Statistics show that one out of every four Americans suffers from hypertension, and out of this group, just about 50% have control over their conditions. Grim statistics go ahead to show that deaths related to heart attacks in America are as high as 400,000 annually. Many individuals are aware of the fact that hypertension increases the overall risk of other life-threatening conditions such as cardiac diseases as well as stroke. This is what makes it important for an individual to learn what they need to do to. In order to protect yourself from hypertension, there are a number of changes that are required as far as one’s lifestyle is concerned. You also need to know the various First Aid tips you can administer to a patient during emergencies.
[youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nUnVzr7KmY” width=”200″ height=”200″]Before looking at some of the tips to enable one protect themselves from hypertension, it is important that we understand the precise cause of this. Hypertension, by definition, makes reference to a condition where the pressure within the blood vessels is elevated, leading to the damage of the vessels. The normal range of blood pressure is represented by two values: the systolic value as well as the diastolic value. Systolic pressure represents the pressure when the heart beats, while the diastolic pressure represents the pressure recorded in between the heart beats. The normal systolic and diastolic pressure should not exceed 120 and 80 respectively in a normal individual. This is normally indicated as 120/80. Any blood pressure readings above 140/90 make it critical if you have to know how to protect yourself from hypertension.
Hypertension creeps on its victims means that usually, there are no symptoms until an individual suffers a major attack. It is for this reason that it is referred to as a silent killer. Left unchecked, hypertension easily leads to death. Think about it this way. If stretched out, all the blood vessels combined would reach an amazing 95000kms! Now, imagine the effects of increased blood pressure on such a surface area and it becomes easy to see the need to protect yourself from hypertension. Here are some of the ways in which you can achieve that:
– Make sure that you go for regular screening so that your blood pressure is kept in check
– Make sure that you eat a healthy diet. Research has placed emphasis on foods that are low in salt, low in fat and which have high fiber content.
– Keep your BMI in check. This is achieved by ensuring that you maintain healthy weight relative to your height. It is interesting that losing just 5lbs can have such a profound effect on one’s health, and makes for great steps to protect yourself from hypertension.
– Make time for regular exercise if you are keen on lowering and/or maintaining your blood pressure. It is recommended to use up at least 40 minutes to exercise, four or five times weekly.
– To protect yourself from hypertension, it is imperative to make sure that you restrict your alcohol intake as this only complicates conditions such as hypertension.