Blood Pressure has become a very common ailment these days. The best way to control blood pressure is to keep regular tabs on it and ensure that it does not exceed a certain limit. The blood pressure chart can help you know when you should start thinking about making changes to your lifestyle or seeing a doctor.
When comparing your blood pressure reading with the chart, do remember that if your reading somehow falls in two categories than the higher one will be considered your accurate blood pressure level.
Top Number (Systolic) in mm Hg |
Bottom Number (Diastolic) in mm Hg |
Category |
What to Do |
---|---|---|---|
Less than 120 |
Less than 80 |
Normal blood pressure |
Continue living a healthy life |
In between 120 and 139 |
In between 80 and 89 |
Prehypertension |
Continue living a healthy life |
In between 140 and 159 |
In between 90 and 99 |
Stage 1 Hypertension |
Consult your physician and start taking a medicine if blood pressure level does not drop within 6 months’ time. |
Higher than 160 |
Higher than 100 |
Stage 2 Hypertension |
Increase the number of medications you are taking for controlling your blood pressure level. |
There is no cure for high blood pressure. However, measures can be taken to control the level of blood pressure and bring it down to a normal range. One is to take medication for high blood pressure and the other one is to change your lifestyle and adopt a healthy routine instead.
Keeping your weight in check is extremely important for lowering blood pressure. The lower your weight is the lesser are the chances that you are going to become a victim of high blood pressure. Men and women who have waists measuring higher than 40 inches and 35 inches respectively run the risk of becoming sufferers of high blood pressure at some point in their lives. This is the reason why doctors say that having a slim waistline is another great way of maintaining blood pressure to a normal level.
Exercise is massively important for living a healthy life. It can play a huge role in controlling your blood pressure level too. The more active you are in daily life, the lesser is going to be your blood pressure. Mixing yoga and exercise is among the best methods of reducing blood pressure levels and should be included in the daily routine.
Eating a balanced diet is among the most effective means of lowering blood pressure levels. Including fruits in your daily diet is going to help you in reducing the risk of becoming a patient of high blood pressure. Among the fruits that can aid you in controlling your blood pressure, dates, banana, apples, pineapple and kiwi fruit are considered the most beneficial as they are rich in potassium and calcium.
Limiting the intake of sodium in any form can significantly bring down your blood pressure level. Sodium is present in salt, thus refraining from having too much salt in your food is a good way of ensuring that your blood pressure remains in control and does not exceed the normal range.
Drinking Alcohol excessively is one of the main reasons for high blood pressure. Thus, it is necessary that consumption of alcohol is kept to a minimum level if you want to keep your blood pressure under control.
High blood pressure is among the many side-effects of cigarette smoking. Leaving this habit can have a very positive effect on your blood pressure and can help you in keeping it to a manageable level.
Caffeine is also one of the culprits that can increase your blood pressure. Cutting back on your caffeine intake is thus a great way of making sure that your blood pressure does not exceed the normal range.
Stress is also one of the reasons that can cause high blood pressure. Thus, reducing the amount of stress can prove to be a good option for controlling your blood pressure. Doing yoga and getting a massage are some of the methods that can be used for relieving stress.
Keeping tabs on your blood pressure readings is another effective method of controlling high blood pressure. It can help you in knowing how high your blood pressure is thus enabling you to consult the doctor immediately if it becomes too high. You can either monitor your blood pressure at home using the apparatus yourself or have it checked regularly by a qualified physician.