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Lifestyle Adjustments You Can Make to Improve Your Hypertension
The foods you eat, how much you exercise, and other daily habits have a powerful impact on blood pressure. Lifestyle habits cause most cases of hypertension (high blood pressure). They can also prevent the condition.
If you’re diagnosed with hypertension, Deon Middlebrook, MD, begins your treatment with lifestyle changes, adding medication if lifestyle interventions don’t help or your blood pressure is dangerously high.
People seeking nephrology care at Deon D. Middlebrook MDPC are often surprised to learn that lowering their blood pressure is essential for protecting their kidney health. However, the two share a close relationship: Your kidneys regulate blood pressure, and hypertension leads to kidney disease.
The four lifestyle changes listed here reflect the most important steps to help you lower your blood pressure. They also support your overall health by preventing and treating conditions like Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart disease.
1. Change your diet
An unhealthy diet is one of the top causes of hypertension. More specifically, most people consume too much salt, which can raise blood pressure and make your heart work harder.
At the same time, most people don’t get enough potassium from foods. Potassium makes your body eliminate salt and relaxes the blood vessels. Both activities lower your blood pressure.
The diet that treats hypertension is a well-balanced plan that also protects your overall health and prevents illness and chronic health conditions.
A diet for lowering blood pressure includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, low-fat dairy, fish, and lean proteins (skinless chicken and turkey, pork chops, and 90% lean meat).
Most of the salt in your diet comes from processed and prepared foods, such as pizza, bread, crackers, cold cuts, salty snacks, and canned goods (that aren’t low in salt). Restaurant foods are notorious for being high in salt.
Limiting or avoiding added sugar, whether in sweetened beverages, cake, candy, or other products, is also important. Added sugars (not natural sugars in fruits) raise your blood pressure.
2. Engage in regular exercise
Exercise directly impacts your blood pressure. Staying active also improves hypertension indirectly by helping you lose weight and strengthening your heart.
The best advice we can give you is to find an activity you genuinely enjoy that fits your lifestyle. Walking, cycling, swimming, jumping rope, and dancing are some of our patient’s favorite ways to stay active.
You should aim for 30 minutes of exercise at least five days a week, but you can begin slowly and gradually increase your activity level. And if you have an existing heart disease or a condition like arthritis that affects your mobility, check with your doctor before jumping into a new activity.
3. Lose weight
You may get tired of hearing that you need to lose weight, but it’s one of the most crucial steps you can take. Carrying extra weight makes your heart work harder, which raises your blood pressure.
Being overweight also takes a toll on your kidneys and other organs, increasing your risk of kidney disease, Type 2 diabetes, and conditions that contribute to hypertension.
To lose weight, you need to follow steps 1 and 2 and limit your calories. While that makes it sound easy, we understand there’s nothing easy about losing weight.
It might help to know that no matter how many pounds you want to lose, you only need to drop 3% to 5% of your body weight to lower your blood pressure.
We also support your efforts by assessing your health and working with you to create a sustainable weight-loss plan you can follow for years to come.
4. Manage stress
When you feel stressed or anxious, your body sends cortisol into your bloodstream. Cortisol is a hormone essential for regulating stress, but it’s not intended to stay in circulation for an extended time.
Your cortisol levels stay high too long if you’re frequently under stress. Persistently high cortisol levels cause high blood pressure, weight gain, and heart disease.
The best way to manage stress is to eliminate the circumstances causing your anxiety. If you can’t do that, it’s time to learn stress-lowering techniques like meditating, breathing exercises, listening to music, or physical activity.
Deon Middlebrook, MD, offers comprehensive care, including helping you identify and create a plan to make lifestyle changes that support your health. Call our office today or request an appointment online for blood pressure screening and hypertension treatment.