood pressure. Weight loss is one of the most effective lifestyle changes for controlling blood pressure. Try eating healthy and exercising. Try working out for at least 30 minutes most days of the week. By doing this you can lower your blood pressure by 4 to 9 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). When eating a healthy diet – a diet full of whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products – you can lower your blood pressure by up to 14 mm Hg. Try to get a more filling diet of Potassium. Potassium can lessen the effects of sodium on blood pressure. Try to stay away from foods with sodium. Even a small reduction in the sodium in your diet can reduce blood pressure by 2 to 8 mm Hg.
Alcohol and Smoking Side Effects
Alcohol has both negative and positive effects on blood pressure. In small amounts, it can potentially lower your blood pressure by 2 to 4 mm Hg. However, if you drink too much alcohol, you can potentially raise your blood pressure by several points. Drinking can also reduce the effectiveness of blood pressure medications. Smoking increases your blood pressure for several minutes after you finish. In order to get your blood pressure back to the same level, you will need to stop smoking.
Stress and Monitoring Blood Pressure
Stress can contribute to high blood pressure if you react to stress by participating in some of the habits I’ve mentioned above. Whatever you might be stressing over, it will be important for you to try and pinpoint it. After pinpointing your cause of stress, try to eliminate it. Your body produces hormones in a stressful situation. These hormones temporarily increase your blood pressure by causing your heart to beat faster and your blood vessels to narrow. Monitoring your blood pressure can help you keep tabs on your blood pressure. It is important for you to understand where you are stressed most at and what the cause is. By doing this you can make the proper lifestyle changes in order to decrease the amount of stress you receive. Also, blood pressure monitors are available widely and without a prescription.
If you struggle with high blood pressure, then you should definitely make changes to your lifestyle. However, sometimes changing your lifestyle isn’t always enough. Talk to your doctor to see what he advises. Your doctor may suggest a combination of medication and lifestyle alterations.
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