Common causes of hypertension include lack of regular exercise, a high-sodium diet, being overweight, and cigarette smoking.
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Agencies
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High blood pressure, or hypertension, kills 7.5 million people in the world each year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). If left untreated, hypertension can lead to heart disease, heart attack, or stroke.
Common causes of hypertension include lack of regular exercise, a high-sodium diet, being overweight, and cigarette smoking. Working to make positive changes in these areas can have a big impact on your blood pressure, says Sanjiv Patel, MD, and a cardiologist at MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center.
If you are overweight, losing even a small amount of weight can help lower your blood pressure. Losing 10 pounds can lower your systolic blood pressure (the highest number in your blood pressure reading) by as much as 10 to 12 points, Patel says.
For those with hypertension, research has found that regular physical activity can lower systolic blood pressure by an average of seven points and diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number in the reading) by an average of five points. INSIDER.
To get these benefits, Patel recommends at least 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity each day. This can be a combination of aerobic exercise, such as walking, jogging, or biking, and low-weight, high-rep strength training.
Reducing your sodium intake can also improve heart health and lower blood pressure. For reference, the FDA recommends that people with hypertension consume no more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day.
To lower your sodium intake, avoid processed foods and don’t add table salt to your meals. Research has found that the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, which is low in sodium and rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and lean meats, can lower blood pressure in adults with hypertension, pointed the portal.
Patel says that the severity of hypertension and a patient’s individual medical history determine the best course of treatment. These blood pressure levels vary from:
Elevated blood pressure: 120/70 to 129/79 mm Hg. Systolic blood pressure less than 120 is considered normal; once it is higher than that, you should talk to your doctor about lifestyle changes.
Stage 1 hypertension: 130/80 to 139/89 mm Hg. Mild hypertension can usually be controlled by losing weight, increasing physical activity, and limiting your salt intake.
Stage 2 hypertension: 140/90 or higher mm Hg. If your blood pressure is above 140/90, you can usually control it with lifestyle changes, unless you’ve previously experienced a heart attack or stroke, in which case you may want to talk to your doctor about the medicines.
Hypertensive Crisis: 180/120 or higher mm Hg. Such severe hypertension can be deadly, Patel says. You’ll want to lower your blood pressure right away with the help of medications, and also work on serious lifestyle adjustments over time.
According to Patel, how quickly you can lower your blood pressure depends on the lifestyle factors you are addressing and how high your blood pressure is to begin with.
For example, if you have moderate to severe hypertension and start to exercise regularly, you will likely see a sharper drop in your blood pressure compared to someone who has mild hypertension and who already exercises regularly.
“It takes a few months to see good results, although some lifestyle changes can have a bigger impact,” says Patel. “Blood pressure can drop 10 to 20 points, depending on the type of change you are implementing.”
Whether or not you notice any physical changes when lowering your blood pressure also depends on how you felt before. Patel says that many people don’t notice any physical symptoms of hypertension, but if you are someone who experienced headaches or blurred vision as a result of high blood pressure, those symptoms should go away once it’s under control.
Even if you can lower your blood pressure, you will need to continue to monitor it, as it can rise again as you age. In general, the key to lowering blood pressure with lifestyle changes is maintaining those healthy practices long-term.
“Lifestyle changes should be permanent, not just for two or three months,” says Patel. “Once you break that cycle, [tu salud] it improves, and then you need to maintain that. “
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