5 Ways to Take Control of Your Blood Pressure

Blood pressure refers to the force exerted by circulating blood on the walls of blood vessels, and constitutes one of the principal vital signs.

Blood pressure is determined on the basis of the force, the amount of blood pumped and the size and flexibility of the arteries.

High blood pressure develops if the walls of the larger arteries lose their natural elasticity and become rigid, and the smaller blood vessels become narrower.

High blood pressure is one of the leading causes of heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure and premature death.

2 out of 3 people with high blood pressure are unaware of the condition. This is due to the fact that there are no defined symptoms of blood pressure and it is for this reason that High Blood Pressure is also known as “The Silent Killer”.

 A blood pressure measurement is made up of two parts: systolic pressure (SBP) which occurs in arteries during heart contraction (or when the heart beats is at its highest) and diastolic pressure (DBP) which occurs during the period when the heart relaxes between beats (or when your heart beats is at its lowest).

Both these numbers are important. Generally, blood pressure is written as 120/80 mmHg (measured in millimeters of mercury, a unit for measuring pressure). In the written form, the systolic pressure is the first or the top number and the diastolic is the second or the bottom number.

A guide to blood pressure levels:

·         Normal                              120/80 to 129/84

·         High normal                       130/85 to 139/89

·         Hypertension

o                               Mild                       140/90 to 159/99

o                               Moderate               160/100 to 179/109

o                                   Severe                  >180/110

Symptoms of high blood pressure – Some of the general symptoms noticed in most patients are:

·         Nose bleeding

·         Dizziness and fatigue

·         Bouts of headaches

In severe cases of hypertension, the following symptoms may also be noticed:

·         Vomiting and nausea

·         Drowsiness

·         Confusion

·         Loss of vision

·         Papilloedema

·         Irregular heartbeats

·         Low libido or lack of sexual desire

·         Difficulty in breathing

·         Seizure

·         Restlessness

·         Moderate chest pain

·         Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)

·         Blood in the urine

Risk factors for high blood pressure include –

·         A family history of high blood pressure

·         Ethnic group – The black African population has a greater predisposition to hypertension

·         Age – The risk of developing high blood pressure increases with age (it occurs most often in men over the age of 35 years).

·         Being overweight (especially around the stomach area) contributes to a 2 to 6 times higher risk.

·         An unhealthy diet, including a high salt intake.

·         Excessive alcohol consumption

·         Physical activity – lack of exercise

·         Smoking

·         Stress such as financial worries and strain at work may contribute to high blood pressure.

·         Pregnancy

·         Certain medications like birth control pills, steroids and anti-inflammatory drugs

·         Severe kidney disease

The 5 important steps in taking control of your blood pressure are:

1.       Take control of my weight – Being overweight is a condition of abnormal or excessive fat in the body to the extent that it may have a negative effect on your health.

By calculating the Body Mass Index (BMI), we can tell whether or not a person is overweight.

The ‘healthy’ range is 18.5 to 25.

Overweight people score 25 – 30 and obese people, over 30.

These cut-off points are not absolute and people with high muscle mass (such as body builders) may have a high BMI without being overweight.

Being overweight is the result of an energy imbalance where energy intake has been greater than the energy use over a period of many years. Obesity is rarely caused by a slow metabolism or hormonal problems.

Being overweight an increase the risk of the following:

·         Heart disease (extra weight puts more strain on the heart)

·         Certain cancers, arthritis, shortness of breath, gallstones, slower healing and increase susceptibility to infections

·         Psychological problems – the obese person may feel insecure

The apple vs. the pear

It has been fond out that people with an android fat distribution (also called ‘apple’ form, i.e. more fat around the waist than around the hip area) have an increased risk of heart disease than those with the ‘pear’ shape (where the fat is mostly around the hips).

The ‘apple’ form is more common in men.

Body fat distribution is more strongly linked to heart disease than a high BMI.

Waist circumference of over 94 cm in men and 80 cm I women is considered as increased risk.

Over 102 cm in men and 88 cm in women is seen as high risk.

Obesity can be seen as disease of lifestyle. By making small changes in your lifestyle, this problem can be overcome. Even small weight losses have been shown to have significant health benefits.

