Five Simple Steps to Control Your Blood Pressure
Your HBP deserves your attention.
Uncontrolled high blood pressure can be fatal. If you’ve been diagnosed with high BP, these five simple steps can help you keep it under control:
Know your numbers
It is recommended that everyone, with diagnosed high blood pressure or not, maintain blood pressure below 120/80 mm Hg. Your health care professional can tell you your personal target blood pressure.
Work with your health care professional
Your health care professional will help you make a plan to lower your blood pressure.
Make a few lifestyle changes
In many cases this will be your health care professional's first recommendation, likely in one of these areas:
- Maintain a healthy weight. If you are overweight or obese, weight loss will help reduce your blood pressure.
- Eat healthier. Eat lots of fruit, veggies and low-fat dairy and less saturated and total fat. The DASH diet is geared toward reducing blood pressure.
- Reduce sodium. Ideally, stay under 1,500 mg a day, but aim for at least a 1,000 mg per day reduction.
- Get active. Aim for at least 90 to 150 minutes of aerobic and/or dynamic resistance exercise per week and/or three sessions of isometric resistance exercises per week.
- Limit alcohol. Drink no more than one to two drinks a day (one for most women, two for most men).
Keep checking your blood pressure at home
Take ownership of your treatment by tracking your blood pressure.
Take your medication
If you have to take medication, take it exactly the way your health care professional says.
