6 preventive measures for high blood pressure

Let me put the practical information on the table for you first: There are currently 6 core preventive measures for hypertension recognized by the medical community, namely salt restriction and weight control, regular exercise, smoking cessation and alcohol restriction, balanced diet, stress management, and regular monitoring. Ordinary people can reduce the risk of hypertension by more than 40% if they insist on doing it. Next, let’s break it down and talk about it. It has both clinical practical experience and different research perspectives. You don’t have to stick to the standards. Only what suits you is useful.

Let’s talk about the most common pitfall of salt restriction first. Don’t think that just adding less salt when cooking is enough. A 28-year-old design girl who came to the clinic last week didn’t even touch the salt shaker when cooking. Her blood pressure was still stuck at the critical value of 135/85. After asking, she found out that she had salad dressing with every meal and had to drink functional drinks during overtime. She could eat 11g of these invisible salts in a day, far exceeding the 5g standard recommended by the WHO. Of course, not everyone is stuck at the 5g limit. Heavy manual workers and those who are exposed to the sun all the year round will lose sodium quickly through sweating. It is okay to eat more salt. Ordinary office workers who sit for a long time and people with a family history of high blood pressure should also include the invisible salt in processed foods into the total amount.

The impact of salt is comparable to that of weight control. I followed a 30-year-old product manager in the past two years, with a BMI of 27.8. His blood pressure was at the critical value for three consecutive physical examinations. Without prescribing medication, he was asked to reduce his weight first. He walked three kilometers around the community after get off work every day, gave up the barbecue takeout in the middle of the night, and lost 14 pounds in half a year. His blood pressure was stable at 118/76 when he was retested last week. A different research conclusion should be mentioned here: For the elderly over 75 years old, a slightly higher body weight can better withstand the consumption of diseases. There is no need to deliberately lose weight. However, young and middle-aged people should still try to control their BMI between 18.5 and 23.9. The waist circumference should not exceed 90cm for men and 85cm for women. It is more effective than how many anti-hypertensive health products you eat.

You have to keep your mouth shut and move your legs at the same time, but you don’t have to sign up for tens of thousands of fitness classes to do weightlifting. The regular exercise we are talking about is 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every week—that is, to the extent that you can talk but not sing when exercising. Brisk walking, jogging, cycling, and playing badminton all count. Many friends with bad knees say they can’t run, what should they do? Many domestic studies on the integration of traditional Chinese and Western medicine have confirmed that low-intensity traditional fitness methods such as Baduanjin and Tai Chi can control blood pressure no worse than jogging for three months. You can choose according to your own physical condition. There is no need to follow the trend and force yourself to do exercises you don’t like.

Oh, by the way, if you have done all the above, it will be in vain if you still smoke and drink every day. Needless to say, the benefits of quitting smoking are that even if you just reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke from one pack to half a pack per day, your systolic blood pressure will drop by 2-3mmHg. As for drinking, it used to be said that drinking a small amount of red wine can soften blood vessels. Now the latest global cardiovascular research has overturned this conclusion. Even drinking a drop of wine has a burden on the cardiovascular system. If you really can't postpone socializing, try to control the amount of liquor to no more than 1 tael a day and beer to no more than 300ml. Drink less if you can.

When it comes to eating, in addition to limiting salt, a balanced meal structure is also important. Nowadays, many people eat polished rice, white flour, fried foods, and eat less fruits and vegetables. The intake of potassium is insufficient, which will also disrupt the balance of sodium and potassium in the body and increase blood pressure. The most recommended one at the moment is the DASH eating pattern specifically for blood pressure control, which means eating more whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and low-fat dairy products, and eating less red meat, sweets, and foods high in saturated fat. However, you don’t have to copy this pattern completely. It’s too strict and you won’t be able to stick to it. Add more brown rice and oats to your meals, eat an extra fistful of green leafy vegetables every day, and occasionally eat a banana to replenish potassium. Slowly adjusting is enough.

There is also an invisible killer that many people don’t pay attention to – emotional stress. Last year I met an e-commerce boss. His blood pressure was usually fine, but he got headaches during the 618 and Double 11 sales. His blood pressure soared to 145/95 and then returned to normal after he was busy. If this stress-induced increase in blood pressure is repeated for a long time, it can easily develop into irreversible true hypertension. To regulate stress, you don’t have to follow the trend and learn mindfulness meditation. If you like to pet cats, pet them more. If you like fishing, go fishing for half a day on weekends. Even if you take half an hour a week to sit on the balcony and daze, as long as it can relax you, there is no standard "right way".

Finally, let’s talk about the most worry-free and most easily overlooked: regular monitoring. Nowadays, many young people think that hypertension is a disease of the elderly and do not pay attention to their blood pressure at all. The latest epidemiological data shows that the prevalence of hypertension among young people aged 18-35 has exceeded 10%, and nearly half of them do not know it. Just prepare an upper-arm electronic blood pressure monitor at home. You don’t need to buy an expensive one. Measure it 2-3 times a month. Don’t drink coffee or smoke before taking the measurement. Sit quietly for 5 minutes before taking the measurement. The value will be very accurate. As for the accuracy of the wrist blood pressure monitor that everyone is debating, as long as it is worn according to the instructions, it is completely sufficient for elderly people with limited mobility, and there is no need to worry too much about the style.

In fact, among these 6 measures, there is no priority as to which one must be done first. Whichever one is easiest for you to do first, you don’t need to set a perfect health plan for yourself right from the start, as it will be easy for you to fail to stick to it. Drink one less bottle of functional drinks with added salt today, smoke one less cigarette tomorrow, and gradually form a habit, which is more effective than any expensive health regimen.