How Do You Maintain a Healthy Blood Pressure?

In the previous post, it was mentioned that one of the most important numbers you need to monitor concerning your heart is your blood pressure.  Again, blood pressure is the amount of force exerted on the walls of your blood vessels as blood passes through. The normal blood pressure value is less than 120/80.

If you're experiencing high blood pressure over a long time period, you might be at risk for heart disease. It’s crucial that you do everything you can to lower your B.P. If your doctor diagnosed that you are with high blood pressure or if you have a family history of high blood pressure, then you need to do all you can to lower your B.P.

How do you lower your blood pressure?

Many people can lower their blood pressure by means of changing the diet.  This is the best option as it means avoiding medication. But for other people, lifestyle changes should be matched with taking medications.

The starting place when trying to lower your blood pressure is your diet.  Read below the dietary and lifestyle guidelines to maintain a heath blood pressure:

Consume little sodium each day, specifically less than 2400 mg per day.  It's not a lot. That amount is what you get in just one teaspoon of salt.  So you need to watch your intake as it doesn’t take much to go over your daily limit. 

Focus on eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, LEAN dairy products, and LEAN protein.  All of these put together can help lower your B.P.

Don't drink alcohol if you have high blood pressure.  If you drink, you should have at most one drink a day.  It’s better if you totally avoid it. 

Don't smoke tobacco as it can increase your blood pressure. Smoking stimulates your heart rate and clogs your blood vessels.  It’s best to get rid of smoking cigarettes from your life.

Exercise is likewise important to controlling blood pressure.  Walking 30 minutes each day could considerably lower your blood pressure.  It can additionally improve your good cholesterol levels and the condition your heart.  This is a win-win situation.

Maintaining a healthy weight can help to maintain normal blood pressure.  You don't need to spend two hours at the health club every day.  Simply losing a small percentage of your body weight may be enough to considerably improve your blood pressure.  Begin with a goal of losing 10% of your present bodyweight and see how it would affect your heart health.

Making lifestyle changes is enough to control blood pressure for many people.  Yet for some folks medication will be necessary.  Consult your doctor and ask what you need to do if lifestyle changes have not lowered your blood pressure to normal levels.  With good medical advice, you can enjoy a healthy heart long-term.