How to lower blood pressure with a heart-healthy diet and exercise

Common causes of hypertension include a lack of regular exercise, a high-sodium diet, being overweight, and cigarette smoking.

Hypertension, or hypertension, kills 7.5 million people worldwide every year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Left untreated, high blood pressure can lead to heart disease, heart attack or stroke.

Common causes of hypertension include a lack of regular exercise, a high-sodium diet, being overweight, and cigarette smoking. Working to make positive changes in these areas can have a big impact on blood pressure, says Sanjiv Patel, MD, and cardiologist at Orange Coast Medical Center’s MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute.

If you are overweight, losing even a small amount of weight can help lower your blood pressure. Losing 10 pounds can lower your systolic blood pressure (the highest number in your blood pressure reading) by up to 10-12 points, Patel says.

For those with hypertension, research has found that regular physical activity can lower systolic blood pressure by an average of seven points and diastolic blood pressure (the lowest number in the reading) by an average of five points. INSIDER.

To achieve these benefits, Patel recommends at least 30-60 minutes of physical activity every day. It can be a combination of aerobic exercise, such as walking, jogging, or cycling, and low-weight, high-rep strength training.

Reducing sodium intake can also improve heart health and lower blood pressure. For reference, the FDA recommends that people with hypertension consume no more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day.

To reduce your sodium intake, avoid processed foods and don’t add table salt to your meals. Research has found that the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, low in sodium and high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy and lean meats, can lower blood pressure in adults with hypertension, indicated the portal.

Patel states that the severity of hypertension and a patient’s individual medical history determine the best course of treatment. These blood pressure levels range from:

High blood pressure: 120/70 to 129/79 mm Hg. Systolic blood pressure below 120 is considered normal; Once it’s higher than that, you should talk to your doctor about lifestyle changes.

Stage 1 hypertension: 130/80 to 139/89 mm Hg. Mild hypertension can usually be controlled by losing weight, increasing physical activity, and limiting salt intake.

Stage 2 hypertension: 140/90 or greater mm Hg. If your blood pressure is above 140/90, you can usually control it by changing your lifestyle, unless you have previously had a heart attack or stroke, in which case you may want to talk to your doctor about medication.

Hypertensive crisis: 180/120 or greater mm Hg. Such severe hypertension can be deadly, Patel says. We recommend that you lower your blood pressure immediately with the help of medications and also work on serious lifestyle adjustments over time.

According to Patel, how quickly you can lower your blood pressure depends on the lifestyle factors you’re facing and how high your blood pressure is.

For example, if you have moderate to severe hypertension and start exercising regularly, you will likely see a sharper drop in blood pressure than someone who has mild hypertension and is already exercising regularly.

“It takes a few months to see good results, although some lifestyle changes can have a bigger impact,” says Patel. “Blood pressure can drop from 10 to 20 points, depending on the type of change you are implementing.”

Whether or not you notice physical changes when you lower your blood pressure also depends on how you felt before. Patel says many people don’t notice any physical symptoms of hypertension, but if you’re someone who has had a headache or blurred vision due to hypertension, those symptoms should go away once it’s under control.

While you can lower your blood pressure, you will need to keep monitoring it, as it can rise again as you age. In general, the key to lowering blood pressure with lifestyle changes is to maintain those healthful practices over the long term.

“Lifestyle changes should be permanent, not just for two or three months,” Patel says. “Once that cycle is broken, [tu salud] improves, and therefore you have to keep it “.