Sedentary normal people  have a 20 – 50% increased risk of developing hypertensionas compared to very active people. Exercise lowers both systolic and diastolic blood pressures. For example dynamic exercises such as  brisk walking or jogging, swimming or bicycle riding for 30 – 45mins daily up to 3-5times a week may reduce blood pressure by as much as  5 – 15mmHg. There would appear  to be a connection  between the amount of exercise and the degree to  which blood pressure is lowered. Thus, to a point, the more you exercise, the more you lower your blood pressure. Provided that  you do not over strain yourself. Normally, a particularly type of exercise is started, and gradually increased  to a satisfactory level over time. Regular exercise reduces blood pressure, burn excessive  fat and generally make  the body healthier.

 

ALCOHOL AND SMOKING:

 

These two constitute the social factors most related to high blood pressure.Those who drink alcohol to excess  (over two drinks per day) have a one and half to two times increase in the frequency of hypertension. The corealation between alcohol and high blood pressure becomes particularly noticeable when the alcohol intake exceeds the above per day. Moreover, the connection is a dose related phenomenon.  Thus, the more alcohol consumed, the stronger the chances of hypertension.  Which will explain the prevalence of hypertension in populations where alcohol consumption is a habit.

 

Although smoking increases the risk of vascular complications  (for example, heart diseases and stroke) in people who already have hypertension, it cannot be directly linked with increase in the development of hypertension. However  smoking a cigarette does produce an immediate, temporary rise in blood pressure of 5 – 10mmHg, but a permanent increase cannot be established. It is known that some substances in cigarettes, e.g. nicotine, alters the composition of the blood and also affects the blood vessels.

 

Smoking and alcohol control are integral part of any effort towards controlling cardiovascular diseases in any population. Although the role of stress in hypertension is difficult to define, it is known that stress causes a physiological rise in blood pressure which could become permanent if the stress is prolonged.

 

A STICH IN TIME

 

Since lifestyle components such as dietary patterns, obesity, physical activity, alcohol and smoking have been recognized as important risk factors, steps to reducehypertension or to alleviate the condition (for those who are hypertensives) should include  lifestyle modification.

 

Dietary modifications include restricting salt intake cutting down or cutting out alcohol, reduced fat consumption, and reducing weight if overweight. The American Heart Association recommends a daily consumption of less than 6grams of table salt for normal individuals, and less than 4grams if subject to hypertension.

 

A regular exercise program such as brisk walking, jogging, swimming  for 30 – 45mins daily or 3-5 times a week could be very helpful.Go to  http://besttreadmillforrunning.com and read the reviews on treadmills that you can have at home to make exercising more convenient.

 

Conclusively, it is very important to remember that the only way to know if your blood pressure is on the high side is by taking your blood pressure frequently. Normally, your doctor would do that for you. But for more consistent monitoring  of blood pressure, a self-operated blood pressure monitor is important. Being very handy and always around, it allows you to check your blood pressure regularly and and know of anyreport an increase immediately.

 

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