During the Covid-19 pandemic, maintaining a healthy blood pressure level has become even more crucial. This is due to the fact that high blood pressure might increase the risk of severe complications if you get infected with Covid-19.
At the same time, the challenges and news that we are all exposed to nowadays don’t make it any easier to keep your blood pressure in check. Furthermore, if you are 60 years old or older, maintaining your blood pressure is also more urgent. This is because you are already in a high-risk group of developing serious illnesses if you catch Covid-19.
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Before going any further, let’s take a quick look at the following breakdown of blood pressure ranges along with what they represent, as follows:
Normal blood pressure – your systolic (top number) pressure is below 120, and your diastolic pressure (bottom number) is below 80.
Prehypertension—your systolic number is between 120 and 139, and the bottom number is between 80 and 89.
Hypertension—your blood pressure measures 140/90 or higher.
In this article, Prime Plus Medical would like to invite you to implement several ways to help reduce hypertension, as follows:
#1 Maintain an Ideal Body Weight
As being overweight increases your risk of hypertension, there are several things that you should practice consistently to maintain a healthy weight. You can start by setting a limit to the portion size of your meals to control your calorie intake. Also, make sure that you choose foods that are rich in nutrients but low in calories.
#2 Implement the DASH Diet
If you haven’t heard or read about the DASH diet, now is a great time to find out more about this healthy meal plan to lower or prevent hypertension. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. The DASH diet is rich in fruits and vegetables high in potassium, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat dairy products, poultry, meat, fish, beans, and nuts. It also limits foods high in saturated fat, including fatty meats and full-fat dairy products, as well as foods that are high in sodium and added sugars.
#3 Exercise Daily for Healthy Blood Pressure
To lower your blood pressure and keep it at an ideal level, make sure that you stick with light to moderate daily exercise. Health professionals have shared that blood vessel stiffness lowers through exercise. Therefore, exercising daily can help improve your blood circulation, thus lowers your blood pressure.
Experts have also theorized that you should ideally divide your workout into several short sessions throughout the day. A study demonstrated the theory and confirmed that three 10-minute walks a day prevent increased blood tension more effectively than a 30-minute walk once a day. Thus, never underestimate those short exercise sessions that you can squeeze into your daily schedule for a healthier lifestyle. `
#4 Smoking (or vaping) Worsens Blood Pressure
While smoking is bad for everyone, tobacco use is even worse for people with hypertension or prehypertension. Various studies have proven that cigarette smoking causes acute hypertension and causes various other health conditions. That being said, why take the risk? It’s definitely time to ditch this habit.
#5 Listen to what your doctor says!
A healthy lifestyle can indeed help you keep maintain and lower your blood pressure. However, that alone is not enough. Make sure that you follow your doctor’s orders. If your doctor prescribes you certain medication, you will have to take them as prescribed.
If you have hypertension or prehypertension, it is always important to monitor your blood pressure at home. And if yours rises, or you feel any symptoms that might indicate a blood pressure spike, please consult your doctor as soon as possible. At last, if you experience any signs and symptoms of a hypertensive crisis, make sure to seek emergency care immediately.
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