1. Break a Sweat
Exercising regularly can help you keep your blood pressure in the normal range. If your blood pressure is only slightly elevated, increased physical activity may be enough to control your condition. Before you start any exercise program, consult your physician. Find out if any medications you're taking could affect you differently during strenuous activities. Start your workout by warming up slowly and incorporate at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise into your routine. Remember to take time to cool down after you exercise and be sure to stop immediately if you feel dizzy, short of breath, develop pain in your chest, arm or jaw, fatigue or if your heart beats irregularly.
2. Medication Can Help
There is no cure for high blood pressure, but some medications can help keep it under control. Angiotensin-converting enzyme, or ACE inhibitors, are medications that widen blood vessels and make blood flow more easily. Diuretics help your body pass excess fluids and salt to decrease blood pressure, while beta blockers slow your heart beat and decrease the amount of flow out of the heart. Calcium channel blockers do just that--they block calcium deposits in the heart to keep the vessels clear for blood flow. Consult with your physician to see which medication type works best for you.
3. Change Your Diet
You definitely need to eat the right foods to control your high blood pressure. One approach you can take is to follow the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH diet. This diet is the product of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and suggests that a diet low in sodium (1500 mg per day) and high in potassium is key to controlling blood pressure. The diet focuses on whole grains, produce and low-fat meat and dairy products.
4. Shed Those Unwanted Pounds
Losing weight is important to lower your risk of hypertension. The heart has to work harder in an overweight person, placing extra pressure on it and the blood vessels throughout the body. Being overweight also increases the chance of contracting diseases like diabetes that, when coupled with high blood pressure, dramatically heighten the risk of stroke and heart attack.
5. Check it Out
Hypertension is often called the "silent killer" because most of the people who have this condition show no outward signs. The only way to know for sure is to get your blood pressure checked regularly. If you get a high reading one time, it doesn't necessarily mean you have high blood pressure. But you should take note and look for a pattern of increased readings.
