8 ways to cope with hypertension without drugs

Hypertension affects more than a billion people on Earth – many do not know about their diagnosis, or about the dangers associated with it. Annually, high blood pressure takes the lives of 7.5 million people around the world – about 13% of all deaths.

Arterial pressure is considered high or elevated if the systolic blood pressure is equal to or exceeds 140 mm Hg and/or the diastolic blood pressure is equal to or greater than 90 mm Hg.

The disease affects men more than women. The number of hypertensive patients in the world has been increasing in recent years and, according to experts’ forecasts, will continue to grow. However, it is worth remembering that in most cases it is possible to fight hypertension. Experts of the World Health Organization call it one of the most important preventable causes of cardiovascular disease.

What can you change in your lifestyle and diet to try to cope with high blood pressure?

Get rid of extra pounds

In people with excess weight, blood pressure is often increased, and getting rid of excess kilograms is one of the most effective ways to reduce it. It is shown that a loss of 4.5 kg can lead to significant changes already.

The risk factor is the waist circumference: the larger it is, the higher the probability that the pressure will be increased.Men with a waist circumference greater than 102 cm and women whose waist exceeds 89 cm in girth fall into the risk group. The body mass index is hopelessly outdated

Go in for sports

In order to reduce your pressure by 4-9 points, enough 30-minute daily workout. It’s not about intense sports: you can just walk every evening, ride a bike in the park, swim or jog. Yoga or Pilates is also suitable.

Sports classes will help those who have a high risk of developing hypertension – physical exercise will reduce this probability, lowering the pressure to normal values.

Eat right

Fast food and semi-finished products are not the basis of a healthy diet. Such products are better to exclude, replacing them with whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and dairy products with a low-fat content.

Those who follow their pressure and want to change their eating habits, it can be useful to keep a food diary – so you can analyze your diet and remove from it “dangerous” products that promote weight gain.

Hypertensive patients should increase the intake of potassium, which can lower blood pressure. Potassium is found in some fruits and vegetables, and besides, there are vitamins and supplements with this microelement. About whether you need potassium and how to take it, it is better to consult a doctor.

Useless sodium

Sodium comes into our body together with salt. Less salted dishes and you will consume much less sodium. Even a slight decrease in it can lead to a decrease in pressure by 2-8 points.

When cooking, you can try to give up salt at all, replacing it with herbs and spices. You can reduce the amount of salt consumed gradually – over time, the taste of under-salted food will seem familiar, and the pressure is expected to decrease.

Limit alcohol

Scientists have shown that small amounts of alcohol can reduce blood pressure, but its significant amounts lead to its increase. So hypertensive people over 65 years should not drink more than 350 ml of beer, 150 ml of wine or 45 ml of strong alcohol per day. Those who are younger than this age, it is permissible to increase this dose of alcohol in half. It is worth remembering that alcoholic beverages reduce the effectiveness of drugs designed to reduce pressure.

Pay attention to coffee

Scientists are still arguing whether coffee causes an increase in pressure or does not affect it in any way. While they agreed on the fact that coffee can really slightly increase it. To understand whether it is really worth giving up coffee, you can by measuring the pressure 30 minutes after drinking the drink. Increasing the pressure by 5-10 points indicates that coffee really affects the pressure – this effect should be told to the doctor.

Less worry

The advice may seem strange and even impossible for a modern person who is always in a hurry somewhere. But nevertheless it is worth to listen to him: because of stress, some people start to eat high-calorie food or, for example, drink a lot of alcohol – all this, as already mentioned above, leads to increased pressure.

The best way is to eliminate the cause of stress, but you can try to change your attitude to what makes you worry. Experts advise at least 10-20 minutes a day to devote to relaxation: to sit silently and breathe deeply – this method really helps.

Watch your pressure and visit your doctor regularly

Do not take hypertension seriously – if you have high blood pressure, consult a doctor and consult with what your condition may be related to. In some cases, it may be sufficient to change the nature of food and begin to move a little more, while others will require the prescription of medications.

Buy a pressure gauge and use it regularly: if you know your normal pressure, you’ll immediately notice the indicators that differ from the norm

Connell
The author is an expert on occupational training and a prolific writer who writes extensively on Business, technology, and education. He can be contacted for professional advice in matters related with occupation and training on his blog Communal Business and Your Business Magazine.