Blood pressure is defined by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute as the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps out blood. As blood pressure rises, there is an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease and having a stroke. If you have elevated blood pressure, there are a number of techniques that you can use to help lower your blood pressure, and, thereby, minimize your chances of developing complications.
Exercise
The better cardiovascular condition that you are in, the better your blood pressure. An exercise program is not something that should be undertaken lightly, and you should perform it under the direction of a physician. The most important aspect of an exercise regimen should be aerobic exercise, such as walking. Aerobic exercise increases your exercise endurance. You should avoid short, fast bursts of exercise, such as heavy weight lifting, when attempting to lower your blood pressure, as your blood pressure may elevate during these types of activities.
Diet
Next to exercise, diet is the most important aspect of lowering blood pressure. Salt is the primary dietary component that contributes to elevated blood pressure. The typical American consumes greater than 4 grams of salt daily. The American Heart Association recommends less than 2 grams daily. A recent study in the "New England Journal of Medicine," titled "Projected Effect of Dietary Salt Reductions on Future Cardiovascular Disease," by Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, Ph.D., M.D., demonstrated that decreasing the amount of salt by 3 grams daily would cut the number of new cases of coronary heart disease in half, from 120,000 to 60,000. The number of new stroke cases would be decreased by 50 percent, as well, from 66,000 to 32,000. The study also demonstrated that by simply decreasing salt intake, the annual number of deaths from all causes could be decreased by more than half, from 92,000 to 44,000.
Medications
If blood pressure remains elevated despite diet and exercise, a physician may prescribe medications to assist in lowering the blood pressure. There are many types of medications, grouped into classes. The first class is diuretics. Examples of this type of medication are hydrochlorothiazide, lasix and spironolactone. These medications help to remove excess water in the body by increasing the amount of urine that you make. The second class is composed of two subclasses that work similarly. The first subclass includes angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-Is), such as lisinopril and captopril. The second subclass includes angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs), such as diovan and atacand. This second class of medications acts on the kidney to assist in lowering the blood pressure. The third class includes beta-blockers. Examples of beta-blockers are metoprolol and carvedilol. These are medications that act directly on the heart to decrease the effort of pumping blood. There are numerous other medications that doctors can prescribe to help lower the blood pressure if adequate control is not achieved with the above three classes of medications. However, these are somewhat less commonly used, as most patients are able to achieve control with the above classes of medications.
References
- "Projected Effect of Dietary Salt Reductions on Future Cardiovascular Disease"; New England Journal of Medicine; Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, Ph.D., M.D., et. al.; February 2010
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute: What Is High Blood Pressure?
