Tag: Salt Intake

What Should You Know If You Have High Blood Pressure?

What Should You Know If You Have High Blood Pressure?

If you are battling high blood pressure there are some things you will want to know. First thing you want to understand is what the numbers mean. Your blood pressure will read with a top and bottom number. The top is your systolic pressure and the bottom number is your diastolic pressure.

Normal blood pressure is 120/80 so if your blood pressure reads 130/90 you are at risk for developing high blood pressure. This reading is called prehypertension which is basically a stage before developing high blood pressure.

By having your blood pressure checked and monitored often you can easily lower it where it needs to be. The best way to do this is by maintaining or adopting a healthier lifestyle. Have you always had normal blood pressure until recently?

If this is the case, consider what you have recently started doing different that may have caused it to rise. Did you change your diet? Have you been exercising less? Maybe you are on a medication; some medications can cause your blood pressure to rise.

If you do have high blood pressure you can easily monitor it at home if you choose. If you do this you still want to keep your regular doctor visits. You can share your own results and you can both see what is and isn’t working for you.

If you are on other medications consult your doctor. Chances are one of these could be raising your blood pressure and you want to take control as soon as possible. If your blood pressure gets too high without proper treatment you are at more risk of having a stroke or heart and kidney diseases.

If you have recently changed your diet you should talk to your doctor, especially if your blood pressure has risen since then. Lots of salt and sodium can cause high blood pressure and not enough fresh fruits and vegetables. If this is the case, try to limit your salt intake and get more vegetables in your diet.

Also physical inactivity can be a cause for high blood pressure. Have you recently stopped doing regular every day physical activity? If so, consider starting again. You might have stopped because of an inevitable reason; broken bone, etc. If this is the case talk with your physician. Together you can find a way to still get a little bit of physical activity in your daily routine.

You also want to cut off or limit your use of tobacco and alcohol consumption. Many people do not realize these cause high blood pressure. There are many over the counter medicines and even doctor prescribed medicines to help you quit smoking. There are also many different resources to help you quit drinking.

If your doctor prescribes blood pressure medicine for you, you want to be sure and remember to take it. Some people are bad at remembering to take medication. There are many different ways you can help yourself remember.

You take the risk of a stroke or heart disease by not taking your blood pressure medication. This should be reason enough to take your medicine, but sometimes people just forget. While it sounds like reason enough, if you are not used to taking daily medication it is rather easy to forget.

If you have certain questions or concerns talk with your doctor. They will gladly answer any questions you have and do their best to get your blood pressure at a normal rate again.

Tips for Controlling Your Blood Pressure

Do you have high blood pressure or at risk to develop high blood pressure? If so do not be discouraged, there are ways of controlling and lowering your blood pressure without medication. Simple lifestyle habits are the most common causes for high blood pressure and easily helped.

Keep in mind that sometimes everything you try may not work. You might have to have the help of medication along with your healthier lifestyle. Talk with your doctor first. They will be able to assist you with the best option for your lifestyle.

The first thing you can do is achieve a healthy weight if you aren’t already. Being overweight is a great risk for developing high blood pressure. You can avoid this by watching your diet and reaching your healthy weight.

If you are unsure of what your healthy weight should be, you should talk to your doctor. You can even find a site online that lets you calculate your BMI (body mass index) and this will tell you what your healthy weight is.

Exercising should be a normal part of your lifestyle. Not everyone enjoys exercising and even if you are one of those people, you can still add it to your every day routine. Only thirty minutes a day of exercise will greatly decrease your risk of high blood pressure.

If you cannot set aside thirty minutes at one time, do ten minutes at a time. This is just as effective and you can get thirty minutes in your day quicker and easier than you thought. You can walk or run or whatever you like.

Your diet plays a major role in your blood pressure levels as well. A high intake of salt and sodium can greatly increase your risks. Try to limit yourself on salt and sodium intake and have your doctor advise you on the recommended amount according to your blood pressure levels.

Using herbs and spices in place of salt is a great way to reduce your salt intake. When you go out to eat somewhere, suggest ‘no salt’ or ask if they add salt so you know if you should or not. Many people consume tons more salt than they really should and do not even know it.

Stress plays a big role in high blood pressure and unfortunately many people suffer from stress. The best way to help your own is by finding a relaxation technique that works best for you. Try meditating, or something that has always relaxed you before. Let the stress of the day leave you and enjoy your stress free time. Take as long as you want to do this.

While trying to change your lifestyle habits, try to keep a record as well. Grab a notebook or journal and write down what you did and check your blood pressure often. Note if it is making a difference or staying the same.

