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Managing high blood pressure
In order to prevent a stroke or heart attack and to reduce damage to internal organs, it is important to make managing blood pressure a goal. To make this goal a reality, people often involve doctors, pharmacists, family, and friends.
Hypertension treatment always includes changes to lifestyle and the foods you eat. If a person's blood pressure does not lower through lifestyle and diet changes alone, a doctor may add medication to the treatment. Even if medication is added to the mix, lifestyle and diet remain an integral part of treating this condition.
Being on medication
Being treated for hypertension with medication helps a person reach the goal of reduced blood pressure and greatly lowers a person's risk of complications.
While taking antihypertensive medication, a person does not necessarily feel any different. There may be an initial period as the blood pressure starts to fall into a normal range where you may experience mild side effects, but these generally go away. Your antihypertensive medication should not make you feel any better or any worse, and if you do have long-lasting side effects, you should discuss this with your doctor or pharmacist.
To ensure that the medication works effectively, it is extremely important to:
- remember to take your medication
- take the medication even if you feel well
- take the medication as prescribed by the doctor, in most cases, for the rest of your life
- get refills
- be aware of possible interactions with other medications and other substances (e.g., alcohol in some cases, grapefruit juice for calcium channel blockers)
If you have any questions about your blood pressure medication, speak to your pharmacist or doctor.
Healthy eating recommendations
It's always wise to make healthy food choices. It becomes even more important when treating hypertension.
Changing the foods you eat is a great way to help lower blood pressure. Eating healthier foods at home and outside of the home is an important part of reaching a goal of lower blood pressure. Here are some tips on eating for lower blood pressure:
- Limit your alcohol intake to two drinks daily or less, to a maximum of nine drinks per week for women and 14 drinks per week for men.
- Eat a well-balanced diet (e.g., increase the amount of fruits and vegetables, grains, and cereals).
- Be sure to check with your doctor or pharmacist first before adding foods or supplements that are rich in potassium.
- Read food labels to get more information about the nutrients in the foods you are eating.
- Reduce saturated fat and cholesterol intake wherever possible (e.g., choose lean cuts of meat and avoid foods containing saturated fats).
- Reduce the amount of salt in your food.
- Get plenty of fibre.
- Eat more whole grains and get more of your dietary protein from plant sources.
One diet that is designed for people with hypertension is called Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH). This diet involves an increase in the consumption of grains, fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products, and a reduction in salt intake, making it a diet that may also help prevent osteoporosis, cancer, and heart disease. Before considering this eating plan, it's important to talk to your doctor.
Visit Health Canada's website to get a copy of Canada's Food Guide for more information about healthy eating.
Get active
According to Canada's Physical Activity Guide to Healthy Active Living, 63% of Canadians are not active enough in their daily lives to get the benefits that physical activity provides. This guide suggests getting 60 minutes of physical activity each day.
Being physically active helps you:
- burn calories
- improve your mood and emotions
- lower your blood pressure
- maintain a healthy heart
- reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes
- relieve stress
Including physical activity in your lifestyle is not as difficult as many people think. Even light-to-moderate activities such as housework and walking can help. Talk to your doctor about ways to become more physically active, and find out if your doctor has recommendations based on your medical history.
Test at home
Checking blood pressure at home is one way to monitor blood pressure on a regular basis between visits to the doctor. This method of monitoring helps people with hypertension take an active role in their treatment. Purchasing a personal blood pressure monitor requires determining what type of monitor is right for you. There are many types of home monitoring devices to choose from. Ask your pharmacist or doctor for their advice.
Testing between doctor visits can be very useful to monitor your progress, but regular visits with a doctor are essential to make sure that all parts of the treatment are working appropriately to reach the goal of reduced blood pressure.
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