Living with Hypertension: 5 Adjustments to Make

Hypertension is when your blood pressure is higher than average; hence, it’s commonly called high blood pressure. Maintaining an average blood pressure level is essential so you won’t be at risk for heart disease and stroke. Hypertension makes you four times more likely to die from a stroke than an average person. 

Even if your blood pressure is slightly high, you can already be at significant risk. When you have hypertension, your artery, and blood vessel walls get damaged and weakened over time. These can have severe effects on your body and health. 

So what can you do? Naturally, you wouldn’t want to worsen your condition. Trying to live the way you used to in the past can do this. As such, you need to make adjustments to live a healthier life. Continue reading to look at what you can do to live longer! 

Were you diagnosed with hypertension? Were you prescribed medicine to control your condition? If so, you must take your meds at the right time! Remember that a physician wouldn’t prescribe a medicine if you didn’t need it—however, 40% fail to take their medication. 

If you’ve observed that you’ve been doing this in the past, ask yourself the reason for such action. Is it because you experience side effects when taking the medicine? Did you simply forget? Or is consistently taking medicine overwhelming for you? 

Whatever their reason is, you should communicate your difficulties with your physician. As such, they can prescribe another medicine, change the dose, or the frequency of medicine intake. Nothing can improve if you don’t communicate with your physician.

Reading up on ACE inhibitor insights, you may notice medications mentioned such as Lisinopril. These medications help relax the veins and arteries to lower blood pressure levels. As such, Lisinopril might be given by doctors to their patients to help treat hypertension and prevent possible congestive heart failure.

Did you know that what you eat impacts your health, especially your blood pressure? Overeating food with high sodium levels can raise blood pressure and makes you susceptible to stroke and heart diseases. Take this as a chance to reduce salt consumption. You can typically find high sodium levels in processed foods like cold cuts, pizza, canned foods, and bread. 

Another reason people get high blood pressure is not getting regular physical activity. Exercising can make your heart stronger; it’s one of the most effective ways to do so. You can also lower blood pressure levels by being active. You can start by walking around your neighborhood, dancing, cycling, etc. It may not seem as much, but you’ll see a difference when you do it regularly. 

Did you know that the more alcohol you drink, the higher the risk of hypertension? Alcohol can affect the blood vessel’s muscles and thus make them narrower. Smoking can also increase your blood pressure and heart rate. 

These two are the most common vices among people, and if you’re living with hypertension, you should stop taking these vices immediately. The risk from these chemicals is too high for patients who must be careful of their health.

Do you get stressed often? Did you know that when a person gets stressed, their body releases a surge of hormones that makes their heart beat faster? These hormones can also cause the blood vessels to narrow. 

Furthermore, if a person is prone to stress, these hormones can raise the blood pressure for a time. As such, you must lessen the stressors in your environment and practice healthy coping mechanisms. Practice mindfulness and do the things you enjoy. 

Final Thoughts

Remember that your condition won’t improve by taking medicine or doing nothing. You have to make necessary lifestyle changes to improve your health and eventually be safe from the risk of stroke and heart disease.