If lifestyle changes do not help as much as you would like, you might consider talking with your doctor about taking medication. Sometimes lifestyle changes alone aren’t as effective unless used with medication. Talk with your doctor about any concerns you might have and they can help decide what is best for you.

Diet and Food Affect Your Blood Pressure

Are you aware that what you eat can affect your blood pressure? Watching your diet can be very beneficial to keeping your blood pressure normal. Even if you have never had a problem with high blood pressure, taking necessary precautions can be beneficial.

You could try a Vegetarian diet. In this diet you will get many of the following:

Calcium
Magnesium
Vitamin A & C
Potassium
Complex Carbohydrates
Polyunsaturated Fat
Fiber

All of these can have a great influence on your blood pressure.

Sugar can increase your blood pressure, especially the common table sugar sucrose. Try to limit your intake of this. A diet high in fiber has been proven effective in lowering blood pressure. Along with lowering your blood pressure this diet will also help you reduce your cholesterol levels and even promote weight loss.

Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables is very important as well. Any diet that includes consuming fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy foods and is low in total fat, cholesterol and saturated fat has proven to be effective in lowering blood pressure.

Many people use more salt than they are aware of. Maybe because some of us are just used to automatically salting our food unaware if it was salted when being cooked. (If eating out) Reducing your salt intake will also help lower your blood pressure.

A diet high in potassium and low in sodium reduces your blood pressure rise by reducing the effect of adrenaline. If you reduce your sodium intake you must also increase your potassium intake.

There are some vegetables and spices that help control your blood pressure. Many of these are very common vegetables and spices so you may be helping your blood pressure and not even know it.

Onions’ essential oil is very beneficial. If you have two to three tablespoons of this essential onion oil a day, it could help reduce your systolic levels. Tomatoes are also a beneficiary to controlling blood pressure. They are high in GABA, a compound that helps lower your blood pressure.

Broccoli contains several blood pressure reducing ingredients. Carrots also have many compounds that do the same. Introducing these vegetables to your diet will do wonders for your blood pressure. Even if you don’t suffer from high blood pressure, it’s best to keep it at a safe level and take the extra precautions to get there.

Garlic and celery are also great to add to your diet. Garlic is good for the heart which you’ve probably been told before. Eating just one clove of garlic a day has been proven to be beneficial.

Whatever diet you choose or whatever foods you try to limit, remember you are doing it for your health. Many people learn to enjoy healthier foods as they get older. If you have any questions or concerns about your blood pressure get with your doctor. They will be happy to assist you and answer any questions you might have. Taking care of your health is very important and will make you feel much better.

Children and Blood Pressure

Did you know that even babies can develop high blood pressure? Many might think of this as uncommon but it isn’t. When babies have high blood pressure it is usually because they are premature or have kidney or heart problems. When an older child has high blood pressure it is usually a result of their family history.

As you might have noticed today, there is an increase in obesity in children. This also increases their blood pressure putting them at health risks. A great way to prevent this is to have your child’s blood pressure checked often as they grow older.

More ways to help are watching your child’s diet and making sure they get plenty of exercise. Some kids are not as active today what with the video games and all. Try to get your child involved in regular activities from the start. It will benefit their health as well as their self esteem later down the road.

Just like adults, you can easily help control your child’s blood pressure. Watch their diet. Be sure they are getting the right nutrition and limit their salt intake. Get them eating vegetables and fresh fruits. While many children do not like vegetables, there are many ways to overcome this. You can spice up a recipe that involves vegetables.

Physical activity is the key to any healthy lifestyle. Getting your child involved in physical activity when young will help ensure they stay active and healthy as they age. Involve them in sports of their choosing and take walks with them. You can both benefit from this.

If your family has a history of high blood pressure, be sure your child gets routine check ups. This will help ensure they do not develop high blood pressure and if they do, you can start controlling it. Remember stress can raise blood pressure and while some kids shouldn’t be stressed, they are.

Children deal with stress just like adults, just in different ways. Talk with your child and stay active in their life and what goes on. You want them to have a happy healthy life and you can help them achieve that goal.

If you are unable to control your child’s blood pressure through their diet and exercise, you might have to turn to medication. Talk with your doctor and let them know what you have already tried. Sometimes this is not enough alone, but with medication, can help control it.

Try to exercise with your child every day. Exercising alone sometimes is harder for children and adults alike. You can get involved with your child this way and it will benefit you both.

Talk with your teenager about smoking and drinking. These both cause high blood pressure and once they know the risks they are less likely to try them. Do not think your child is invisible from developing any health problems along with high blood pressure.

Remember that blood pressure increases with age until you are around fifty. If you get a head start on watching yours and your child’s at an early age, you will both benefit very well in the end.