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Prevention of High Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is the force of blood against the walls of arteries. The heart pumps blood into the arteries and blood vessels, which carry the blood throughout the body. High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is dangerous because it makes the heart work harder to pump blood to the body. High blood pressure also contributes to hardening of the arteries or atherosclerosis.

High blood pressure increases your chances or risk for getting heart disease and kidney disease and for having a stroke. It is especially dangerous because it often has no warning signs or symptoms. Regardless of race, age, or gender, anyone can develop high blood pressure.

Lowering high blood pressure or keeping it normal can help in avoiding heart problems.

Steps to prevent high blood pressure

Maintain a healthy weight
The main reason for high blood pressure is over weight. It increases your chances of getting high blood pressure. Maintaining a healthy weight will prevent hypertension and over all health. Make sure your diet includes fresh fruits and vegetable that keep your diet balanced and your blood pressure maintained. Weight can be maintained by eating fewer calories than you burn.

Lose weight
To loose weight you have to go slowly by reducing the amount of fats and sugars in your diet. Try to burn the calories as you consume them. Loosing weight does not mean cutting on food or avoiding things, but taking them in moderate amount according to the need.

Being physically active
High blood pressure can be prevented by being more active physically. It will help in burning of calories in a faster and effective manner. Cutting down on fat and calories combined with regular physical activity can help you lose more weight and keep it off longer than by cutting diet or working harder.

Light activities if carried out on daily basis can help lower risk of heart disease. Physical activity can be included in your daily routine in small but important ways.

Vigorous exercise holds other added benefits. It helps improve the fitness of the heart and lungs. In turn it protects you from heart diseases. Activities like swimming, brisk walking, running, and jumping rope are called aerobic. This means that the body uses oxygen to make the energy it needs for the activity.

Eating less salt and sodium
Salt and sodium content in diet can lead to high blood pressure. It’s important to read food labels before buying so that you know what kind of food you are eating. The U.S. guidelines suggest limiting sodium intake to no more than 2,400 mg, or about 1 teaspoon of salt each day. Fast foods contain a lot of sodium thus make sure that you eat fast food choose items that are contain low salt and sodium. Reducing your salt intake will help to prevent high blood pressure.

If you add salt to your food at the table, try using avoiding it or use less. It may take a little while to get used to the new flavors, but you may find that food tastes better when you use less salt.

When possible try to buy low- or reduced- sodium, or "no-salt-added" versions of foods like soups, vegetables and vegetable juices, low-fat cheeses, margarine, condiments, crackers and baked goods, processed lean meats, and snack foods.

Stop smoking
Research has shown that smoking increases ones chances of developing a heart disease, stroke, stroke, peripheral arterial disease and several other forms of cancer.

Smoking injures the walls of blood vessel and speeds up the process of hardening of the arteries. This applies even to filtered cigarettes. Even though it does not directly cause high blood pressure, smoking is bad for anyone, especially those with high blood pressure. If you smoke try to avoid smoking to prevent blood pressure.

Drinking alcohol in moderation
Excess of alcohol can lead to high blood pressure. To help prevent high blood pressure, limit the intake to no more than two drinks a day. If you drink alcohol do it in moderation. The U.S. guidelines recommend that men have no more than 2 drinks per day, and women have no more than one alcoholic beverage per day.

Reduce Stress
Stress can lead to high blood pressure. Stress can make your heart beat faster and leads to fast pumping of blood in the arteries. This can lead to high blood pressure and increases the risk of over working your heart.

High blood pressure can prove to be very dangerous. It may leave a person vulnerable to heart diseases and other problems. Steps should be followed to prevent high blood pressure.