Dieting does not mean eating small portion, the idea is to eat sensibly and make the right food choices:

·         Have at least 3 meals per day. If you are constantly hungry, rather eat 5 – 6 smaller meals or healthy snacks between meals (e.g. fruit)

·         Eat breakfast. People who skip breakfast are more prone to obesity

·         Join a weight-loss group. Sharing problems/successes encourages people

·         Self motivation is very important. Work at changing your lifestyle to improve health, not just looks

·         Remember that losing weight takes hard work. Weight loss of ½ - 1 kg per week will ensure that it’s fat (not water) being lost.

2.       Take control of what you eat

Remember: 1 gram fat provides 38 KJ compared with 1 gram of protein or 1 gram of carbohydrate that provide only 17 KJ.

·         Reduce fat intake, especially saturated fats, i.e. animal fats and so-called ‘hidden’ fats found in cookies, pastries and processes foods

·         Use healthy cooking methods such as steaming, boiling, grilling and baking – Limit extra fats (cream, butter, mayonnaise, margarine, oil and dressings)

·         Fibre makes you feel fuller for longer. Increase your intake by using whole wheat bread and pasta, brown rice, oats etc

Eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day

·         Limit your salt intake. It makes your body retain water

·         Drink at least 6 – 8 glasses of water per day

·         Limit alcohol intake to 2 drinks for women and  for men per day, and chose drinks that are lower in energy (KJ) such as dry wine, ‘light’ beers and spirits diluted with soda water

3.       Take control of my exercise

Lack of physical exercise is a risk factor for both heart disease and high blood pressure.

In comparison to those who exercise regularly, inactive people have twice the risk of suffering heart attack and three times the chance of dying immediately after such attack.

The heart is a muscle and needs exercise to stay fit and healthy. The heart of someone who exercises regularly will beat 45-50 times per minute compared to someone who does not exercise regularly whose heart will beat 70-75 times per minute. This means 36,000 extra beats per day and 13 million extra beats every year.

The benefits of regular exercise:

• Reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke
• Improves blood cholesterol levels – increases the “good” cholesterol
• Reduces the risk of developing diabetes
• Improves the ability to fall asleep quickly and sleep well
• Increases energy, stamina and muscle strength
• Counters anxiety and depression and increases enthusiasm and optimism
• Delays/prevents chronic illnesses/diseases associated with aging
• Reduces risk of bowel and breast cancer
• Help reduce the risk factor of heart disease
• Helps manage high blood pressure
• Helps to deal with stress and releases tension
• Improves the efficiency of the heart and lungs
• Increases resistance to fatigue
• Establishes good heart-healthy habits in children
• Helps reduce symptoms of menopause
• Weight-bearing exercise reduces the risk of developing osteoporosis
• Counters risk conditions (obesity, high blood pressure, poor cholesterol levels, poor lifestyle habits, etc) that leads to heart attack and stroke
• Smokers who exercise are twice as successful in their attempt to quit
• Helps reduce and control body weight by decreasing body fat, increasing muscle and increasing metabolic rate

How much exercise do I need?

• To help your heart, exercise should be constant and last long enough to increase the blood flow to the muscles. Start slowly and increase your intensity levels (time and frequency) as your hear gets stronger
• Take three important aspect of exercise:
• Intensity – Start slowly and gradually increase the pace to a level where the heart and breathing rates are increased enough to make you sweat. Another way of monitoring exercise is to use the ‘talk test’ i.e. when exercising, you should be able to talk throughout the workout. Another guideline is to exercise at 60-80% of maximum heart rate.
• Time – Try to keep moving without interruption for at least 15 minutes and built it up to at least 30 minutes OR try to accumulate at least 30 minutes of exercise during the day ( shorter walks are just as beneficial as 1 long walk).
• Frequency – Regular exercise is of extreme importance at least 5 times per week! Try to spread it out throughout the week for the best results.

4.       Take control of my stress

Even though stress alone does not cause heart disease, it may contribute to one’s chances of developing heart disease. Cultivating a more balanced attitude towards life, while reducing other risk factors, is the most sensible approach to reducing your risk of heart disease. Stress is not only caused by negative situations or experiences, but by happy occasions too. As we experience the ups and downs of everyday life and whenever there is a major change in our lives, be a wedding, death, divorce, a birth or a change in work situation stress occurs. If one can cultivate a positive attitude towards stress, one can reduce it instead of letting I ruin one’s life.

