This month Sue Lucente talks about High Blood Pressure.
High blood pressure is something that you may suffer from and not even know that you have it. Although, with today’s more frequent health checks, thankfully it is being diagnosed more often before it does real long term damage to our health.
There may be many contributory factors to high blood pressure but fortunately there are many simple changes that can be made to help reduce it and keep it under control.
Blood pressure is often affected by a persons weight. The size of your waistline can also play its part. If you are carrying too much weight around your middle it can increase your risk of developing high blood pressure and diabetes. Having high blood pressure can also increase your risk of heart disease and stroke.
Diet and lifestyle can play an important part in helping to reduce your blood pressure.
A good way to start is to keep a food diary even if only for a week , this will help you to pinpoint the areas of your diet that can be changed to improve your health. You may be surprised at exactly what and how much you are actually eating. Most of us do not give too much thought about what is in the food we are eating and most of us think that we are already eating healthily.
When it comes to trying to reduce your blood pressure consuming less salt is a good place to start.
Check the labels on the foods you buy, you may be surprised at how much salt is added to tinned and processed foods. Try cutting back on these and eat more fresh foods. Don’t add salt to food when cooking or once on the plate, your palate will soon get used to tasting the food rather than tasting the salt that you apply.
Alcohol also plays a part in raising blood pressure. Binge drinking is particularly bad as your blood pressure will rise in response to your body trying to process a large quantity of alcohol.
Try to reduce your alcohol consumption and stay within government guidelines.
Smoking is another factor that needs to be considered. Nicotine can raise your blood pressure for up to an hour after smoking, therefore smoking throughout the day may cause your blood pressure to remain high.
Stress, something that is hard to avoid but try to learn to recognise the triggers that make you feel stressed, then consider how you might be able to reduce it or cope with it better.
Exercise is not only a good way to relieve stress , it will also help you keep your body fit and healthy for the long term.
telephone: 07777 655252
email: suelucente2@btinternet.com
