How To Lower High Blood Pressure
Many people need drugs to control high blood pressure, but others can reduce it or lower the doses of drugs needed, with lifestyle changes alone. Your doctor will probably advise you to adopt the following lifesytle changes, even if you are put on tablets.
A Healthy Diet
A healthy diet is particularly important in controlling or lowering high blood pressure and reducing your risk of heart disease. There are no strict rules or magical potions. Healthy eating starts and finishes with “balance” and “variety”. This includes eating foods low in salt and drinking alcohol in moderation.
Control Your Weight
Controlling your weight is an important step to reducing risk of developing high blood pressure. Being overweight puts a strain on the heart. If you have high blood pressure, losing excess weight will help control it – sometimes even drug treatment becomes unnecessary.
The best way to control your weight is to eat less fat and to exercise regularly. The Heart Foundation has a range of cookbooks with healthy recipes and helpful shopping hints. Ask also for a copy of their weight guide book.
Salt
Most people eat more salt than they need. This salt comes mainly from processed foods. A high salt diet is linked to blood pressure, salty foods can also interfere with your control of it. Eating more fresh foods and choosing “no added salt”, “low”, or “reduced salt” processed food is best. The Heart Foundation’s “tick of approval” is a guide to foods that are relatively low in salt.
Alchohol
Excess alcohol can increase high blood pressure. If you drink three or more glasses of alchohol a day, you are more likely to develop high blood pressure. If you are taking tablets for high blood pressure, alcohol can reduce their effectiveness. Less than two drinks of alcohol a day is advised.
Physical Activity
Having high blood pressure does not mean you are an invalid in any way. On the contrary, exercise should definitely be part of your daily program. Try walking, swimming, cycling or games such as tennis and golf. Avoid more strenuous exercises such as body presses and lifting heavier weights, which can actually raise blood pressure too much while you are doing them. Ask your doctor about the best kind of exercise program for you.
Drug Treatment
There is a variety of drugs to control blood pressure. If you need them, your doctor will start you on a small dose of drug and note its effect. If necessary, the dosage will be gradually increased, or other drugs used, until your blood pressure is well controlled. Two different drugs are often used to keep any side effects to a minimum. Once you start drug treatment you will probably have to continue for the rest of your life. The drugs control high blood pressure, not cure it. These high blood pressure drugs will not “build up” inside your body and the longer you are on them the better they will work. You should always carry a list of your drugs and their doses with you.
Side Effects
Blood pressure tablets may cause side effects, but these can be kept to a minimum by adjusting the type of drug and dose. You must tell your doctor about any side effects and their severity. Drugs for blood pressure are effective and their benefits far outweigh the problems that can occur. Most people don’t have any side effects and can live a normal lifestyle by working in partnership with their doctor.
Be A Non-Smoker
Your doctor will strongly advise you to give up smoking. Smoking does not cause high blood pressure but it can make it more harmful, leading to heart attack, stroke and gangrene of the legs, and other damage. Once you stop smoking the extra risk is reduced quickly.
Help Yourself
Keep doctors appointments. Your doctor will probably advise you to have your blood pressure checked regularly, maybe weeks or a few months apart. It’s important to keep appointments as your blood pressure and drug dosage need constant monitoring. Your doctor may advise you to monitor your own blood pressure at home with a device you can buy from a chemist.
Take your blood pressure tablets as directed. If you think a drug is not agreeing with you, tell your doctor exactly how you feel. Your treatment will be adjusted and side effects can be minimised.
Follow medical advice about diet, exercise and smoking. Make a strong effort to lose excess weight, switch to a healthy eating pattern, and exercise regularly.
Eventhough it’s a team effort, you can do more than anyone else to bring your blood pressure under control – and keeping it there.
Tags: Blood Disorders, High Blood Pressure, lower high blood pressure
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