According to the CDC Wonder online database, high blood pressure and complications that arise because of it caused nearly half a million deaths in 2018. About 76% of adults with hypertension do not have their condition under control, which brings us to the question: how do the remaining 24% manage their symptoms? Here are a couple of tips that can get you started on your journey to a long, healthy, and disease-free life:
A healthy diet is very crucial when it comes to the treatment of hypertension. The DASH (dietary approach to stop hypertension) diet emphasizes making better choices by consuming foods that reduce blood pressure, like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products. The DASH diet provides an extensive guide for a high-blood pressure diet. However, if you need further help and advice regarding nutrition, you can request the expertise of a professional through Cura4U. Cura4U can map a detailed guide tailored to your nutritional requirement.
The Framingham Heart Study, which lasted 44 years, concluded that obesity caused 26% of cases of hypertension in men and 28% in women. In addition, increased fatty tissues in the body make your heart work much harder than it should, increasing the risk of heart complications. If your BMI is in the obesity range (30 or higher), you will have to work on losing excess fat. Patience and staying away from short-term solutions such as fad diets are paramount regarding weight loss.
The DASH diet also encourages adults to reduce their intake of alcohol. Not only will that reduce the risk of hypertension but also lower the possibility of liver damage and strokes. Besides being the cause of many diseases, if you are overweight, you should especially avoid alcohol as it adds a lot of unnecessary calories to your diet. Health professionals suggest no more than one drink daily for women and two for men.
The World Health Organization describes anything more than 5g/day as a high sodium intake. Studies show that a reduction in the daily sodium intake for four or more weeks can substantially decrease blood pressure, irrespective of sex and ethnicity. One way to reduce sodium intake is by consuming freshly produced whole foods instead of packaged items. If buying fresh food is expensive or inconvenient, rinse your canned meat and vegetables to remove the added salt. To find out the sodium levels in your blood, you can request your doctor to order an electrolyte panel so that you can adjust your intake accordingly. With the ever-rising healthcare costs, Cura4U understands how expensive tests can be for individuals. Therefore, if patients book their tests through Cura4U, they can save up to 80% on the lab and imaging services with 100% billing transparency.
Several lifestyle modifications are essential to manage hypertension, with exercise being the most important. Activities that involve endurance prevent hypertension by lowering your blood pressure. A single session has been shown to decrease your blood pressure by 5-7 mm Hg. Health professionals suggest at least 30 minutes of exercise daily to see fast results. There are many ways you can get into the habit of exercising daily. For example, you can ask a friend to accompany you to the gym or join an exercise class.
The effects of smoking on your lungs are not news to anyone, but did you know that smoking also increases your blood pressure? Nicotine, a significant component of cigarette smoke, constricts your blood arteries and speeds up your heart rate, increasing blood pressure. Quitting smoking is not an easy task, but it is not impossible. Documenting your journey in a diary and the support of your loved ones will keep you on track to a nicotine-free life.
In conclusion, high blood pressure can be managed easily at home, but it is essential to know when to get a medical professional involved if you cannot control your blood pressure yourself; fret not! Cura4U allows patients to seek treatment online in a completely remote manner. Going for an in-person consultation can be a considerable risk in the era of COVID-19, especially when hypertension puts you at a high risk of getting severely ill if infected. Register with Cura4U today so that you can stay home and stay healthy!
Our clinical experts continually monitor the health and medical content posted on CURA4U, and we update our blogs and articles when new information becomes available. Last reviewed by Dr. Saad Zia on May 11th, 2023.
Hasan Riaz MD
