If you have any symptoms of high or low blood pressure it is important to get your blood pressure checked by a doctor or nurse in the first instance. I know the importance of this as I used to be a nurse. You can also get your blood pressure checked at some pharmacies too. You will then be advised on what you need to do to keep your blood pressure in check, including diet, exercise and lifestyle changes you can make. In extreme cases, you may be told to make an appointment with a doctor who can prescribe medication.
As high blood pressure is more common than low blood pressure with over 16 million people in the UK affected and it can cause more serious health problems, I will focus on simple ways to manage your high blood pressure in this article.
Managing high blood pressure
If you have any symptoms of high blood pressure such as regular headaches, nosebleeds and dizziness it is important to see your doctor. If you are over the age of 40 you are also advised to have your blood pressure checked every five years. Many people as they get older get high blood pressure and don't even realise it so it's so important to get it checked out on a regular basis.
Eating a healthy diet
A diet high in fruit and vegetables, and low in fat is good for you and has many health benefits including helping you maintain a healthy weight which in turn will help lower your blood pressure. There are a number of food supplements that could help with your blood pressure too such as garlic and fish oil and African mango. If you are looking for an African mango supplement manufacturer check out this link.
Cutting down on salt
A diet high in salt can cause raised blood pressure, which can increase your risk of heart disease and stroke. Read up on how much salt is bad for you and check the food labels. Avoid adding salt at the table and use herbs and spices to flavour food.
Losing weight
If you are above your BMI, your ideal weight for health, you should consider losing weight. The NHS weight loss plan is one way of losing weight at a slow and steady rate. Joining a slimming club has also been shown to help motivate people and keep the weight off too.
Taking regular physical exercise
The NHS recommends taking regular physical exercise to help maintain a healthy lifestyle. Physical exercise can improve the feeling of well being and is good for your heart as well as lowering blood pressure. Check out the exercise guidelines for adults and see if you can fit it into your routine.
Stopping smoking
Smoking raises blood pressure and can cause a range of health conditions and illnesses such as cancer, heart attacks and strokes. If you are a smoker there is a lot of help out there for you to stop, and your doctor can refer you to a stop smoking clinic or prescribe medication, gum or patches to help you too.
Managing stress
Stress can raise blood pressure on a temporary basis so try to tackle ways of managing stress for a better lifestyle. Avoid stressful situations if you can, delegate responsibility in work, take regular exercise, and use relaxation techniques to help. CBD oil has been shown to help significantly with stress and interestingly, may also help with high blood pressure according to recent studies. Anecdotal evidence suggests that meditation techniques could help to manage stress so it's worth looking into this if you have a stressful life.
Taking medication as prescribed
Lastly, if your doctor prescribes medication for high blood pressure be sure to take it. You may feel totally well but medication can lower your blood pressure and prevent it from getting any higher.
As always, these are just guidelines - always take the advice of your doctor. For further information also check out this advice on high blood pressure from the NHS.
*Collaborative post
A diet high in salt can cause raised blood pressure, which can increase your risk of heart disease and stroke. Read up on how much salt is bad for you and check the food labels. Avoid adding salt at the table and use herbs and spices to flavour food.
Losing weight
If you are above your BMI, your ideal weight for health, you should consider losing weight. The NHS weight loss plan is one way of losing weight at a slow and steady rate. Joining a slimming club has also been shown to help motivate people and keep the weight off too.
Taking regular physical exercise
The NHS recommends taking regular physical exercise to help maintain a healthy lifestyle. Physical exercise can improve the feeling of well being and is good for your heart as well as lowering blood pressure. Check out the exercise guidelines for adults and see if you can fit it into your routine.
Stopping smoking
Managing stress
Stress can raise blood pressure on a temporary basis so try to tackle ways of managing stress for a better lifestyle. Avoid stressful situations if you can, delegate responsibility in work, take regular exercise, and use relaxation techniques to help. CBD oil has been shown to help significantly with stress and interestingly, may also help with high blood pressure according to recent studies. Anecdotal evidence suggests that meditation techniques could help to manage stress so it's worth looking into this if you have a stressful life.
Taking medication as prescribed
Lastly, if your doctor prescribes medication for high blood pressure be sure to take it. You may feel totally well but medication can lower your blood pressure and prevent it from getting any higher.
As always, these are just guidelines - always take the advice of your doctor. For further information also check out this advice on high blood pressure from the NHS.
*Collaborative post
This is really useful, I've worn a 24 hr monitor recently and have discovered I have high blood pressure, so I have some chnages to make. Mich x
ReplyDeleteHope this helps you Michelle.
DeleteI have high blood pressure even though I exercise 4 times a week and eat pretty healthily with lots of home cooking and portion control. One of the down sides of being a type 1 diabetic I guess, even with a great hba1c of 58!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing, I've learnt a lot from this post. Keeping healthy is really important I will try to incorporate exercise into my daily life!
ReplyDeleteWe need to cut down on salt and get more movement into our routine! It’s amazing how much hidden salt is in foods!
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot of hidden salt. I always try and read the label and look at the traffic light signals on food.
DeleteHypertension can really b life threatening so it's a must that we care for ourselves and earn how to manage our health. These are good ways how to manage your blood. Cutting down salt really helps a lot.
ReplyDeleteIt can do for sure.
DeleteIt is really important to take care of ourselves. and keeping normal our blood pressure is so hard but we need it. and these are some great ways to do it. I will absolutely share this with my mom.
ReplyDeleteI have been lucky with my blood pressure so far, but I did still find this an interesting read as you can never be too careful. We don't add salt to food as it seems to have enough already, I don't smoke and I try not to get too stressed! x
ReplyDeleteI don't add salt either.
DeleteAlthough I've been lucky with my blood pressure so far, these are great tips to ensure my blood pressure stays low x
ReplyDeleteI found this super interesting, I actually have low blood pressure and sometimes it gets so low I need to include more salt in my diet and make sure I eat and stay hydrated
ReplyDeleteLaura x