Tips on managing your high blood pressure

HEALTH CONDITIONSHYPERTENSION

E.C | Pharmacist

1/24/20234 min read

Hypertension or high blood pressure is one of the most common cardiovascular health conditions nowadays diagnosed in adults. It is also known as a 'silent killer' disease because if not carefully treated or managed, it might lead to long term complications such as heart attack or stroke. So, how can we best manage and treat high blood pressure?

This article will show you some of the top tips in managing your high blood pressure:

Eating a healthy diet
Your diet and the food you eat is really important. Lowering your fat intake, by avoiding fatty foods such as dairy foods, fatty meats etc is one of the things to be considered. Try to incorporate in your diet more lean meats, vegetables, fruits, grains etc. Another crucial factor to reduce in your diet includes lowering the sodium intake. High sodium intake can increase you blood pressure. Avoid foods such as smoked meats, canned food, any foods which contain high salt levels.
The DASH diet is a healthy balanced diet usually recommended for people who suffer from high blood pressure. This diet tends to eliminate high sodium, saturated fats and added sugars and tend to focus more on foods with high levels of magnesium, potassium and calcium which play a major role in lowering the high blood pressure. These foods include vegetables, fruits, grains and lean meats.

Exercising
Exercising is very beneficial in lowering you high blood pressure. It helps to maintain a healthy weight as well. It is recommended to exercise intensively at least 30 minutes a day for al least 3 days a week. Taking walks or running can help to reduce your blood pressure.

Avoid alcohol and smoking
Studies have shown that alcohol and smoking can increase your blood pressure. [1] The maximum alcohol intake a week should be 14 units a week. One unit is equal to 10 ml of alcohol.

Constant monitoring of your blood pressure at home
If you do have a blood pressure machine at home, constant monitoring is recommended to check if urgent treatment might be needed. Below you can find some of the bestseller affordable blood pressure machines at Amazon. A normal average reading should be 120/80 mm Hg. If your reading is higher than 140/90 mm Hg is a sign of hypertension, and sometimes you might even experience symptoms such as severe headaches, chest pain, nausea, dizziness or vision changes. If this reading is persistent, then you will need to contact your GP.

Taking supplements such as magnesium, potassium, vitamin B complex or garlic supplements
Certain supplements such as magnesium and potassium help to lower blood pressure. Magnesium does this by helping the blood vessels to relax, while potassium lowers the intake of sodium from kidneys, hence lowering the blood pressure. Vitamin B complex is another additional supplement which is beneficial for lowering your blood pressure by controlling the oxidative stress. [2]
Garlic supplements can be used to lower high blood pressure as well. Their benefit compared to normal garlic is that it doesn't leave the after aroma effect. [3]
Below you can find some recommended supplements containing these ingredients which you can take daily to help control you blood pressure.