Do you have high blood pressure? If you do, you may be wondering how to get your levels down to normal. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 75 million American adults have high blood pressure. Only about half of those with high blood pressure have it under control.
Haven’t had your levels measured in a while? You should still be concerned. About 13 million Americans have high blood pressure, but don’t realize it and aren’t being treated.
If so many people have high blood pressure, is it anything to worry over? Absolutely. High blood pressure puts you at increased risk for:
- Heart disease and heart attack
- Stroke
- Kidney failure
- Congestive heart failure
- Vision loss
- Erectile dysfunction
- Memory loss
- Fluid in the lungs
- Peripheral artery disease
Despite the fact that high blood pressure can lead to potentially deadly health conditions, it is a largely invisible illness — meaning that you may not know that you have high blood pressure. Even extremely high levels don’t typically cause noticeable symptoms. When there are symptoms, they are usually vague, like headaches, blurred vision, dizziness or weakness. Because of this, it’s important to get your blood pressure checked regularly.
How Do I Control High Blood Pressure?
High blood pressure is serious business, but luckily, it can be controlled. While your doctor may choose to prescribe you medications, a healthy lifestyle can also help lower high blood pressure. Even if you have normal blood pressure levels now, you would be well-served by making lifestyle changes that will keep your levels from creeping up over time.
See what healthy habits you can adopt to control (or prevent) high blood pressure.
Make Good Food Choices
What you eat influences your blood pressure. If blood pressure is a concern for you, be sure to follow a low-sodium diet. One easy way to achieve this is by steering clear of processed and salty foods. Instead, focus on eating fruits, vegetables and whole grains such as whole wheat bread and brown rice. Numerous studies have found that the DASH (Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension) diet helps lower high blood pressure.
Get Regular Exercise
For some people, becoming more active can be enough to get blood pressure levels down to a healthier level. When it comes to exercising, don’t take an all-or-nothing approach. If you find yourself strapped for time, don’t limit yourself to exercising in one big chunk. If you can’t dedicate a half-hour to exercise, break it into two 15-minute sets of exercise twice a day. You don’t need a gym membership to be active. Even something as simple as walking for 30 minutes a day can help.
Stay Smoke-Free
Smoking causes the arteries to constrict, significantly increasing your likelihood of developing complications related to blood pressure, such as heart disease or stroke. If you smoke, talk to your doctor about ways you can work toward quitting.
Limit Your Alcohol Intake
Drinking too much alcohol can contribute to high blood pressure. Having multiple drinks can temporarily raise levels, while consistently overindulging can lead to long-term increases. If you drink, keep it to recommended levels: One drink a day for women and two a day for men.
Reduce Your Stress Levels
Studies show that the hormone released during times of stress, cortisol, causes temporary blood pressure increases. The evidence on whether chronic stress can lead to long-term increase is still inconclusive.
Regardless, being chronically stressed can lead to behaviors that can negatively impact blood pressure, such as drinking, smoking and unhealthy eating. Manage your stress by setting aside time to relax and do the things you enjoy. There’s even evidence to suggest that meditating can decrease blood pressure levels.
