What can you do yourself against high blood pressure?

Those who get older almost always have to deal with rising blood pressure. For example, the vessel wall becomes stiffer with age. High blood pressure can cause health problems. What can you do to lower or control your blood pressure?

Those who visit a hospital in Thailand for a consultation will have to deal with a blood pressure measurement as standard and it will also be checked whether you have a fever. A good preventive measure you would think, but there are some doubts. For example, a visit to a hospital already raises blood pressure for many people because it entails some stress. There is also a category of people who suffer from 'white coat hypertension', the blood pressure then becomes higher as soon as it is measured. In that case, a 24-hour measurement provides a better insight.

What is high blood pressure?

Blood pressure is the pressure in your blood vessels. When your heart contracts and thus pushes your blood into the body, the pressure in your blood vessels is at its highest. That is called the top pressure. When your heart relaxes again afterwards, a lower pressure is created. We call that the suppression. Your blood pressure is constantly changing. When you run fast, the blood pressure is higher than when you sit quietly.

Can high blood pressure hurt?

High blood pressure is not a disease, but long-term high blood pressure does increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (for example, a stroke, kidney damage or a heart attack). It is what we call a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The risk of cardiovascular disease is not only determined by your blood pressure. Other risk factors are:

• have (had) a cardiovascular disease;
• diabetes mellitus (diabetes);
• rheumatoid arthritis;
• impaired kidney function;
• an elevated cholesterol level;
• a father, mother, brother or sister who developed a cardiovascular disease before the age of 65;
• smoking;
• stress
• too little exercise;
• excessive use of alcohol;
• unhealthy food;
• overweight.

The risk of cardiovascular disease increases with age and is greater for men than for women. Some factors are more risky than others; together the risk factors reinforce each other.

What can you do yourself to lower your blood pressure?

Lose weight
Subjects who lost an average of four kilograms in one year had their systolic pressure reduced by 3 to 10 points and their negative pressure by 1 to 6 points. Losing weight works very well, especially fat in the abdominal area on the abdomen causes problems. This fat produces hormones that increase blood pressure. If the belly fat disappears, it also lowers blood pressure.

Relax
Relaxation exercises, meditation, deep abdominal breathing: there is tentative evidence that these types of stress management techniques help lower blood pressure. At least the pressure.

Eat less salt
A big problem in Thailand, the food is quite salty, although you can't taste it because sugar is also used. Fish sauce in particular is a salt bomb. But it's not just about salt that you add yourself, many products contain large amounts of salt (or sodium). Licorice, pizza, cheese, bread, meats, soup, sauces and everything from the snack bar are better left alone.

When you eat 4 grams of salt less per day, the upper pressure drops on average 5 points and the lower pressure 3 points. The advice is a maximum of 6 grams of salt per day. The World Health Organization even recommends only 5 grams. On average, we eat about 9 to 10 grams a day. Most of it is 'hidden' in food: you can't taste it, but it's there.

To move
Exercise makes the blood vessels more elastic over time and that helps to lower blood pressure. In the short term, blood pressure naturally rises with exercise: the heart has to pump harder during exercise. But in the long term, the vessels become in better condition. The upper pressure drops on average by 5 to 8 points if you walk half an hour more per day than you normally do. Or if you go cycling or jogging for an hour three times a week.

Quit smoking?
Whether the blood pressure drops as a result has not been conclusively proven. It is certain that the damage to the heart, blood vessels, lungs and kidneys is limited.

Drink less alcohol?
The link between alcohol and blood pressure is not entirely clear. High blood pressure appears to be more common in people who drink. But some studies among patients with high blood pressure suggest that an occasional drink actually reduces their risk of cardiovascular disease.

Sources: Health Network and Thuisarts