Jun 11, 20222 min read

7 Ways To Prevent High Blood Pressure

Updated: Jun 20, 2022

What is High Blood Pressure/Hypertension?

Hypertension according to the WHO is a condition in which the pressure in the blood vessels increases continuously. It is a condition when your blood pressure is consistently high (systolic blood pressure of 140 mmHg or greater and/or diastolic blood pressure of 90 mmHg or greater).

A new blood pressure reading range has been adopted nowadays to classify high blood pressure. The diagnosis of high blood pressure is given according to the blood pressure range of a person who has been monitored for at least 24 hours with the average blood pressure reading exceeding the normal range reading. The following reading ranges used as characteristic features of high blood pressure are as follows :

Get your blood pressure checked by your community doctors as often as you can.

Signs of Hypertension

Patients with hypertension often have no specific symptoms or signs of the problem unless they are experiencing a hypertensive crisis. The common symptoms are :

Headache
Blurred Vision
Dizziness
Fatigue
Palpitation
Reduced activity tolerance

Risk of getting high blood pressure

The following are the characteristics of the vulnerable :

Increasing age; the older you get, the higher the risk of developing high blood pressure.
People who adopt an inactive lifestyle
Smoking
Issues with obesity
Have a family history of hypertension
Eat foods high in salt
Have a high cholesterol problem.

Factors You Can Control To Prevent Hypertension

1. Maintain an ideal body weight

If you are carrying extra weight or have a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or higher, you have to lose some of the extra weight as soon as possible.

2. Maintain a well-balanced diet

Take Plenty of fruits and vegetables and limit your intake of saturated fat, trans fat, and sugar.

3. Reduced the amount of salt intake

A low-sodium diet can help to keep normal blood pressure, because according to a lot of studies, the higher the sodium intake, the higher the blood.

4. Exercise Regularly.

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activities or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week can help to maintain body health.

5. Limit the intake of alcohol

Drinking too much alcohol can increase your blood pressure. No more than two drinks per day for men, and no more than one drink per day for women.

6. Manage stress

Stress is known as another contributor to high blood pressure. This will be worsening with unhealthy eating and alcohol intake. According to AHA, meditation may help you to manage your stress and high blood pressure as well.

7. Monitor your blood pressure

You have to measure your blood pressure regularly either at home or with your family doctor. High blood pressure often occurs with no symptoms, so only blood pressure readings will tell you if your blood pressure is on the rise.

Other Causes of Hypertension?

More than 90% of these high blood pressure problems have no known cause and are known as (Essential hypertension).

For 5-10% of hypertension, problems are called secondary hypertension or (Secondary hypertension). In this condition, high blood pressure is caused by problems in other organs, namely :

Kidney disease is the cause in most cases which is almost 75%.