High blood pressure (hypertension) is one of the “silent enemies” of health. Many people have the disease without knowing it until complications occur. However, you can completely control your blood pressure effectively if you know how to apply the right measures and maintain them persistently.
How to control high blood pressure?
Here are ideal, proven ways to help you keep your blood pressure at a safe level without having to rely entirely on medication:
1. Change your diet to a healthy one
A healthy diet is a solid foundation for controlling blood pressure. The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet is a prominent choice.
This diet encourages:
- Eating lots of green vegetables, fruits, whole grains.
- Increase foods rich in potassium, calcium and magnesium such as bananas, sweet potatoes, low-fat milk, pumpkin seeds, salmon.
- Limit salt, because too much salt causes the body to retain water, increasing pressure on the blood vessel walls. Limit salt intake to less than 2,300 mg per day (about 1 teaspoon of salt), or even less if you already have high blood pressure.
- Avoid processed foods, salted meat, canned foods, and fast food.
This change not only helps lower blood pressure but also supports weight loss, improves blood lipids and blood sugar.
2. Maintain a reasonable weight
Overweight and obesity are leading risk factors for high blood pressure. When you carry extra body weight, the heart has to work harder to pump blood, creating more pressure on the vascular system.
Losing just 5–10% of your body weight can have a significant effect in lowering blood pressure. Combining a scientific diet with regular physical activity is a sustainable way to achieve this goal.
3. Increase physical activity
Regular physical activity helps the heart become stronger and work more efficiently, thereby helping to reduce pressure on the vessel walls.
Some ideal forms of exercise include:
- Walking briskly for 30 minutes a day.
- Cycling, swimming, dancing.
- Yoga or tai chi for older adults.
You don’t have to exercise vigorously. The important thing is to maintain a regular exercise routine, at least 150 minutes a week.
4. Limit alcohol and quit smoking
Both alcohol and tobacco can increase blood pressure, damage vessel walls and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Cutting down or eliminating these habits will bring great benefits.
- With alcohol: No more than 1 drink/day for women and 2 drinks/day for men.
- With tobacco: Quitting smoking immediately brings almost immediate benefits health, blood pressure begins to decrease within a few hours.
In addition, avoiding cigarette smoke is also a way to protect cardiovascular health.
5. Control stress
The pressure of modern life causes many people to fall into a state of prolonged stress, but if it happens frequently, it can cause chronic high blood pressure. Therefore, you need to learn to recognize and proactively adjust your emotions instead of letting stress dominate.
Take time for relaxing activities such as:
- Meditation, deep breathing, yoga.
- Listen to soft music, walk in nature.
- Talk to relatives, write an emotional diary.
6. Monitor blood pressure regularly and take medication properly
Measuring blood pressure at home is the best way to monitor your health. Today’s electronic blood pressure measuring devices are very easy to use. You should:
- Measure your blood pressure at the same time every day (usually morning and evening).
- Record the results to get an overview over time.
- Bring the results to your doctor at each follow-up visit.
If you are prescribed medication, never stop taking it or change the dose without your doctor’s approval. Blood pressure medications do not work immediately like pain relievers, but take time to stabilize blood pressure.
