Hypertension or commonly known as high blood pressure is a symptomless illness, making it have a title of a “silent killer” due to the fact it quietly damages the blood vessels because of the force exerted by the blood against the walls of the blood vessels. According to WHO, there are 7.5 million deaths worldwide due to high blood pressure.
This is why high blood pressure should not be taken lightly, because not only is it that serious of an illness, this sickness has no cure. Which is why your only confidant for this is proper medications and a healthy lifestyle to enhance your quality of life and reduce your risk of other health complications such as heart disease and stroke.
So, what are the other changes that you can make to manage your hypertension? Know more as you read up this article.
Facts on High Blood Pressure
You may have now known the basic introduction of high blood pressure, like what it does in your body and how it affects your body’s system. So, let’s add up more facts and information about high blood pressure so as to pack up your mind with knowledge for you to be able to control or prevent this chronic illness.
It was stated beforehand that high blood pressure increases the risk for other health issues such as heart disease and stroke, right? To give you more details about it here’s a data in regards with the both of the conditions: about 7 of every 10 people with chronic hypertension; stroke, on the other hand, has 8 of every 10 people. Scary, isn’t it?
Additionally, acute causes of high blood pressure include stress, however, it can also be caused due to an underlying condition such as kidney disease. Also, take note that unmanaged hypertension can lead to other serious diseases and the best way to address this is having a healthy lifestyle.
Changes to Help Lower Your Blood Pressure
You really do not need to be a monk or be an all-out forced health enthusiast and make major life overhaul to make a difference in your blood pressure. You only need to know and do the things that are needed to be done or are helpful for your body in combating this chronic illness.
Lose weight if you’re overweight
Check your BMI (Body Mass Index) and know if you are overweight, and if you are, then might as well lose some pounds to help reduce your blood pressure — losing even 5-10 pounds can help, so you actually do not need to worry about losing weight immediately. According to some review studies of 2016, it was reported that weight loss diets have reduced blood pressure by an average of 3.2 mm Hg and 4.5 mm Hg systolic.
Cut back on Refined Carbohydrates and Sugar
Of course, what good will a diet be if you are still chowing down lots of sugar and refined carbohydrates, right? This is backed up by science wherein many scientific studies have shown that cutting back on sugar and refined carbohydrates help you lose weight which then lowers your blood pressure.
The low-carb diet is much more effective in lowering the blood pressure than the low-fat diet. In the low-carb diet, the blood pressure lowered by 4.5 mm Hg diastolic and 5.9 mm Hg systolic.
Not only that it is most definitely effective against high blood pressure, but it also makes you feel fuller for a long period of time, mainly due to your consumption of more protein and fat.
Increase activity and exercise more
One way to release stress is increasing your activity or exercising more. Not only that, but it has been reported that sedentary older adults who participate in aerobic exercise lowered their blood pressure by an average of 4.5% diastolic and 3.9 % systolic which means that these results are as good as some blood pressure medications.
Take BP-lowering Supplements
There are supplements or over-the-counter drugs that are readily available and demonstrates promise for lowering blood pressure such as Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid which lowers blood pressure by 4.5 mm Hg systolic and 3.0 mm Hg diastolic. Another supplement may be the Coenzyme Q10 which is an antioxidant that lowers systolic blood pressure by 17 mm Hg and 10 mm Hg for diastolic.
Moreover, supplements or any over-the-counter drugs and prescribed medications can be expensive, so try looking for some high blood pressure drug coupons to ease the burden off of your wallet.
Takeaway
When dealing with this type of illness, the best way that you can manage this is having a healthy lifestyle, which is also an effective way to prevent this type of chronic disease to come your way. A gentle reminder for the supplements and over-the-counter drugs is that you should go first consult your doctor before anything else to avoid future complications caused by medications.
