High Blood Pressure Prevention

2015-03-05 12:47 AM
For some people, eating too much salt (sodium chloride) and other forms of sodium causes the body to hold onto excess fluid, which increases blood pressure.

Biên tập viên: Trần Tiến Phong

Đánh giá: Trần Trà My, Trần Phương Phương

Your lifestyle choices can go a long way toward preventing high blood pressure. If you don’t have high blood pressure now, adopting healthy habits can reduce your risk of ever getting it. If you already have the condition, the same lifestyle can help lower your blood pressure and decrease your risk of developing serious complications.

Healthy Diet

Eating wisely is one of the most important things you can do for your blood pressure. These guidelines can help you make smart choices.

Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH)

The DASH eating plan, developed by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, is a proven strategy for managing blood pressure. The eating plan emphasizes fruits, vegetables, and fat-free or low-fat milk and dairy products. It also includes whole grains, fish, poultry, and nuts. On the other hand, it limits red meat, sweets, and sugary drinks.

Rich in potassium, magnesium, calcium, protein, fiber

Low in saturated fat, cholesterol, added sugar, sodium

Reduced salt (sodium)

For some people, eating too much salt (sodium chloride) and other forms of sodium causes the body to hold onto excess fluid, which increases blood pressure. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends consuming less than 1,500 mg of sodium a day. That’s a little more than ½ teaspoon of salt.

Physical Activity

Regular physical activity helps lower blood pressure and manage weight. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends getting at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity) weekly. Adults under age 60 should also do muscle-strengthening activities at least two days weekly and include all the larger groups of muscles. Children should have 60 minutes of activity daily. Ideally, this should be spread out over most days of the week. Everyone benefits from exercise, and those with health challenges often have the most to gain. But if you already have high blood pressure, heart disease, or another chronic health problem, ask your doctor for advice on choosing an exercise program that is safe and appropriate for you.

Healthy Weight

If you’re overweight, losing as little as 10 pounds can help reduce your blood pressure. And the more weight you lose, the greater the benefit. Trimming your waistline is particularly helpful, because abdominal fat is linked to high blood pressure.

Moderate Alcohol

Drinking too much alcohol can raise blood pressure and decrease the effectiveness of high blood pressure medication. If you drink, the AHA recommends limiting yourself to no more than two drinks a day for men or one drink a day for women.

Smoking Cessation

About half of smokers who don’t give up the habit eventually die from smoking-related causes. If you smoke, quitting not only helps manage your blood pressure, but also reduces your risk for heart disease, stroke, chronic lung disease, and several types of cancer.

Stress Management

Long-term stress takes a toll on general health and happiness, and it might play a direct role in high blood pressure. In addition, reducing stress makes it easier to focus on caring for yourself and stick with healthy lifestyle changes. To manage stress, review your life for sources of worry, anxiety, and tension, and think about ways to minimize those situations. Shorten your to-do list, and make time for rest and relaxation. When you feel yourself getting stressed, take a few slow, deep breaths to calm your mind. Consider learning a relaxation technique, such as yoga or meditation.

Moderate Caffeine

Although its role in chronic high blood pressure is still uncertain, excessive caffeine might be a risk factor for some people. To be on the safe side, it’s probably wise to keep caffeine intake moderate—no more than 200 mg to 300 mg of caffeine daily. That’s about the amount in two to three cups of brewed coffee.

Prehypertension Treatment

Prehypertension is slightly elevated blood pressure that is not yet high enough to be considered high blood pressure. If the problem is not addressed, blood pressure is likely to keep rising. The usual treatment for prehypertension is adopting the lifestyle measures mentioned above. If you have diabetes, chronic kidney disease, or heart disease, your doctor might also prescribe blood-pressure-lowering medication.

Bài viết cùng chuyên mục

Preventing hepatitis B or C

The viruses are not spread through casual contact, such as holding hands, sharing eating utensils or drinking glasses, breastfeeding, kissing, hugging, coughing, or sneezing.

Preventing hepatitis A

The virus may spread quickly through day care centers and other places where people are in close contact.

Preventing chronic kidney disease

Smoking increases your risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks or strokes, and it can increase the likelihood that any existing kidney problems will get worse.

Prevention of Urinary Tract Infections in Women

Drink more water. Start with 1 extra glass with each meal. If the urine appears any darker than a very pale yellow, this means not enough liquid is being ingested; increase the fluid intake.

Preventing kidney stones

To avoid developing a uric acid stone, you should reduce the amount of meat, poultry and fish in your diet. You may also be prescribed medication to change the levels of acid or alkaline in your urine.

Preventing atherosclerosis

There are two types of fat – saturated and unsaturated. Avoid foods that contain saturated fats because they will increase the levels of bad cholesterol in your blood.

Preventing congestive heart failure

Congestive heart failure always occurs within the setting of cardiac disease. Dysfunction of the left ventricle usually precedes the development of noticeable symptoms.

Preventing Silicosis

If you use a tight-fitting respirator for your particular work, you cannot have a beard or mustache. Beards and mustaches keep the respirator from sealing to your face.

Tuberculosis Prevention

The tuberculosis vaccine, known as bacille Calmette Guérin may prevent the spread of tuberculosis and tuberculous meningitis in children

Preventing lung cancer

There is strong evidence to suggest that regular exercise can lower the risk of developing lung cancer and other types of cancer.

Prevention of COPD

Healthy eating is important for maintaining a strong immune system, which reduces your risk of developing respiratory infections that can lead to worsening of your symptoms.

Preventing respiratory tract infections (RTIs)

Having a flu vaccination every year just before winter can help to protect you from getting flu. Each year the flu vaccine will be different, and will contain the most common strains of flu virus that are causing infection.

Preventing pneumonia

Excessive and prolonged alcohol misuse is known to weaken your lungs natural defences against infections, making you more vulnerable to pneumonia.

How to prevent and treat bronchitis

Prescription cough medicine may help control your cough, unfortunately, over the-counter cough medicines do not reliably help a bronchitis cough

Prevention of Allergies and Asthma in Children

Infants at risk for developing food allergy are those with a biological parent or sibling with existing, or history of, allergic rhinitis, asthma, atopic dermatitis, or food allergy.

Preventing heart disease

There are two types of fat: saturated and unsaturated. You should avoid food containing saturated fats because these will increase the levels of bad cholesterol in your blood.