A comprehensive review emphasizes the importance of lifestyle changes as the primary approach to preventing and managing high blood pressure. This approach draws from clinical and scientific evidence gathered from 18 countries, highlighting various effective lifestyle modifications for hypertension treatment.
Key Lifestyle Interventions Include:
- Establishing Healthy Habits Early in Life: Promoting lifelong wellness.
- Healthy Eating Habits: Increase the consumption of fruits, vegetables, nuts, low-fat dairy products, and fish. Reduce intake of red meat, sugar, and salt.
- Smart Hydration: Consider incorporating beetroot juice, pomegranate juice, cocoa, and hibiscus tea into your diet. Enjoy unsweetened coffee and tea in moderation, while minimizing or eliminating alcohol consumption.
- Physical Activity: Incorporate regular exercise into your routine, including brisk walking, muscle-strengthening exercises, and aerobic activities. Avoid prolonged periods of sitting and maintain an active lifestyle.
- Maintain a Healthy Weight: Monitor your weight and waist circumference to ensure they stay within healthy ranges.
- Stress Reduction: Prioritize good-quality sleep, mindfulness practices, yoga, deep breathing techniques, meditation, music therapy, acts of kindness, and gratitude to manage stress effectively.
- Reduce Exposure to Pollution: Engage in outdoor activities in parks or gardens, away from busy roadways. Consider using air filtration systems to minimize exposure to air pollutants.
- Avoid Passive Smoke and Smoking: Steer clear of passive smoke exposure and take steps to quit smoking if you currently do.
Hypertension is typically characterized by a systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 140 mmHg or higher and a diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of 90 mmHg or more. This condition affects approximately 1.5 billion people worldwide. While there are effective medications available, lifestyle modifications are recommended as the initial strategy due to the potential side effects associated with pharmaceutical treatments.
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Sandiego Currents journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.
