The ManicaPost
Dr Tendai Zuze, Matters of Health
One of the main signs of “January disease” is excessively high blood pressure.
It has always been known that the higher your blood pressure is, the higher your chance of getting heart, kidney and other major health problems.
Your blood pressure is considered high if the top figure is above 130 or the lower one above 90.
Bringing the top number down to 120 has been shown to lower the chance of a heart attack, stroke or death.
The focus is on the top number in a blood pressure reading because it’s a better predictor of heart attack and stroke than the bottom one.
A number of interventions are available which may help lower your blood pressure to the safe level.
This should be your goal whether or not you are on blood pressure medication.
Below are some things you can do to lower your blood pressure.
Lose weight: Scientists say weight loss can lower blood pressure about as much as taking a single blood pressure medication.
It’s not clear, however, how weight loss reduces blood pressure and some speculate that it leads to beneficial changes in circulation and that the dietary changes accompanying weight loss (like eating less salt) also lessen blood pressure.
Sometimes a lot of effort is required to lose weight.
Exercise: Along with weight loss, exercise is probably the best way to lower blood pressure without the possible side effects of medication.
Exercise makes arteries more flexible and better able to dilate, which directly reduces systolic blood pressure.
Most doctors recommend 2½ hours a week of medium intensity physical activity, such as jogging, swimming and dancing.
One study found that 10 weeks of moderate exercise, such as walking and cycling, for an hour three times a week reduced systolic blood pressure in sedentary older adults by five points.
Use less salt: One of the most important dietary changes some people can make to lower blood pressure is reducing salt intake.
Unfortunately only people whose blood pressure is affected by salt may reap this kind of blood pressure-lowering benefit.
If you don’t have salt-sensitive hypertension, reducing salt intake will not do much.
About half of black people and a quarter of white people have salt-sensitive hypertension, and the numbers are higher in older people.
Eat more fruits and vegetables: A diet high in fruits, vegetables and fibre and low in sodium is useful in reducing your blood pressure.
There are several specialised diets which can be found online that also help reduce blood pressure.
Eat chocolate: Research suggests that people who ate more dark chocolate had lower blood pressures over weeks.
Antioxidants in dark chocolate may help dilate arteries.
The reduction in blood pressure from chocolate, while small, may complement other measures.
The high sugar content in chocolate, however, can cause other health problems.
Don’t binge drink: Most doctors recommend on average one alcoholic drink a day for women and two for men.
Reducing alcohol intake, in particular avoiding binge drinking is a proven way of reducing blood pressure.
Meditate: Meditation practises that reduce anxiety improve focus may also lower your blood pressure. Relaxation techniques like yoga will definitely reduce your blood pressure but only if done regularly.
If you are worried about your blood pressure control please visit your doctor.
