Top 10 Effective Tips to Manage Blood Pressure
As we all are aware high blood pressure is called silent killer. Hence it is essential to manage it and keep it under control. Complications of chronic high blood pressure may prove to be quiet serious. Slight modifications in the diet and lifestyle go a long way to bring about improvements as far as high blood pressure is concerned.
Here are some effective tips to reduce high blood pressure or prevent it.
1. Check Blood Pressure regularly — Make it a habit to check your blood pressure at least once a month. Thus you are well aware of the number and accordingly take steps. Have timely appointments with your doctor of BP check. Reschedule one straightaway, if you miss one.
2. Stay Away — From table salt. Avoid adding extra salt to your foods. Don’t use too much salt in cooking or at meals. The people who are hypertensive should reduce decrease their salt intake to around half teaspoon per day. While to prevent high blood pressure keep the intake of salt per day to not more than 1 teaspoon (levelled) per day.*
3. Eat Plenty — of fresh vegetables and a couple of servings of fruits on daily basis. These are full of vital nutrients and assist in managing blood pressure.
4. Achieve and Maintain Healthy Weight — Studies suggest if you are overweight i.e. above 25 (body mass index), even a small weight loss helps in controlling or preventing high blood pressure.
5. Get Active — Start exercising — a simple medium pace walk, if you are a starter. Do minimum 150 minutes of cardiovascular activity in a week. Gradually you can start with a combination of some strength training and cardio exercises and increase your physical activity duration.
6. Avoid Packaged and Preserved foods — such as chips, stock cubes, prepared foods like canned soups. Read food labels.
7. Opt for Whole Grains — They are rich in fiber and suggested by the CDC dietary recommendations. Avoid eating processed grains, refined flours and their products.
8. Limit Alcohol Intake — Only one drink a day if you are a women and if you are a man, only two drinks a day. Alcohol consumption leads to intake of empty calories — i.e. only calories without any nutrients which may prove to be harmful!
9. Be Regular with Medications — If your doctor has prescribed you medicines for high blood pressure, do not miss it. Also, buy enough stalk so that do not run out of the same. Continue with healthy lifestyle and check BP, so that if it has reduced, your doctor can decrease the dosage or put you off it. (this would be entirely your doctor’s call)
10. Taking care of friends and family — Encourage your family and friends to get their blood pressure checked at least once a year, thus to prevent or control high blood pressure.
Know your Numbers:-
Please Note: A diagnosis of high blood pressure must be confirmed with a medical professional
*To know exact amount of salt you should be consuming in a day please consult a doctor or a nutritionist.
References:-
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0072415/
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