How to Reduce High Blood Pressure

How to Reduce High Blood Pressure

What is High Blood Pressure?

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is usually defined as having a sustained blood pressure of 140/90mmHg or above. The line between normal and raised blood pressure is not fixed and depends on your individual circumstances. However, most doctors agree that the ideal blood pressure for a physically healthy person is around 120/80mmHg. A normal blood pressure reading is classed as less than 130/80mmHg.

Having high blood pressure can cause serious health issues, including increasing your risk of coronary heart disease (when the main arteries that pump blood to your heart become clogged), strokes, diabetes, kidney disease and heart attacks.   This is why it is extremely important to monitor your blood pressure and ensure it doesn’t become too high (or low).

Why Do People Get High Blood Pressure?

In addition to lifestyle choices, there are some genetic reasons that may cause high blood pressure:

Age: The risk of high blood pressure increases as a person becomes older because the blood vessels become less flexible.

Family: People who have close family members with hypertension have a significantly higher risk of developing it themselves.

Obesity: People who are overweight or have obesity are more likely to develop high blood pressure.

Gender: High blood pressure is more common among men than women. However, after the age of 55 years, a woman’s relative risk of hypertension increases.

How to Reduce High Blood Pressure?

We recommend the below tips to reduce your high blood pressure:

• Exercise: Try to make time for at least 10 minutes of high intensity exercise 3-4 times a week.
• Weight: For many people, losing weight is all they need to do to reduce their blood pressure. You can lose weight by monitoring your diet and exercise.
• Diet: Eating a healthy, balanced diet and reducing your intake of fatty foods may reduce your blood pressure.
• Alcohol: Reducing your alcohol intake to the recommended limits of units will help to reduce blood pressure.
• Medication: You may be prescribed mediciation to control your blood pressure by your doctor, make sure you continue to take this in addition to the other tips we have given you!

Who Are RXLive?

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