Apart from cutting down on your salt intake, here are good ways to help lower your blood pressure.
High blood pressure (also known as hypertension) is the most common chronic disease in South Africa, affecting one in four people between the ages of 15 and 64. The statistics are alarming, but have you ever wondered what high blood pressure means for your health, and why it is so dangerous?
If you have hypertension, your heart works harder than it should to pump blood to distant tissues and organs. If this pressure is not controlled, your heart enlarges and your arteries become scarred, hardened and less flexible, explains Cape Town general practitioner Dr Raymond Haramis.
Eventually, your overworked heart may not be able to pump and transport blood properly through stiff arteries. This can result in heart disease, kidney disease, hardening of the arteries, eye damage and stroke, he says.
The good news is that there are lifestyle changes you can make to help lower your blood pressure. Heres how to get started:
- Measure it. Because high blood pressure is painless, you wont know if you have it until it causes a serious event like a heart attack or stroke. Monitor your blood pressure regularly, particularly if you are at risk or have a family history of hypertension, says Dr Haramis. It should be lower than 120 over 80. You can have your blood pressure tested at 122 Clicks clinics nationwide.
If you have high blood pressure, it may be worthwhile investing in a home testing kit so that you can monitor your pressure at home, and track your progress as you adopt new, healthy habits.
- Embrace exercise. Aim to exercise for at least 30 minutes, five days a week. You can combine physical chores (like gardening and sweeping) with more traditional forms of exercise (like power walking or cycling) to reach your total.
- Look for hidden salts. When you fill your trolley, compare the salt content of different brands of a particular product and try to choose ones that contain the least salt (indicated as sodium on the nutritional label). As a rule of thumb fresh and frozen foods usually contain less salt than tinned or processed foods.
- Watch your weight. Being overweight places huge strain on your heart. The good news is that for every kilogram you lose, your blood pressure will become lower. You can work out your ideal weight by calculating your body mass index (BMI). BMI is your weight in kilograms divided by the square of your height in metres. For example: 70kg divided by (1.7m x 1.7 m) = 24.2. You should aim for a BMI between 20 and 25.
- Limit your alcohol intake. Drinking too much alcohol raises your blood pressure. Limit your alcohol intake to a maximum of one drink a day for women and two a day for men.
- Take your medication. In certain cases, it might be necessary to take medication to lower your blood pressure. Remember that it is important to take medication regularly and not stop without consulting a doctor, says Dr Haramis. Put your medication somewhere where you see it every day (like next to your toothbrush) so that you remember to take it.
Via Clicks.