People diagnosed with mild hypertension or pre-hypertension need immanent care and treatment to stop the problem in its tracks. Mild hypertension is exhibited in patients with constant blood pressure readings of a systolic reading between 120-139 and a diastolic reading in range of 80-89.
People with pre-hypertension are at a risk for developing high blood pressure and should adopt a healthy lifestyle with changes in their diet, exercise, and salt intake. Proper care and treatment for mild hypertension can be done at home in a few simple ways.
Monitor Blood Pressure:
Many stores now carry portable compact blood pressure monitors, many which can be very inexpensive. Taking a blood pressure reading daily and keeping a journal of the readings, will help one follow his or her lifestyle changes as well as keep one’s doctor informed of progress. Monitoring one’s own blood pressure is a fast and easy way to track progress of a lifestyle change or make changes as needed.
Decreasing sodium and salt intake is one of the most important things to do, to lower blood pressure. After doing so, one should intake more vegetables and fruits for the essential minerals needed to aid in lowering blood pressure.
Diet changes from foods that are high in fat, to low fat items, especially in dairy products, are also important. Decreasing the amount of meat in one’s diet or changing to a leaner meat is also necessary.
Get up and Move:
Exercise is important in everyone’s life, more so in a person’s life with hypertension. Lowering body fat and increasing blood circulation is critical in lowering blood pressure.
This does not mean one needs to get a gym membership, but it does mean there should be some sort of daily physical activity in one’s life that they follow and continue until his or her blood pressure is back to normal ranges (as told by a doctor, not your own monitor).
Make frequent doctor’s appointments and stick with it, doctors will keep record of patient’s blood pressure readings and see how one is improving or not. If one can not improve on their own, the doctor will most likely prescribe a medication to help one along. Proper care and treatment of high blood pressure is important to insure the issue is addressed before one becomes a walking time bomb for strokes, heart disease, or heart attacks.