If you have hypertension, you probably know the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle to keep your condition under control. However, certain habits provide the most benefits for your condition. If you want to successfully manage your hypertension in West New York, here are best practices to consider:
Avoiding Foods That Contain a High Amount of Sodium
While fast food is mouth-watering, it’s not good for your body. Taking too much sodium can lead to high blood pressure. Unfortunately, most people’s diets are filled with higher sodium levels than what experts recommend. Even if you don’t add sodium directly to your meal, you may get the excess from the type of food you consume. Processed foods, restaurant menu items, and canned foods contain excessive amounts of sodium.
Staying Physically Active
If you are living with hypertension, you must stay physically active. This does not mean performing rigorous exercises. Even performing aerobic or cardio exercises for thirty minutes every day can reduce your blood pressure. Your doctor can help you establish a suitable fitness plan for you.
Maintaining a Healthy Weight
If your weight is beyond what’s ideal for your height, you should lose around ten pounds to lower your blood pressure. You must prioritize weight loss if you have a body mass index greater than 25.
Not Smoking
There are many ways smoking can negatively affect your body. It is known for hurting blood vessels and hardening the arteries. Particularly, tobacco can elevate your blood pressure. And because it is quite addictive, you may need help from experts to help you stop your smoking habit.
Limiting Alcohol Intake
Drinking too much alcohol can elevate your blood pressure level. When you consume alcohol more than one time per day, your blood pressure medications will not give you the desired effects.
Managing Your Stress
There are a lot of stressful situations you cannot avoid in life. However, if you want to control your hypertension, you must avoid stress if possible. When the body is under a lot of stress, stress hormones constrict blood vessels and increase your heart rate, temporarily increasing your blood pressure. You can manage stress by meditating, exercising, and doing deep breaths every time you are in a stressful situation. Also, it can help to watch funny videos or get a massage.
Taking Medications
Medications play an important role in controlling hypertension. Your doctor may recommend medications to lower your blood pressure along with lifestyle modifications. If your blood pressure is too high, you may need to maintain certain medications to reduce your levels.
