To control high blood pressure effectively, in addition to the treatment recommended by your doctor, it is essential to make changes in some habits of life because much of what we do or eat reflects directly on the pressure. Thus, some of the essential attitudes to reduce the pressure are to lose weight, to practice physical activity and to stop smoking, for example.
Some changes, however, are not easy because no one deserves to eat a food without taste and can not lose weight overnight, for example, therefore, these 5 tips can be followed day by day, including pregnancy, to make these goals easier to achieve:
1. Replace the salt with other seasonings
Salt is not the only seasoning that can give flavor to food, and there are many options to substitute it, and you can invest in spices like: pepper, onion, garlic, ginger, oregano, parsley, coriander, basil, saffron, bay and rosemary. It is possible to caprichar in these spices without guilt, and, still, to be able to alternate them and to discover new flavors.
In addition, canned, frozen and frozen foods or ready-to-eat spices, such as cubes or pots, should be avoided because they contain too much salt and other additives that can not be controlled and are contraindicated for those who are hypertensive. Thus, it is important to prefer prepared foods at home, or in the most natural way possible.
If it is necessary to eat out very often it is recommended to bring home kettles, which can even be made all on one day of the week and frozen in separate containers. learn a healthy weekly menu and the care in preparing the kettles to take to work.
2. Practice physical activity regularly
The practice of physical exercise is essential to help control blood pressure and improve blood circulation, helping to prevent and treat various diseases. However, this effect will only be achieved if the exercises are practiced on a regular basis at least 3 times a week.
So there's no point in overeating in the gym for 3 days in a row, then spending 10 days without going, or just doing weekend activities. Just as the remedy must follow a routine, physical activity should also be seen as a treatment and, more than that, an investment in better health and quality of life. See training tips for controlling blood pressure.
3. Controlling stress
Stress and anxiety cause a number of negative reactions in the body, such as the production of hormones such as cortisol, adrenaline, and insulin that can cause pressure to increase all the time, even with the right treatment.
So, looking for alternatives to lower day-to-day stress levels, even if the routine does not help, is recommended to help with pressure control. Great alternatives to this, are performing practices like meditation, yoga, massage, acupuncture and pilates. Practicing physical activity also helps regulate hormone and stress levels, even if it's a 30-minute walk.
4. Sleep between 6 and 8 hours per night
In order for the heart rate and blood flow to normalize, allowing better control of blood pressure, it takes at least 6 hours of sleep per night. Therefore, although it can vary from person to person, the ideal is that the sleep lasts about 7 hours, and more than 8 hours is also not beneficial to health, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
In addition, it is also important to have a restful and restful sleep, avoiding insomnia and nocturnal agitations, which undermine the effect of sleep on health. Check out the 10 good sleeping tips.
5. Taking the pills at the correct times
It is important that pressure medications be taken at doctor's intervals every 8, 12, or 24 hours, for example, and it is important that they be taken at the same times every day. This discipline is important, as the effect of medications varies over time, so if the person delays or anticipates the drug schedule, the effect may vary.
An example is, if a remedy should be taken every 8 hours, your interval may be at 6:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., and at 8:00 a.m., 4:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m., for example. Thus, the intervals are respected, but the schedule is defined according to the need of each person, being preferable that they be the same times every day. If it is difficult to follow the medication schedule, it is important to talk to your doctor to see if you can adjust or even change the medication.
A tip to remember, is to put an alarm clock or cell phone to warn when the time is right, and always carry in your purse or wallet a box with some medicines to use when you are not at home.
List of the Worst Foods for Hypertension
The foods present in this list should be avoided by the hypertensive person, because they have a lot of salt and make it difficult to control blood pressure.
- Salt and water biscuits and other salted biscuits;
- Butter with salt;
- Cured cheeses;
- Potato chips with salt;
- Olives;
- Canned;
- Embedded foods such as sausage;
- Smoked sausages;
- Salted meats;
- Salted fish;
- Sauces;
- Knorr meat or chicken broth;
- Soft drinks;
- Ready-to-eat industrialized foods;
- Coffee;
- Black tea;
- Green tea.
In addition, in a high blood pressure diet it is also important to carefully read food labels because the salt may be described as sodium, sodium chloride or monosodium glutamate. Products with this description in nutritional information should be avoided by hypertensives. Check out ways to gradually reduce salt consumption in the day-to-day.
See also other nutritionist tips for lowering high blood pressure:
