Tips To Manage Pre-hypertension Easily

If you have high blood pressure, you would have to depend a lot on medications, as prescribed by your healthcare provider. Medications can help keep your blood pressure within the normal range. However, in order to be able to maintain a normal blood pressure reading, you should focus on other remedies too.

Here are a few ways through which you can manage hypertension –

• Decrease your daily sodium intake – For most adults, a sodium intake of 1500mg or less per day is ideal. Therefore, aim to limit your daily sodium intake to the specified amount. Avoid sprinkling table salt on your food to enhance the taste and flavour. Also, pay attention to the labels on packaged and processed foods. Frozen food, cakes and pastries, bread and pizzas contain a high amount of salt, which spikes your blood pressure levels and harms your health in several other ways.

• Follow a DASH diet plan – A DASH diet specifically focuses on lowering high blood pressure. The diet consists of whole grains, green vegetables, and fruits. It involves cutting back on saturated fats, full-fat dairy products, and processed foods, and including fish, lean meat, nuts and seeds, and low-fat or fat-free dairy items. Following a DASH diet plan might bring down your systolic blood pressure by 11 mm/Hg.

• Maintain a healthy body weight – If you are obese or overweight, losing those extra kilos and maintaining a healthy weight can help you manage hypertension, and put you at a lesser risk of related health issues. Generally, with every kilo of weight you lose, you are likely to reduce your blood pressure by 1mm/Hg.

• Stay active – Physical activities and regular exercise can keep your body weight in check and help reduce high blood pressure. Aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise or physical activity every day. Jogging, running, brisk walking, cycling, swimming, weight training are some of the exercises you could try.

• Limit alcohol intake and quit smoking – Excessive alcohol consumption causes your blood pressure to rise up significantly. Drink in moderation. Limit your drink to 1-2 glasses a day, that too 2-3 times a week. The tobacco found in cigarettes damages the blood vessels and quickly builds up plaque in the arteries, which makes it difficult to pump blood. Therefore, quit smoking right away.

• Manage stress – Stress often leads to elevated blood pressure levels. Practice meditation, deep breathing exercises, and relaxation techniques to cope with stress.

While you practice these management tips, don't forget to follow up with your doctor and monitor your blood pressure regularly. Even if your readings come to normal, do not stop taking the prescribed medications.