Tips for preventing and managing high blood pressure
Hypertension Canada recognizes May as Hypertension Month with world Hypertension Day falling on May 17th. Hypertension is another word for having high blood pressure long term. High blood pressure can lead to heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and dementia.
1 in 4 Canadian adults have high blood pressure and many do not know they have high blood pressure because they do not have any symptoms. It is a good idea to go to your doctor or pharmacy to have it checked regularly. To help prevent or get control of high blood pressure see the tips below on things we need to do more of and things we should get less of.
Get More:
Exercise
- Try to get 30-60 minutes of exercise 4-7 days per week. This can include exercises like going for a walk, jogging, cycling, or swimming.
Potassium
- Eating foods with potassium can help lower blood pressure.
- Potassium is in:
- Vegetables and fruit like potatoes, tomatoes, melon, oranges, mushrooms, and spinach.
- Protein foods like milk and yogurt and fish like char, salmon, and canned tuna.
- Talk to your doctor to make sure you are not at risk of having too much potassium.
Relaxation
- Extra stress can make blood pressure go up for some people.
- Managing stress and practicing relaxation can help lower blood pressure.
- Breathing exercises, meditation, or prayer, listening to music and spending time outside are some tools people use to feel more relaxed.
- It is also important to take time to rest when we need it and make sure we are getting
- enough sleep.
Get less:
Sodium
- Health Canada recommends we have 1500 mg of sodium per day and not more than 2300 mg per day.
- Sodium can be found in the salt we add to food. Try to limit salt to less than 1 teaspoon per day.
- Be aware of other foods that have sodium like sauces, dips, cheese, pickles, olives and packaged foods like canned soups and broth.
- If adding these foods to your meals, try not to add salt when cooking.
- Ultra-processed foods like deli meat and fast food and salty snacks like chips and pretzels are usually very high in sodium.
- Look for products that say low sodium or no added salt and choose these more often.
Alcohol
- Not drinking alcohol or reducing the amount of alcohol you drink to 2 drinks per day can help prevent or lower high blood pressure.
References
Hypertension Canada. (2020). VI. Health behaviour management. hypertension.ca Retrieved April 26, 2022, from https://guidelines.hypertension.ca/prevention-treatment/health-behaviour-management/
Hypertension Canada . (2019). Position statement on dietary potassium hypertension. Hypertension.ca. Retrieved April 26, 2022, from https://hypertension.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Position-Statement-on-Dietary-Potassium-Hypertension-Canada-January-2019.pdf