Controlling blood pressure through lifestyle changes

While a proper diet is instrumental in maintaining normal blood pressure, it should be combined with other lifestyle changes. Here's how to determine if you have high blood pressure and some healthy tips to help you control it.

• Blood does not flow through the body in a steady stream; instead, it courses in spurts. Thus, blood pressure is expressed in two numbers, such as 120/80. The higher number indicates the systolic pressure, the peak force when the heart contracts and pumps a small amount of blood into the circulation. The lower number, the diastolic reading, measures pressure exerted when the heart is resting momentarily between beats.
• The units of blood pressure measurement are millimetres of mercury; basically this measures how high the pressure of the blood can push a column of mercury in an evacuated tube.
• A doctor usually uses a stethoscope and a sphygmomanometer to measure blood pressure. The cuff is tightened to stop blood flow, and as pressure is released, he listens for the sounds that indicate systolic and diastolic pressures.
• If your resting blood pressure is consistently 140/90 or higher, you have high blood pressure.

The different classifications are:

• Normal: Less than 120 (systolic) — Less than 80 (diastolic)
• Prehypertension: 120 to 139 (systolic) — 80 to 89 (diastolic)
• Stage 1 hypertension: 140 to 159 (systolic) — 90 to 99 (diastolic)
• Stage 2 hypertension: Greater than 160 (systolic) — Greater than 100 (diastolic)

Note: Some people have a normal systolic reading but a high diastolic pressure; they are classified as hypertensive. Other people have isolated systolic hypertension.

• One of the most important is regular aerobic exercise, which lowers blood pressure by conditioning the heart to work more efficiently.
• If you smoke, give up the habit. Nicotine raises blood pressure. Quitting can drop blood pressure by 10 points or more.

Over-the-counter cold, allergy and diet pills can raise blood pressure.

• In some women, birth control pills, or estrogen replacement therapy, can cause high blood pressure.

Experts continue to debate the role of stress in hypertension. There is no doubt that stress temporarily raises blood pressure, and some experts think that it may have a long-term effect.

• Meditation, yoga, biofeedback training, self-hypnosis and other relaxation techniques may help lower blood pressure.
• Studies have found that people with pets have lower blood pressure than non-pet owners.

Doctors usually recommend six months of lifestyle changes to see if mild to moderate hypertension returns to normal levels. If not, drug therapy is often instituted.

• There are dozens of antihypertensive drugs and doctors can usually find one or a combination that lowers blood pressure with minimal adverse side effects.
• The most widely used drugs are diuretics, which re­duce salt and fluid volume by increasing the flow of urine.
• Some classes of drugs reduce the heart's workload by helping to widen, or dilate, the arterioles to increase blood flow; others regulate nerve impulses to slow the pulse.
• It is also important to treat disorders that contribute to high blood pressure; these include diabetes and elevated blood cholesterol, both of which compound the risk of developing heart problems.
• Dietary and other lifestyle changes that lower high blood pressure also help to control diabetes and blood cholesterol levels.

Keep these tips in mind to safely control your blood pressure and remember to contact your doctor with any further questions.