Blood pressure refers to the pressure that blood exerts on the walls of blood vessels, and is largely divided into arterial blood pressure, venous blood pressure, and capillary blood pressure. Hypertension is defined as a diastolic blood pressure greater than 90 mmHg or a systolic blood pressure greater than 140 mmHg. When hypertension occurs, it is called secondary hypertension, and when the cause is not found, it is called essential hypertension. And it is known that about 95% of all hypertensive patients have essential hypertension. When the symptoms of high blood pressure persist, it causes various complications throughout the body, such as coronary artery disease, hypertensive retinopathy, arteriosclerosis, stroke, and renal failure, and acts as a major risk factor threatening health. Although factors such as family history and old age have a major influence on the occurrence of hypertension, it is known that in many cases psychological and environmental factors such as drinking and smoking, lack of exercise, obesity, salty eating habits, and stress have a major influence on the occurrence. It is very important to improve these parts as much as there are. So today, we’re going to look at several ways that can help lower high blood pressure.
How to lower high blood pressure
1. Regular exercise habits
The first management habit to lower high blood pressure can be said to be a regular exercise habit. If you exercise regularly, even if you do not lose weight, the effect of exercise itself lowers your diastolic and systolic blood pressure by 5 mmHg each, which helps prevent and manage high blood pressure. It is recommended to exercise 3 times a week for 30 minutes at a time, and various aerobic exercises such as walking, jogging, swimming, and cycling are said to help a lot. When exercising, it is recommended to start slowly to reduce the risk of injury, and to increase the intensity of the exercise in a gradual fashion. Excessive exercise beyond one’s own physical fitness level can rather threaten health, so be careful.
2. Weight Control
Maintaining a healthy weight is also important to prevent and lower high blood pressure. According to one study on the relationship between body weight and high blood pressure, it helps to lower the average level by 3.2 to 4.5 mmHg through the effect of weight loss. In addition, since overweight and obesity act as major risk factors that increase the risk of developing various adult diseases and metabolic diseases as well as high blood pressure, it is recommended to reduce excessive intake of refined carbohydrates and maintain a standard weight through diet control and exercise.
3. Control your salt intake
As it is known that salty eating habits have a great influence on the occurrence of high blood pressure, it is also important to control salt intake. In patients with mild hypertension, when salt intake was reduced to 3 g per day for 4 weeks, it was reported that the diastolic blood pressure decreased by 9 mmHg and systolic blood pressure by 16 mmHg compared to the 12 g daily intake. In addition, eating too much meat, processed meat, and processed foods containing animal fat can also increase cholesterol levels and cause obesity, a risk factor for high blood pressure, so it is recommended to properly control intake.
4. Eat fresh vegetables and fruits
To prevent and manage high blood pressure, it is good to eat a balanced diet of fresh vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. In particular, it is said that a balanced intake of foods rich in potassium, which helps maintain normal blood pressure by balancing with sodium, and foods high in calcium, which is excellent in preventing calcification of blood vessels, help prevent hypertension. However, if you have poor kidney function or related diseases, excessive intake of potassium can cause fatal side effects such as hyperkalemia, so it is recommended to consult with your doctor.
5. No smoking
Smoking has been reported to raise diastolic blood pressure by 3.9 mmHg and systolic blood pressure by 4.8 mmHg, which is a risk factor that greatly affects the development of hypertension. Therefore, it is recommended to quit smoking to prevent the occurrence of hypertension, especially if you are a hypertensive patient. In addition, excessive drinking habits also cause a chronic form of increase in blood pressure, which affects the development of high blood pressure, so the frequency and amount of drinking should be controlled.
6. Stress Control
Hypertension is known to be closely related to excessive psychological and physical stress. When stress is severe, the sympathetic nervous system is stimulated and blood pressure rises. These actions are said to be risk factors that promote the development of hypertension. Therefore, you should make efforts to reduce and improve stress-causing factors as much as possible, and at the same time have hobbies, leisure activities, and sufficient rest. In addition, simple stretching, relaxation therapy, and meditation are said to help reduce stress. In addition, if sleep deprivation continues, it is necessary to get enough sleep because it can cause blood pressure to rise continuously, which can lead to the development of high blood pressure.
