How To Combat High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure, or hypertension, occurs when the force of the blood pressure pushing against your artery walls is consistently too high. It can be a serious problem because it can adversely affect the flow of blood to your organs putting you at risk of heart disease, a stroke, kidney disease and a heart attack.

According to Healthdirect, more than a third of Australian adults have high blood pressure, and it is especially prevalent among people who are overweight. With this in mind, we have put together a little guide to help you ward off this condition or combat it if you have already received a diagnosis.

A healthy diet is a key way to prevent high blood pressure. Ideally, you should be eating plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and foods that are rich in fibre, potassium and protein. Likewise, you should aim to avoid highly salty foods and foods that contain high levels of saturated fat. 

This goes hand in hand with healthy eating. Being overweight or obese increases your chance of developing high blood pressure. To figure out whether you’re overweight, you could calculate your BMI or go and have a chat with a doctor. 

Being physically active will not just help you maintain a healthy weight, it should lower your blood pressure as well. Try to get around two and a half to five hours’ worth of moderate-intensity exercise per week. This can include power walking and cycling.

If you're just starting your weight loss journey, checkout these easy exercises.

Aside from increasing your chances of cancer, smoking raises your blood pressure as well, which can increase your risk of heart attack or stroke. Excessive alcohol consumption has also been linked to high blood pressure. Medical professionals recommend that adult men limit themselves to a maximum of two alcoholic beverages a day.

Sleeping is another big factor in keeping your heart and blood vessels in good working order. According to medical professionals, getting fewer than six hours of sleep per night for an extended period can lead to hypertension. If you have trouble sleeping, check out these tips here. 

Chronic emotional stress has also been linked to high blood pressure. If you feel like you’re suffering from stress, try performing some techniques that will help you relax including meditation, practising gratitude, and avoiding stress triggers (e.g. traffic, difficult people).