• Can stress be healthy? Not everybody has a negative reaction to stress. In fact, most people need a little bit of stress to keep their lives interesting and prevent them form becomes unhealthy; however, stress becomes unhealthy where there is too much stress for too long.

Stress can negatively affect your heart in many ways:

• Can narrow your arteries – This could reduce the blood flow through your coronary arteries, which could cause angina or a heart attack
• Increase your blood pressure – This could increase the workload on your heart and rupture a plaque in your coronary artery, causing a heart attack
• Increases your heart rate – This could cause a potentially dangerous irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia); increases your heart’s workload

Stress Busters

• Regular exercise e for at least 30 minutes, most days of the week.
• Sleep – we all need to rest in order to cope with stress situations. We have to sleep for at least 5 to 10 hours per night.
• Follow a healthy balanced diet as certain nutrients are used up more rapidly when one is under stress. The body therefore needs extra B vitamins for a healthy central nervous system and vitamin C and zinc-containing foods for resistance to infection. Your diet should be one low in fat, cholesterol and salt but high in fibre. Eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables and avoid too much refined and processed food.
• Turn away from negative stress building thoughts and concentrate on positive stress busting ways of thinking. Combating negative thoughts and replacing them with positive ones takes practice but the results are worth it.
• Decrease your intake of caffeine, such as found in cola, coffee, tea and chocolates.
• Keep your perspective. Take a moment to think about what’s bothering you. Ask yourself, “is this really important?” or “is it reasonable to become so stressed out about this?” You’ll find that the answer is usually “no”.
• Identify your stress triggers – Running late? Feeling like no one listens to you at work? Bouncing a check? Coming home to a messy house? Once you identify your stress triggers, you will be able to plan for them. Identify which of your stress triggers are within your control and which are beyond your control and deal with them accordingly.
• You should also recognize activities that have a positive impact on your stress level, such as meeting a deadline, riding your bike, or reading before you go to bed.
• Set aside some time for yourself each day to do something you find relaxing.
• Keep a sense of humour about life.
• Stay connected to your family, friends, and other supportive people in your life.
• Try deep breathing, meditation or yoga. These techniques can help quiet your mind and counteract your body’s physical stress reactions.
• Seek help if you are overwhelmed.

5.       Take control of my salt intake

Even if you have a normal blood pressure levels, you should not consume more than 2,500 milligrams (about a teaspoon) of salt each day. The amount of salt intake for blood pressure patients should be even lesser than this. However, the amount of permissible sodium intake varies from one individual to another.

Though anyone suffering from hypertension needs to reduce the level of salt intake, there are some groups that need to make larger deductions. Here are some of them.

• People who are sensitive to salt. Consuming a diet that is rich in salt can lead to several problems in individuals with salt sensitivity. These include damage to heart, kidneys and the brain.
• People who are overweight. Overweight people tend to absorb more sodium in their bodies than people than people of normal weight.
• People on antihypertensive medicines. Reducing the consumption of salt can enhance the effectiveness of many antihypertensive medicines. Cutting down an salt intake reduces the loss of potassium, which helps the medication work better. This in turn prevents damage to the kidneys.

Everyday tips to lower salt intake:

• Read food labels carefully – Whatever food item you are choosing, you are sure to find a food label on the product. This food label specifies the amount of salt, mentioned as sodium and other ingredients used in the food. The food label also mentions the nutritional value of the food that we eat. When you develop a habit of reading food labels, you will realize that some of your favourite foods such as chips, canned soups, cakes etc contain more salt than you should consume throughout the day.
• Say no to instant food – From two minutes noodles to oatmeal that can be cooked in ten minutes, everything now comes in the instant variety. And considering the ever mounting hectic lifestyles, these instant foods have become an obvious choice. But you must avoid these foods if you want to reduce your salt intake. Go in for the non-instant variety as they contain much less salt as compared to their instant counterparts.
• Go in for low salt versions of the food you choose – If you are opting for processed or instant foods due to time constraints, then make sure that you go in for the low salt variety. All the processed foods of your choice such as chips, cereal bars, canned soups, chocolates, cakes etc offer you a low salt variety of the same product. You can buy these low salt versions at the same price.