Editor
20-May-2020
Hypertension, also called a silent killer, can be best controlled and avoided if you make some quick changes in your lifestyle, NOW! Mudit Dandwate, co-founder, Dozee, gives you 4 ways to control it.
Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is caused when the pressure of blood against the artery walls is too high. Usually, it is defined as blood pressure above 140/90 and is considered severe if the pressure is above 180/120. Hypertension can be caused due to many reasons like your lifestyle, environment/surroundings, sleep apnea, and how your body changes as you age. If it stays for too long, it can cause major health issues without showing any evident symptoms, which is why Hypertension is called a "silent killer." Uncontrolled high blood pressure puts you at a higher risk for stroke, heart disease, heart attack, aneurysm, sleep apnea, and kidney failure. And the best way to control or avoid hypertension is to change certain aspects of your lifestyle NOW.
1. Regular physical exercise
It is important to give your body some movement. Excess body weight can contribute to hypertension. Exercising with moderate intensity for at least 15-20 minutes on a daily basis can help you keep your blood pressure in balance. Exercises like swimming, brisk walking, jogging and cycling are best advised.
2. Stress reduction
Stress can be caused by over working or over thinking in certain situations. High levels of stress can boost blood pressure and by learning how to reduce stress can help a person control blood pressure. Meditation, warm baths, yoga, or simply going for a walk are some techniques that help relieve stress. Even a quick 5 minutes of focused breathing can help you release stress.
3.) Practising Yoga Nidra
It has been proven that 30 minutes session of Yoga Nidra is equivalent to 2 hours of quality sleep. A mild meditative song or melody can really help boost your yogic sleep. People who struggle with sound sleep at night, stress, or anxiety because of work, stressing their eyes too much due to increased screen time currently can indulge in the practice of Yoga Nidra. Certain apps have guided meditation and/or Yoga Nidra as a part of guided meditation which promises to make your experience worthwhile and prodigious. Thus, it releases stress and hence keeps you from having high blood pressure.
4.) Eating healthy
People who have high blood pressure or people at high risk of developing high blood pressure should eat as little saturated and total fat as possible. They should include whole grain, high fiber foods, a variety of fruit and vegetables, beans, pulses, and nuts, fish rich in omega-3 twice a week, non-tropical vegetable oils (like olive oil), skinless poultry and low-fat dairy products. It is important to avoid trans fats, hydrogenated vegetable oils, and animal fats, as well as large portion sizes.
Some symptoms of hypertension are underlying or may not be seen until very later in life. They may be hazardous to health and hence it is important to keep a check on your blood pressure by going to your medical practitioner at regular intervals of time and getting it checked. And if you know your lifestyle is not at its best and can cause problems to your body and mind in the near future, start making amends today and save yourself. If you manage to do so, your future self is thanking you for taking care of it already! So, go, get it checked or sign up for a health check-up soon or get yourself an IoT device from a spread of those that are available online to track your health on a daily basis cause honestly, "You do you!"
Disclaimer: This article is authored by Mudit Dandwate, co-founder, Dozee. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author’s and do not represent those of GlobalSpa.
Picture Credits: Unsplash.com
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