Written by Vera Coetsee, Health and Nutrition Coach
3 Feb 2025
Managing high blood pressure is crucial for maintaining overall health and preventing serious complications. Lifestyle changes can play a significant role in controlling blood pressure levels effectively. By adopting healthier habits such as a balanced diet, regular physical activity, weight management, and stress reduction, individuals can make meaningful strides towards better cardiovascular health. This approach not only helps in managing hypertension but also fosters a healthier lifestyle, benefiting both physical and mental well-being.
Causes of high blood pressure:
- Diet: High salt intake, excessive alcohol consumption, and diets low in potassium can contribute to hypertension.
- Physical Inactivity: Lack of exercise can lead to weight gain and higher blood pressure.
- Obesity: Excess weight can lead to increased blood pressure due to added strain on the heart.
- Stress: Chronic stress may cause temporary spikes in blood pressure, and unhealthy coping mechanisms can exacerbate the issue.
Here are some effective lifestyle changes to help manage high blood pressure:
- Eat a Healthy Diet – Focus on the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, which emphasises fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. Also, focus on reducing your salt intake.
- Maintain a Healthy Weight – Maintaining a healthy weight can help lower blood pressure. Aim for a balanced diet and regular physical activity.
- Stay Physically Active – Engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week, such as walking, swimming, or cycling.
- Limit Alcohol Consumption – Limit your alcohol intake, and experiment with some non alcohol drink options.
- Manage Stress – Incorporate stress-reducing techniques such as meditation, yoga, deep breathing exercises, or hobbies that relax you. You can also consider working with a mental health counsellor to help you manage your stress.
- Get Enough Sleep – Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night, as poor sleep can contribute to high blood pressure.
Implementing these changes can significantly impact your blood pressure management and promote better cardiovascular health. If you need support with your heart health this year, make an appointment at our clinic here.
Cardiovascular Screening Available at Restore
At Restore we offer personalised health screening to those looking for more specific support. The coronary risk profile screening is created to help prevent heart disease and atherosclerosis by screening for cardiovascular health. This test is recommended if you have a high risk of heart disease, such as a family history of this condition. The coronary heart health testing panel includes:
- C-Reactive Protein High Sensitivity, an inflammation marker that is tied to the risk of heart attack and stroke
- Lipid Panel which measures total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and Triglycerides
- Lipoprotein A a genetically determine marker for cardiovascular risk
- Apo B
Sources:
Foguet-Boreu Q, Ayerbe García-Morzon L. Estrés psicosocial, hipertensión arterial y riesgo cardiovascular [Psychosocial stress, high blood pressure and cardiovascular risk]. Hipertens Riesgo Vasc. 2021 Apr-Jun;38(2):83-90. Spanish. doi: 10.1016/j.hipert.2020.09.001. Epub 2020 Oct 12. PMID: 33060048.
Filippou C, Tatakis F, Polyzos D, Manta E, Thomopoulos C, Nihoyannopoulos P, Tousoulis D, Tsioufis K. Overview of salt restriction in the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) and the Mediterranean diet for blood pressure reduction. Rev Cardiovasc Med. 2022 Jan 19;23(1):36. doi: 10.31083/j.rcm2301036. PMID: 35092228.