Avoid bad habits for people with high blood pressure

Unhealthy habits such as smoking, drinking alcohol, lack of exercise, prolonged stress, high salt intake, processed foods, frozen foods, and stimulants can cause blood pressure to rise and become difficult to control.

Limiting or eliminating these habits will help reduce the risk of developing blood pressure problems and related complications. Instead, patients should focus on building a healthy lifestyle, both physically and mentally.

What is high blood pressure?

What is hypertension? Hypertension is when systolic blood pressure is ≥140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure is ≥90 mmHg, or when it has been previously diagnosed and treated.

Habits that affect high blood pressure

When suffering from high blood pressure, patients need to change their lifestyle to limit the effects of bad living habits on blood pressure.

Drinking alcohol

Regular consumption of small amounts of alcohol (around 15ml of ethanol, 360ml of beer per day) may help reduce the causes of death in general and cardiovascular disease in particular, but excessive drinking can easily increase blood pressure.

Eating salty food

(Source: Getty)

The less salt you eat, the lower your blood pressure. The average person's salt requirement is 15g/day. However, up to 10g of salt is already present in natural foods. Therefore, a person only needs to add one teaspoon of salt per day.

Besides reducing salt intake during cooking, patients should limit the use of extra salt or sauces while eating. They should also avoid fast food and processed foods, as most of these contain high levels of salt. Soft drinks and beer also contain high levels of sodium, sometimes even higher than other processed foods.

In daily meals, you shouldn't add more than 5g of salt. A way to estimate 5g of salt is to convert it to 35g of soy sauce (3.5 tablespoons), 8g of bouillon powder (1.5 tablespoons), 11g of seasoning powder (2 tablespoons), or 26g of fish sauce (2.5 tablespoons).

Not getting enough sleep.

If patients don't get enough sleep at night, they may experience a sudden spike in blood pressure upon waking in the morning. Getting enough sleep helps regulate heart rate, stabilize blood pressure, and promotes a relaxed and cheerful mood, reducing stress and increasing creativity. Patients should aim for 8 hours of sleep per day and sleep at regular times.

Lazy to exercise

Regular exercise is beneficial for people with high blood pressure. (Source: Getty)

Regular exercise is a way to lose weight and help control blood pressure. Aim for 30-45 minutes of physical activity most days of the week, and at least 4-5 days a week. However, be mindful of avoiding strenuous physical activity beyond your body's capabilities.

Unscientific diet

Diet, exercise and medication are among the factors that affect the condition of high blood pressure.

Patients should maintain a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat foods, while reducing their intake of saturated and total fats. Patients with hypertension should eat regular, balanced meals.

In your daily diet, pay attention to adding more green vegetables and fruits. The fiber in vegetables, fruits, and grains (brown rice, beans, etc.) helps metabolize fats and lower blood pressure. In addition, patients should reduce their sugar intake and consume 55-85g of dairy products such as yogurt and cheese daily.

In addition, some plant-based fats and vegetable oils, fish oil, and fatty nuts such as almonds, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds are also very good. Patients should eat more fish and seafood while reducing red meat (pork, beef) and eggs.

Sudden temperature changes

In the summer, hot weather causes blood vessels to dilate and lower blood pressure. Patients should limit going in and out of air-conditioned rooms with excessively cold temperatures, which can cause sudden vasoconstriction.

In winter, the cold weather causes an increase in catecholamines in the blood, leading to vasoconstriction and increased blood pressure. Therefore, the body must be kept warm, especially the head, neck, and feet.

Patients should dress warmly both indoors and outdoors. Note that outdoor exercise should be avoided too early in the morning or too late at night, and showering after 10 PM is not recommended.

Not measuring blood pressure regularly

People with hypertension need to measure their blood pressure daily to monitor whether it is at its target, or measure it whenever there are any abnormal signs.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/tranh-ngay-nhung-thoi-quen-khong-tot-voi-nguoi-benh-cao-huet-ap-post1044683.vnp