By now, you’ve probably learned already that you have a blood pressure.
The blood that flows through your body does so under a certain minimum pressure which is necessary to get the
blood to all locations no matter how distant they may be from the heart.
You’ve also learned that although the pressure itself is not bad, when it becomes too high, it can cause injury to
your vital organs like your heart, eyes, kidneys and even your brain.
Given that high blood pressure gives no warning symptoms, many people who have it may not know until significant
damage sets in, at which time, it may be too late to reverse some of it.
The standard protocol for handling blood pressure is to monitor it closely and keep it under
control.
Once this is achieved consistently, it saves you from a lot of terminal health challenges.
In this article, you’ll learn four ways in which to keep your blood pressure under control.
Regularly Monitor Your Blood Pressure
Since high blood pressure has no warning symptoms, one sure way to know how your blood pressure is doing, is to monitor it regularly.
As far as this is concerned, no frequency is too close for monitoring your blood pressure.
If you can check it daily, that’s fine.
However, if you can’t, checking weekly or monthly will at least ensure that if it starts to rise beyond normal, it won’t be long before you detect it.
This regular monitoring is even more needful for those who have higher tendencies to develop high blood pressure.
These include the elderly, the obese, the pregnant and those with a family history of high blood pressure.
Of course, those who have already been diagnosed of hypertension must keep very close watch over their blood pressure.
Any negligence in this area can be fatal.
One way to achieve regular blood pressure monitoring is to own a personal sphygmomanometer at home or in your workplace.
Next, is to establish a routine habit of using the sphyg at defined intervals.
This is recommended especially if you’ve been diagnosed of hypertension or your parents or siblings are hypertensive.
Another way is to make periodic visits to a clinic close to you.
Barring other delays, measuring your blood pressure can be done under five minutes and you’ll be on your way.
Reduce Salt Intake Especially Added Salt
Table salt, the one used in our food, has a not-so-friendly relationship with your blood pressure.
The truth, though, is that table salt is not bad in itself except when taken in excess.
Salt is known to retain or absorb water.
When in higher concentrations than normal, it makes your kidneys push in more water than usual into your blood stream.
What happens thereafter is that the excess fluid volume starts to struggle to squeeze itself through your blood vessels.
Given that your blood vessels do not expand proportionate to the new volume of fluid passing through them, the pressure increases.
To keep your blood pressure under control, therefore, you must keep your salt intake to the barest minimum.
Of more notable danger is added salt. As the name implies, it is the extra amount of raw salt that some people add to their food after it is already cooked.
If you go to some restaurants, you’ll find that they often keep raw salt in small containers on their tables.
The reasoning is that any customer who feels there isn’t already enough salt in their food can add as much as they please.
This is a dangerous practice. You must realize that salt is not a mere harmless sweetener.
Rather, it is a substance involved intrinsically in the way your body works.
Also, when salt is mentioned, people often think only of salt in the packaged form.
They do not realize that other food seasoning items like magi also contain salt.
To reduce salt intake, therefore, there is the need to also reduce magi intake.
Regular Exercise
Another way to keep your blood pressure under control is to engage in regular physical exercise.
Remember those blood vessels like arteries, arterioles and veins? Well, you know they are like small pipes through which your blood passes.
Remember also that the narrower the passage, the higher the effort needed for blood to pass hence the higher the blood pressure.
Now, one thing that can narrow their passageway is fat. As excess fat deposits in your belly and other parts of your body, it also settles in your blood vessels.
This narrows the passage for the vessels and raises your blood pressure. This deposition of fats in your vessels is not dangerous only because it raises your blood pressure.
To another degree, it can significantly reduce blood flow to the part of the body distant from where the narrowing occurs.
Sometimes, fat deposits can completely block the supply of blood through a vessel.
When the blood vessel affected is the one supplying blood to your heart muscle, the muscle can die, resulting in a heart attack.
Where this blockade occurs in the brain, the part of your brain affected can equally die, resulting in a stroke.
To avoid this, you need to engage in regular physical exercise as a routine.
Avoid a lifestyle that keeps you sitting or lying in one place for the most part of the day.
Incorporate walking, jogging, and other exercises into your life.
Usually, about 30 minutes of exercise daily, especially the type that makes you sweat, is fair.
Also, minimize intake of high-calorie diets comprising of fried foods and soft drinks.
If you’re obese or overweight, diets comprising plenty vegetables and fruits in the place of highly processed foods, will do you good.
Take Your Medication if You’re Hypertensive
Notwithstanding the above measures, a segment of the population will still be hypertensive.
This may be because they come from families with hypertensive relatives.
It may also be due to a combination of risk factors present in their lives.
If you fall into this group, cooperate with your doctor’s management plan.
He is likely to place you on some antihypertensive medications which you will be taking for the remainder of your life.
While it doesn’t sound nice to be taking medications daily for life, it helps if you view your therapy as a mere means of assisting your body control your blood pressure.
Since this is something your body does normally, your medications are to help with the process.
Cooperate with your doctor. Keep your appointments and be regular on your medications.
In conclusion, blood pressure management especially for people who are already hypertensive, requires a lot of self-motivation.
However, those with their blood pressure under control should keep monitoring it, reduce salt intake and exercise regularly.