Contents:
- Medical Video: White Coat Hypertension
- What are the risks if you regularly check blood pressure?
- It is important to maintain blood pressure
- 1. Always monitor blood pressure
- 2. Take care of the food you eat
- 3. Active move
- 4. Limit salt intake
Medical Video: White Coat Hypertension
The condition of high blood pressure is often referred to as "the silent killer", because so many people actually suffer from high blood pressure and they don't know it.
Statistical data in Indonesia shows that around 25 percent, or about one in four adults, have high blood pressure. Coupled with the large number of people who suffer from obesity and type 2 diabetes, it's not surprising that high blood pressure will also be affected by these two conditions.
What are the risks if you regularly check blood pressure?
When you have high blood pressure, or hypertension, you are also at increased risk of heart disease, kidney failure, stroke, and other serious conditions. Both men and women can be affected and feel the bad effects of hypertension.
To find out how high or low the pressure is on your blood, know first what your tension numbers mean. The new guideline says that the systolic number (top number in blood pressure) is above 140 and the diastolic number (bottom number) above 90 is considered high.
Normally blood pressure is at the number of systolic numbers 120 or less, and diastolic 80 or less.
It is important to maintain blood pressure
In 2002 and 2003, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute issued two reports that serve as guidelines for the treatment and prevention of high blood pressure.
Both of these reports suggest that lifestyle adjustments can help prevent and treat hypertension. Experts agree that the first thing to prevent or control hypertension is routine blood pressure checks and implementing a healthy lifestyle.
Follow these recommendations to help take over your blood pressure, with or without medication assistance:
1. Always monitor blood pressure
Pressure on the blood will rise and change everyday. This will also be affected by your weight gain. so losing weight is one of the best ways to lower your blood pressure.
In accordance with national guidelines and recent research, weight loss can reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and potentially eliminate high blood pressure. For every 10 kg wasted from your excess weight, you can reduce systolic pressure by 5-20 points.
2. Take care of the food you eat
Eating low-fat foods, often eating fruits and vegetables and drinking low-fat milk can reduce your systolic number 8-14 points. Apply a diet like this to control your hypertension. See the following guide
- Eat 4-5 servings of vegetables per day
- Eat 4-5 servings of fruit per day (choose potassium-rich fruits and vegetables such as bananas, tomatoes, avocados, raisins, melons and oranges)
- Eat 7-8 daily servings of wheat, preferably whole wheat
- Drink 2-3 servings of low fat or fat free milk
- Eat 2 daily servings of meat, poultry or seafood
- Eat 4-5 servings of nuts, seeds, per week
- Eat 2-3 daily servings of fat and oil
- Eat a maximum of 5 servings of sweets, canned food and snacks per week. Should not be more.
3. Active move
Moving actively for at least 30 minutes every day can keep blood pressure normal. You can do brisk walking or other aerobic activities can reduce 4-9 points of your systolic pressure.
Sweating, difficulty breathing, and increased heart rate during exercise or exercise are normal. But remember, do not force excessive exercise. It doesn't need to be too ambitious to reach 10 minutes if you are not used to exercising. If you have been panting after running or walking for 5 minutes, take a break immediately.
4. Limit salt intake
The diet of an average adult consumes 4,000 mg of sodium a day, which is obtained from salt. You can reduce it to the recommended level, which is only 1,500-2,300 mg sodium, by:
- Cook healthy food yourself. Fresh and natural foods contain far less salt than processed foods. Salt is usually used to help preserve food.
- Reduce eating processed foods. Salt is found in instant foods, soups, canned vegetables, processed meat (meat, sausages, ham, canned meat and canned fish), etc.
- Salt your food when it is served on a plate, not when cooking because the salt is less pronounced and you will add too much salt. A pinch of salt contains about 200 mg of sodium.
- Read food labels and choose brands that are low in sodium or salt
- Season the food with fresh and dried spices and salt-free seasonings
- If you drink alcohol, limit one to two glasses per day for 2-4 points of systolic reduction. It's better to stop drinking alcoholic beverages from now on.
Blood pressure increases with age, so as we get older it becomes more important to know the amount of pressure on your blood and what we can do to keep it in the "normal" range.
This can be overcome by adjusting your eating plan to enjoy more types of food, and do regular physical activity. Take responsibility for yourself and the pressure on your blood starting today.
