High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, puts pressure on your arteries due to the force of your blood as it circulates. High blood pressure may result from a narrowing of your arteries, making your heart have to pump more forcefully to continue circulation.
At Monrovia Internal Medicine & Primary Care of Duarte, California, Ulin Sargeant, MD, MPH, can support you in your effort to manage your high blood pressure. Our telehealth service allows remotely monitoring your progress in steadying your blood pressure with at-home techniques.
Managing high blood pressure at home
If you have long-term high blood pressure, you risk health problems like heart disease — one of the most common causes of death in the United States — as well as stroke and heart attack. Your ethnicity and genetics may increase your risk for high blood pressure and related complications.
In order to safeguard your health, it’s important to take high blood pressure seriously, because even without symptoms, hypertension can damage your blood vessels and organs. Medications can successfully treat high blood pressure when needed.
However, some patients have concerns about using medications to control high blood pressure. Did you know that you can take real steps to lower your blood pressure and prevent future complications at home, often with just a few simple actions?
Cutting back to reduce blood pressure
If you’ve been diagnosed with hypertension, it’s time to pay more attention to what you put in your body. High blood pressure can improve when you:
- Cut your caffeine consumption, and then check your numbers to see if your blood pressure is impacted
- Drink alcohol only in moderation
- Quit smoking
- Reduce sodium in your diet, working toward low-sodium habits
- Reduce saturated fat and cholesterol in your diet in order to prevent narrowing of your arteries
If you can lose weight, especially around your waistline, you can significantly reduce your blood pressure. Even small weight loss can make a big difference, as research shows that your blood pressure goes down with each pound you lose.
Taking action to lower blood pressure
To reduce your blood pressure, get and stay active. Work up to exercising for about 150 minutes a week, or about half an hour most days, to effectively lower your blood pressure.
Your blood pressure also benefits from a healthy diet, with plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy. Boosting your potassium levels with fruits, vegetables, and even dietary supplements may help your blood pressure, as well.
Stress contributes significantly to high blood pressure problems, so find ways to healthily relieve tensions in your life. You might enjoy yoga, meditation, or journalling, or you may benefit from counseling for extreme chronic stress.
Get a blood pressure cuff, and monitor your levels regularly. Through self-monitoring, you can learn a lot about your blood pressure, including what activities and dietary choices affect your levels. With home monitoring, you can report your numbers to Dr. Sargeant, who can help you track any positive or negative changes and provide strategies to keep your levels healthy.
In addition to these at-home strategies, it’s important for you to seek professional monitoring and support. To discuss your high blood pressure concerns with Dr. Sargeant, contact Monrovia Internal Medicine & Primary Care today. You can easily book an appointment online.
