6 tips to lower your blood pressure

6 tips to lower your blood pressure:

1. Keep a healthy weight

Keeping your BMI to 19 to 25 kg/m can help lower blood pressure.  According to the American Heart Association (AHA), losing as little as 5 to 10 pounds would help a lot.

2. Reduce salt intake

Salt can cause your body to retain fluid, which can cause blood pressure to creep up. The AHA recommends most adults consume less than 1,500 mg of sodium (salt) daily to help lower blood pressure. Packaged foods make up 70% of the sodium we eat, so eating fresh foods and preparing your own meals can help lower your daily salt intake.

3. Follow the DASH diet

The DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) is a set of recommendations to help lower BP. The diet recommends:

Plenty of fruits and vegetables

Fiber-filled foods

Decreased fat intake, especially saturated fats

Decreased salt intake

4. Keep active

Regular exercise is an easy way to lower blood pressure and loose weight. One study found that exercise was just as effective for lowering systolic BP as medications.

The AHA recommends 150 min of moderate-intensity exercise per week.

5. Quit smoking

Simply, Nicotine raises blood pressure.

6. Reduce alcohol intake

Alcohol can raise your blood pressure, especially if you drink a lot of it over time. The AHA recommends that men have no more than 2 drinks per day and women have no more than 1 drink per day. A drink is defined as 12 oz of beer, 4 oz of wine, 1.5 oz of 80-proof spirits, or 1 oz of 100-proof spirits.

Call us at the Harlandale Clinic if you think we canb help.