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Easy Tips to Keep Your Blood Pressure Under Control

According to statistics, Hypertension is attributable to 10.8% of all deaths in India, which means one in every three Indian adults has high blood pressure, also called hypertension. Shocked?

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High blood pressure can be a fatal and silent killer as it can persist without giving any warning signs. Persistent high blood pressure can damage blood vessels and increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, loss of vision and kidney failure.

Fortunately, by regular screening, one can find out if your blood pressure is rising. High blood pressure can be lowered by taking corrective measures. Also if your blood pressure is normal, learn from certain lifestyle modification steps, how to keep it from rising.

PREVENTION TIPS:

  • DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet is a diet recommended in hypertensive patients.
  • Cut down salt (common table salt) intake in your diet: Do not exceed more than 2 to 2.5 gm a day. Avoid other sources of salts like- baking powder and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), monosodium glutamate and sodium benzoate. These are commonly known as Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, onion salt, garlic salt, Ajinomoto and bouillon salt. Avoid salt-preserved foods like ketchup, sauces, pickles, canned and processed foods.
  • Consume foods rich in magnesium: Seafood, nuts, green leafy vegetables, sea plants like Japanese sea plants, whole, peas, lotus stem, pulses, legumes, and oilseeds.
  • Increase calcium intake: Milk, nuts and seafood, green leafy vegetables, whole grains, peas, lotus stem, pulses, legumes, and oilseeds. Certain fruits like custard apple and banana are high in calcium.
  • Reduce intake of diet rich in saturated fats e.g. meat, eggs, milk products, cheese, butter, etc.
  • Consume whole-grain cereals and whole pulses: Take high fiber diet – whole grains, bran, oat, green leafy vegetables, peas, beans, potatoes, raw vegetables, salads, dried fruits, and fresh fruits.
  • Cut down the intake of sugar and other sweeteners
  • Avoid coffee and caffeinated drinks
  • Limit alcohol intake and quit smoking: Drinking alcohol in moderate amount helps to keep blood pressure in check. Excessive drinking can raise your blood pressure.Cigarette smoking is directly associated with increased blood pressure and heart problems. Quit smoking to lower the risk.
  • Lose those extra pounds around your waist: Obesity is directly linked to the risk of high blood pressure. Weight loss is one of the most important lifestyle change required for controlling blood pressure. It is approximately calculated that you can reduce your blood pressure by about one millimeter of mercury with every kilogram loss of your weight. Also keep a check on your waistline as too much weight around waist can be one of the risk factors for high blood pressure.
    • Men are at risk if the waist measures greater than 40 inches.
    • Females are at risk if the waist measures greater than 35 inches.
  • Regular exercise:Physically active people have less risk of getting high blood pressure than inactive people. Moderate regular physical activity such as 20-30 minute walk every day or cycling, swimming, etc can help to keep high blood pressure at bay.
  • Know your numbers: You should keep monitoring your blood pressure at regular intervals to check if it is in a healthy or unhealthy range. Keep yourself aware of your numbers as it will keep you alert if your blood pressure fluctuates. High blood pressure may not show any warning signs and makes it difficult to diagnose. Keeping the track will come into play here. Visit your doctor at a regular interval or do home monitoring to keep a tab on your blood pressure.
  • Relieve stress:Stress can make blood pressure rise. Stress hormones constrict blood vessels and can lead to a temporary rise in blood pressure.  Continuous stress can put your heart health at risk. Unhealthy reactions to stress like poor sleep, unhealthy eating, smoking, alcohol, etc can contribute to high blood pressure.Take out some time and think about what makes you feel stressed and try to eliminate it.

Also learn to develop a positive outlook in life, try to find out the solution of problems you are facing, learn to practice gratitude and take some time to do activities you enjoy and remove some me time to relax at least once a week.

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