High blood pressure is increasingly becoming a health condition people walk into as they enter the middle age. Another sad truth is that for some, high blood pressure begins to show up in their late 30s or even lesser.
The major causes of this condition are stress, poor diet and sedentary lifestyle (poor physical activity level). Many have walked into this life-threatening condition, as a result of bad habits that need replacement.
In fact, in the United States, the last 50 years has been one riddled with a rise in diseases, including hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and coronary artery disease.
Records show that an estimated 2,000 people die of heart disease every day in the United States (1). Sadly, around 30% of US adults are hypertensive.
Interestingly, some persons who had high blood pressure have been able to lower it, doing a few things.
Experts at Harvard Medical Centre recommend six lifestyle changes. They say these changes have the most significant influence on blood pressure (2).
These changes include the foundation for healthy living which are diet, exercise, and weight control. Others are limiting intake of salt, moderating use of alcohol and managing stress.
Unfortunately, some persons who had tried to manage their blood pressure with these lifestyle change have not been able to unlock the power they carry.
Most of them fail because they try to do everything all at once, and fail because you cannot mix them all at once.
How To Lower High Blood Pressure
Expert recommend that you should not try to change them all at once.
Focus on one or two modifications that will have the highest impact when you begin to implement them.
We will help you by arranging them in the order of impact.
1. Modify Your Diet
Some experts recommend that you switch to plant-based diets to lower high blood pressure.
However, one very effective diet is the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH).
Interestingly, researches show that “the DASH diet lowers blood pressure, improves the lipid panel, helps people lose weight, and reduces the risk of Type 2 diabetes and heart disease (3) (4).
According to studies a typical modern North American diet is high in saturated fats, omega-6 fatty acids, high glycemic load carbohydrates, and many artificial additives.
The DASH diet that started in the 90s with the National Institute of Health (NIH) making a significant finding.
DASH promotes the consumption of vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains and fruits, lean meat and dairy products, and the inclusion of micronutrients in the menu.
One of the things to do if you are tying to beat down blood pressure, is to limit the consumption of red meat.
People who propose DASH diet found that it could prevent an estimated 15,000 annual heart attacks and strokes among men with high blood pressure.
2. Reduce Intake Of Sodium
While you adopt the DASH diet, you should also consider reducing the amount of sodium you get from what you eat.
So, even when you are eating just veggies, you should ensure that you are not adding salt excessively to your food.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says “salt intake of less than 5 grams per day for adults helps to reduce blood pressure and risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and coronary heart attack (5).
Furthermore, you need to avoid taking foods in can. Some you should avoid are canned vegetables and soups and frozen dinners.
Others are lunch meats, instant and ready-to-eat cereals, salty chips and other packaged snacks.
These items often have lots of salt in it and that will make you unable to get results fast.
3. Lower Stress Level
Once you begin to adjust your diet, the next thing to do is to reduce stress. In fact, experts recommend you should make this a priority.
You see, studies say stress can lead to chronic inflammation that damages artery walls.
When this happens, it will make your arteries less elastic.
Also, when stress is not lowered, it could alert the adrenal glands to release hormones that raise blood pressure.
One of the major signs that you are stressed is when you are not getting a good or adequate sleep.
Other things that could be the trigger are overeating and poor physical activity or what you call inactivity.
Furthermore, there are few things that you can do to manage stress. our health coach, Lauren Osewezina recommends that you practice relaxation breathing.
Other things that work are meditation, social engagements, making out time to just do something different that you love which is not in your regular routine.
4. Move Your Body In Exercises Or Workouts
You see, as an adult, you need a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week.
This is the recommendation of the World Health Organisation.
We know it is not something you are used to. But there is always a way to begin.
Start with a 10-minute walk each day and do that for about 7 days without breaking.
You can do the walk in the morning and in the evening.
The next week, increase the time and gradually begin to add other exercises like lifting small size weights and aerobic exercises.
Also, you may find motivation if you join a community of people who workout regularly or a sports club.
5. Manage Weight To Lower High Blood Pressure
As a man approaches middle age, weight could begin to go up, most times in the middle area of the body.
This will increase waist line and even general body weight.
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According to experts at Harvard Medical School, a 10-pound over your ideal weight, ‘using the BMI measurement’, could raise blood pressure.
Also, when you work to bring the weight down, your blood pressure will also lower.
6. Moderate Intake Of Alcohol
Here again is another thing that is causing high blood pressure for men.
According to a study, it is possible that alcohol ingestion raises the blood pressure by decreasing the vasodilators such as the nitric oxide in the vascular endothelium.
This happens either due to inhibition of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) or inflammatory/oxidative injury to the endothelium. (6)
You see, when you take more than moderate amounts of alcohol, you expose yourself to risk of a raised blood pressure.
So, according to recommendations, a man should consume no more than two standard drinks per day, with a single drink defined as 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits (7).
All you have to do is work hard to stay within the limit.
If you will commit yourself to doing these things, you will find that the blood pressure will go down.
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