Changing lifestyle habits can really lower blood pressure! The effect is comparable to that of drugs

Parents are getting older, and various chronic diseases are also beginning to pose a threat to their health, such as high blood pressure.Controlling blood pressure to be normal is life-saving

Parents are getting older, and various chronic diseases are also beginning to pose a threat to their health, such as high blood pressure.

Controlling blood pressure to be normal is life-saving. Elevated blood pressure, although often asymptomatic, increases the risk of stroke, coronary heart disease, heart failure, and even death.

But many parents have poor blood pressure control, either high or fluctuating.

In addition to taking medication irregularly, a main reason is that parents still maintain their original habits of eating, drinking, and not valuing lifestyle adjustments.

There may be two ideas behind it:

• They have already taken antihypertensive drugs, and lifestyle is not important;
• It is difficult to achieve these goals, and it is difficult to persist in the 'ascetic monk' style of life.

In fact, adjusting lifestyle is not as difficult as imagined, and its impact on blood pressure has been seriously ignored.

There are not only antihypertensive drugs that can reduce blood pressure

The effect of adjusting lifestyle has been underestimated

The key to controlling blood pressure is for hypertensive patients to use medication regularly according to medical advice.

Some common antihypertensive drugs in clinical practice can significantly lower blood pressure after taking them. Reasonable selection and combination can control blood pressure at normal levels.

But taking medication is not all, lifestyle adjustments are equally important.

A poor lifestyle, such as drinking alcohol, smoking, and a high salt diet, can continue to worsen blood vessels and blood pressure; A good lifestyle can not only reduce the use of antihypertensive drugs, but also ensure the stability of blood pressure.

To truly make blood pressure more stable and reduce the risk of various serious diseases, it is necessary to make lifestyle adjustments based on regular medication.

Changing lifestyle is also a 'treatment plan', and its control effect is clear.

For example, the hypertension prevention and control guidelines released by the United States provide information on the impact of different lifestyle adjustments on blood pressure.

Due to the obvious effect, the mainstream medical community currently recommends that lifestyle adjustments be the first treatment option for patients with mild, moderate, and early hypertension. When lifestyle adjustments fail to effectively control blood pressure, antihypertensive drugs should be taken.

Even if parents are already taking antihypertensive drugs, lifestyle adjustments are a great supplement to medication, which can promote the efficacy of antihypertensive drugs, help control blood pressure, and reduce drug use.

So what exactly should we do? If you want to become a "water boiled vegetable", then parents can't persist.

In fact, adjusting lifestyle is not as difficult as people imagine.

Change one or two small habits in life

Can have a significant antihypertensive effect

The lifestyle adjustments mentioned here do not entirely negate one's previous habits and lead an ascetic lifestyle.

As long as you make some small changes, there will be a noticeable effect.

1. Eat less sodium (salt) and lower blood pressure by 2-8mm Hg

The more salt you eat, the higher your blood pressure. The average daily increase in dietary sodium intake is 2 grams, resulting in an increase in systolic and diastolic blood pressure of 2.0 mmHg and 1.2 mmHg, respectively.

The "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents" recommend that adults consume no more than 5 grams of salt per day, but actual research has found that the average daily salt intake per person is 10.5 grams, which is more than twice the target.

Salt control requires immediate action.

But controlling salt is not about making meals dull and tasteless, nor is it about simply skipping salt until tomorrow. But through some small techniques and habits, gradually reduce sodium intake, which is not only effective, but also allows you to enjoy delicious food.

Our taste buds will change, and after persisting in salt control step by step, we will find that the taste gradually fades, and we will also prefer to feel the flavor of the ingredients themselves more.

2. Eat more potassium to help lower blood pressure by 2-5mmHg

High potassium foods can promote the excretion of sodium, causing blood pressure to rise slower and less.

Image source: Made by oneself

There is no specific food that can directly lower blood pressure (if there is one, it is a medicine), but eating foods rich in potassium is very helpful for controlling blood pressure.

Where is potassium? In addition to using low sodium and high potassium salts, it is very important to eat more fresh vegetables, fruits, and miscellaneous grains and legumes.

3. As long as you persist in exercising, you can significantly lower blood pressure

Parents may not be able to exercise too vigorously due to physical reasons.

The good news is that as long as you exercise, even low-intensity exercise, you can significantly lower your blood pressure. If regular exercise can be carried out, the effect of blood pressure reduction is even more significant.

Data shows that regular aerobic exercise can reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure by 11 and 8mm Hg, respectively.

You can start with the following exercises, from simple to complex, gradually becoming 30 minutes per day, at least 5 days per week.

If both diet and exercise are done well, there may also be an unexpected surprise - weight loss!

Losing weight can also significantly lower blood pressure. For every kilogram of weight loss, blood pressure decreases by 1mm Hg.

In short, high blood pressure is a chronic disease, and to some extent, every bad lifestyle habit in the past will raise blood pressure a bit.

It is very important to control blood pressure and change lifestyle habits.

The above suggestions are not meant to be completed all at once, nor are they meant to eliminate all bad habits immediately. Instead, start with one or two, gradually develop good habits, and gradually increase difficulty.

With more and more good habits, changes will naturally occur and will not be so painful.

I hope more people can forward this content to their parents and work together to develop a plan suitable for their own family, urging them to take action.

Source: Dr. Lilac

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