Hypertension (high blood pressure) is a vital risk factor for cardio-cerebrovascular diseases. The incidence of hypertension can lead to many complications, such as stroke, coronary heart disease, heart failure, and end-stage renal disease, thus greatly threatening human health.
Are you at high risk for hypertension?
You are diagnosed with hypertension when your blood pressure is measured beyond the threshold (≥140/90 mm Hg). If this is the case, you may be asked to take antihypertensive drugs and monitor your blood pressure on a regular basis.
A long-term intervention begins from the day you are diagnosed with high blood pressure. Known as a chronic disease, hypertension is stubborn and difficult to cure.
How to prevent hypertension？
There are some tips that are usually included in the intervention.
1. Control your body weight
Obesity is a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Blood pressure increases as body weight increases, so reducing blood weight is one of the most effective methods to reduce blood pressure. For overweight people with hypertension, every 10 kg weight loss can help lower blood pressure by 5-20mm Hg.
2. Reduce sodium intake
Low-salt diets are good for people with hypertension, which can help reduce blood pressure by 2-8 mm Hg. The daily recommended salt intake shall be limited below 6g in patients with high blood pressure. Another practical measure is to control body weight. For overweight people with hypertension, every 10 kg weight loss can help lower blood pressure by 5-20mm Hg.
3. Keep healthy diets
Obesity is closely linked to hypertension, and keeping healthy diets is helpful to control both. In daily diets, you shall avoid foods containing a high amount of fat, salt, and sugar, like processed meat, froze pizza, sugary drinks.
In contrast, there are rich healthy foods beneficial to reduce blood pressure, most of which belong to vegetables and fruits including beans, milk, and potatoes, etc. Some foods with high-quality protein are also good choices, like fish that are famous for helping lower blood pressure.
4. Do regular exercise
Exercise is the most basic treatment for high blood pressure. Some common activities recommended for patients with hypertension include walking, running, cycling, swimming, and so on.
Before exercise, you shall do some warming ups, and start with some moderate-intensity activities. Sudden intense activities can cause blood pressure spikes which is dangerous for hypertensive people with complications like arteriosclerosis.
Patients are recommended to do exercise twice a day, 30 minutes per time. based on individual health conditions.
5. Quit smoking and limit alcohol
Both smoking and drinking alcohol are bad for health. Tobacco and alcohol use can raise your blood pressure and can potentially lead to heart diseases. There is some evidence that people who quit smoking or alcohol can live longer than those do not.
Smoking is one of the most common risk factors for cancer, and many studies have indicated the association between smoking and various health problems. Cigarette smoking can raise your blood pressure for many minutes.
Alcohol can be both good and bad for your health. Heavy drinkers cannot benefit from the protective effects of alcohol drinking, which can increase blood pressure by several points, especially for high-risk populations.
6. Become emotionally stable
Emotional instability like anxiety and depression is reportedly associated with a higher risk of hypertension. These emotions can cause dramatic spikes in your blood pressure, and if these spikes occur frequently, it can lead to chronic high blood pressure.
Knowing how to keep emotion stability is one of the important self-protective skills in our daily lives. When faced with anxiety and depression, you can direct your attention to some relaxing activities such as talking with your family and friends or having a short trip.
Simple lifestyle changes can greatly help prevent hypertension. For those who have already got hypertension, developing a healthy lifestyle can go a long way toward controlling high blood pressure.