Tips on How to Manage
High Blood Pressure
If you have high blood pressure, managing it can seem daunting, but consider these steps as you begin to do so. These tips are meant to be helpful, rather than medical advice. If you have any concerns about your blood pressure, you should speak to your doctor.
Where to Begin
- One of the keys to managing your blood pressure is to know your numbers. The CDC recommends normal blood pressure is less than 120/80mm Hg; however, talk to your doctor about determining your personal target.
- Keeping a good relationship with your healthcare provider is essential, as they can become more personally familiar with your health and medical history. Healthcare providers who know you best often understand nuances of your health and can help you make a personalized blood pressure management plan.
- Changing how you live, eat and exercise can be a crucial part of managing your blood pressure.
Keep these five tips in mind when it comes to managing your blood pressure, and always consult your doctor.
Here are some of the key lifestyle choices that contribute to healthy blood pressure:
- Maintaining a healthy weight with a body mass index, or BMI, between 18.5 and 24.9.
- Eating healthier with a diet of fruits, veggies, low-fat diary, and less saturated and trans fats.
- Reducing sodium intake. Stay under 1500 mg a day, if possible.
- Physical activity can help keep you at a healthy weight and lower your blood pressure. Adults need to get at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise (such as brisk walking or bicycling, every week). That’s about 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Children and adolescents should get 1 hour of physical activity every day.
- Be sure to talk to your doctor before starting an exercise program.
- Limiting alcohol consumption. Drink no more than 1 to 2 drinks a day.
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Do not smoke, since smoking raises your blood pressure and puts you at higher risk for heart attack and stroke. If you do not smoke, do not start. If you do smoke, quitting will lower your risk for heart disease. Your doctor can suggest ways to help you quit.
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Getting enough sleep is important to your overall health and enough sleep is part of keeping your heart and blood vessels healthy. Not getting enough sleep on a regular basis is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke.
4. Check your blood pressure often and come to learn what is normal for you, and when it begins to rise or lower.
5. Remember to take your medications exactly as prescribed.
Keep these five tips in mind when it comes to managing your blood pressure, and always consult your doctor.
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