14/02/2024
Very simple tips for hypertensive patients
Hypertension is a condition of the body in which the blood vessels constantly experience increased blood pressure: systolic blood pressure equals or exceeds 140 mm Hg and/or diastolic blood pressure equals or exceeds 90 mm Hg.
The diagnosis of “hypertension” is made in cases where, according to pressure measurements taken on two different days, the systolic pressure value on both days is equal to or exceeds 140 mm Hg. Art. and/or the diastolic pressure value on both days is equal to or greater than 90 mmHg. Art.
The danger of this condition is the risk of damage to the heart or blood vessels in other organs, such as the brain and kidneys.
How to correctly measure blood pressure with a tonometer?
There are a few simple rules:
Before measuring your blood pressure, you need to sit quietly for a few minutes;
the cuff should be placed at heart level;
the pressure should be measured on both hands and then measured on the hand where the pressure was higher;
When regularly measuring blood pressure, measurements should be taken at the same time twice a day. To increase accuracy, it is better to take a series of three measurements (this is especially important for people suffering from arrhythmia) with an interval of 3-5 minutes. The most objective are the minimum blood pressure indicators;
do not smoke or drink drinks containing caffeine half an hour before measurements;
Pressure should be measured at room temperature;
During the measurement you should not move or talk.
How can you lower your blood pressure?
Reduce salt intake to 3-4 g per day
High salt intake is especially dangerous for older people, because... With age, the ability of the walls of blood vessels to produce substances that relax blood vessels decreases, and the functions of the heart that control water-salt metabolism also deteriorate.
Also, an excess of table salt in the diet reduces the activity of lipase enzymes that break down cholesterol. Thus, excess salt contributes to an increase in the concentration of cholesterol in the blood and the development of atherosclerosis.
Reducing the amount of sodium entering the body with table salt reduces the load on the kidneys, has (at first) a slight diuretic effect and leads to rapid stabilization of blood pressure.
Fasting days have a similar effect, the best of which for hypertension is apple days.
Apple day involves using one and a half kilograms of apples per day without any other food load. One apple day a week along with a diet can significantly improve the course of the disease and control it.
Fasting days:
Apple day, during which the patient should eat 1.5 kg of apples; total calorie content - 690 kcal per day;
cottage cheese-kefir day with the use of regular (low-fat) cottage cheese in the amount of 200 g and kefir in the amount of 400 g; total calorie content - 6990 kcal per day;
kefir day, use 1.5 liters of kefir; calorie content - 850 kcal per day;
cucumber day - 2 kg of cucumbers and 3 g of table salt during the day; calorie content - 300 kcal per day;
vegetable mixed day, during which the patient eats only vegetables in the form of salads in any combination in quantities up to 2 kg, lemon juice is used as a dressing; total calorie content - 450-500 kcal per day;
oat day, when 200 g of oatmeal is boiled in water and 25 g of butter is added to the finished oatmeal; total calorie content - 880 kcal per day.
Important: in the initial phase of treatment, fasting days against the background of a low-calorie diet are best carried out while reducing habitual physical activity. Elderly patients during this period should switch to bed rest or (if tolerated) semi-bed rest.
Lose excess weight
Reducing excess weight or treating obesity is one of the main factors that can lead to satisfactory control over blood pressure and even, in some cases, abandon drug correction of the latter.
It has been proven that a significant improvement in the course of the disease is achieved by reducing weight not to the sometimes unattainable norm, but by only 5-10%, which for patients weighing from 80 to 120 kg will be only 4-10 kg on average. This figure is quite achievable.
Move more and be outdoors more often
Without sufficient physical activity, we all, to varying degrees, suffer from manifestations of physical inactivity. It is optimal for a city dweller to take daily walks, jogs for at least 1 hour in a forested area, or at least walk as often as possible without using transport.
In your daily routine, you should definitely include morning exercises or exercises, which allow you to prepare the body for a new day: they stimulate adequate processes of nervous regulation of blood circulation and the reactive vascular system as a whole, and also promote vigor and good mood, which in themselves are a good medicine for a person susceptible to frequent stress.
Avoid stress
