High blood pressure doesn’t always require medicines to be fixed. Sometimes, just a few lifestyle tweaks can help you successfully manage this ‘silent killer.’
When diagnosed with high blood pressure, keeping those numbers down can be a challenge, especially when you are looking to lower dependence on medications. This is where the importance of lifestyle comes in. There are a few lifestyle changes that you can undertake to keep your high blood pressure under control and even reduce dependence on medicines.
Go for Walks
The American Heart Association has recommended a minimum of 150 minutes a week of physical activity to strengthen your heart and bring down your blood pressure. Half an hour of walk every morning is very effective in bringing down your dependence on medication in case of hypertension. If you’ve currently been leading a sedentary lifestyle, just a 10-15 minute walk should be sufficient to begin with.
Consume a Balanced Diet
Having a balanced diet is one factor that can alone help you bring down your high blood pressure. A well-balanced diet would include fruits and vegetables, non-fat dairy products, nuts and legumes, whole grains and non-tropical vegetable oils. A healthy and nutrient-rich diet can help in lowering your blood pressure within two weeks.
Reduce Sodium Intake
In general, 2,300 mg a day or less is considered to be ideal for an adult. However, a limit of 1500 mg a day should be perfect for an adult reeling under hypertension. Reduce your sodium intake by choosing low-sodium option in foods and beverages, don’t add extra salt in your food and eat fewer processed food items.
Reduce Stress
Chronic stress is considered to be a reason behind high blood pressure. Think about what makes you feel stressed? Is it family, illness, finances or something else? Identify the factors and try and eliminate them. Even if you can’t, focus on changing your expectations, control issues that you can, take time out to do what you enjoy and avoid stress triggers.
Home Monitor
Hypertension patients should keep monitoring their blood pressure regularly at home to know how well their lifestyle tweaks are working. Constant monitoring would also alert you and enable you to alert your doctors in case of any complication. Blood pressure monitors can be easily obtained from medical stores without prescription.
Reducing your high blood pressure isn’t as difficult as it seems. Follow these simple lifestyle tweaks to naturally bring down your blood pressure and reduce dependence on medications.
