How To Manage Your Hypertension
High blood pressure is a condition that impacts approximately one-third of all American adults. Less than half of those impacted by this condition have the condition under control. This condition is often called “the silent killer” because it typically doesn’t have noticeable symptoms. Despite this, it has significant consequences for those living with it. Aneurysms, heart disease, kidney damage, and stroke risk are all significantly increased in sufferers. However, it’s possible to get your blood pressure under control with some lifestyle changes. Conroe Family Doctor has put together this guide to help its patients take steps to achieve healthy blood pressure.
Managing Your Hypertension To Improve Heart Health
Not everyone will experience hypertension, and when they do, each individual’s variety may differ. Some forms of hypertension respond to salt, leading to that old trope about “watch your salt intake.” Thankfully, there are ways to get hypertension under control, regardless of what’s causing it. Below are some tips we provide to patients like you to help them prevent the long-term risks associated with hypertension.
- Get Enough Exercise – It’s the one you were expecting and one of the most effective ways of managing it. So let’s get it out of the way first. The central thing you can do to help manage your hypertension is to get at least 150 minutes of moderate-level exercise a week. It helps lower stress, reduces weight, strengthens your heart, and controls high blood pressure.
- Reduce Your Salt Intake – You knew this one was coming too. Our daily salt intake should be kept to under 1500mg a day. However, most Americans get well over 3,400mg daily. Needless to say, we all could go with a lot less salt in our diet. For those with sodium-sensitive hypertension, it’s a matter of life and death.
- Potassium Can Help – If you love bananas, we’ve got some excellent news for you! Potassium effectively regulates your heart rate and reduces sodium’s impact on the body. It does this by scrubbing sodium out of your system. Additionally, it can relax the blood vessel walls. Both of these effects work to reduce blood pressure. You can get potassium from a variety of sources, including nuts, seeds, beans, salmon, green vegetables, bananas, and dairy products.
- Limit Alcohol Consumption – The critical thing here is to *limit* your alcohol consumption, not stop it. Alcohol has proven beneficial effects on heart health when drunk in moderation. However, excessive consumption can be the source of many problems. Alcohol tends to be high in sugar and is also known to cause a spike in blood pressure when drunk in excess.
One more piece of advice regarding managing your hypertension, cut out the stress in your life. We know this is easier said and done, but it starts by cutting out toxic influences in your life. If there are elements in your life that are causing you undue stress that you can responsibly eliminate, take steps to do so.
Call Conroe Family Doctor To Promote Overall Health
Take action to improve your overall health by reaching out to Conroe Family Doctor today. Call us at (936) 441-2012 and speak to our team to schedule your next visit in Conroe, TX, today!
