Lifestyle Changes That Can Lower Your Blood Pressure

Many factors can affect your blood pressure, including menopause, hormonal changes, weight gain, stress, anxiety, and certain medications.

It is helpful to take steps to lower blood pressure to reduce the risk of heart disease and strokes.

What are the symptoms?

You might not notice that your blood pressure is rising because there are often no symptoms. However, here are some common symptoms found in women:

– Severe headache
– Fatigue or confusion
– Vision problems
– Chest pain or irregular heartbeat
– Difficulty breathing
– Blood in urine
– Pounding in your chest, neck, or ears

If you experience any of these symptoms, please consult your doctor or the emergency services immediately.

To maintain healthy blood pressure levels, consider making the following changes.

Hormone balance

A rise in blood pressure is very common at menopause for several reasons. Gaining weight, lower progesterone and higher oestrogen levels (oestrogen dominance) and experiencing stress also contribute.

Plus, symptoms like hot flushes can interfere with sleep, which can further raise blood pressure

Make small changes

If you have high blood pressure, there are many things you can do every day to manage it.

Eating more healthily, exercising more, and adjusting some daily habits can help keep your blood pressure under control.

These simple changes might help you avoid needing medication. If you are unsure what is best for you, ask your doctor or pharmacist to check your blood pressure.

Eat a healthy diet

You can lower your blood pressure by eating lots of whole grains, fruit, vegetables, and low-fat dairy. Choose foods that are low in fat and cholesterol.

This method is known as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet. It is recognised as a very effective and healthy diet that includes lean meat, poultry, fish, and nuts. It is also high in protein and fibre and avoids sugary drinks, red meat, and sweets.

Lose extra weight

Losing weight can be challenging, especially during menopause when hormone levels change. However, losing even a few pounds can help lower your blood pressure.

It is also important to pay attention to your waist size, as it can impact your blood pressure. For women, a waist larger than 35 inches is considered high risk.

Choose a healthy diet that you can follow in order to lose weight, and keep it off. Good options are DASH and the Mediterranean Diet.

However, if belly fat is an issue then Wellsprings Diet to deal with oestrogen dominance is effective – see the end of the article for a link to it.

Increase activity

Getting older we may become less active, but regular exercise can help lower your blood pressure and help you to lose weight.

Try to get some physical activity every day whether it’s a walk or just climbing some stairs. Good options are  aerobic exercises that make your heart and lungs work a bit harder.

What is important is that in order to maintain a regular exercise routine you need to make it something that you actually enjoy and can incorporate into your daily life.

That could be housework, or  brisk walking, cycling, swimming, or dancing. Perhaps you could look for something new that you haven’t tried before such as yoga, Zumba or anything else that looks interesting and within your physical capabilities.

Reduce salt

Too much sodium can increase your blood pressure so aim for no more than 1,500 milligrams each day.

Sodium does not only come from the salt you add to food; it can also be found in processed, tinned and packaged foods. Check labels before you buy, as it can be hidden in items like soups, sandwiches, and pizza.

Increase potassium

If you do not get enough potassium, your blood pressure may be higher. You need between 3,000 and 3,500 milligrams each day. A medium banana has about 420 milligrams, and a baked potato with the skin provides more than 900 milligrams.

Other sources include spinach, broccoli, beans, tomatoes, oranges, yoghurt, sweet potatoes, melon, apricots, and grapefruit.

Some dried fruits like prunes, raisins, and dates are also good sources of potassium, but eat them in moderation because they are high in sugar and calories.

Caution: Some people with health issues, like kidney disease or those taking specific medications, should be cautious about potassium amounts. It’s best to check with your doctor before making any changes to your diet.

Ease stress

Stress affects many aspects of our health and can especially impact blood pressure and many menopausal symptoms as well.

Unfortunately we often cope with stress by turning to unhealthy “comfort” foods, smoking, or drinking alcohol.

Find healthy ways to manage stress, such as meditation, yoga, or deep breathing. Make time to relax and enjoy activities you love, like listening to music, gardening, or spending time with friends.

Limit alcohol

Drinking too much alcohol can raise your blood pressure. If you are taking medication for blood pressure, alcohol may also affect how well it works.

Women should limit themselves to one drink a day, and men should have no more than two. One drink is equal to 12 ounces of beer or 5 ounces of wine.

Quit smoking

Smoking is not a healthy habit because it raises your blood pressure and increases the risk of a heart attack or stroke.

When you smoke, it damages the linings of your blood vessels, making it harder for them to relax.

Additionally, smoking can lessen the effect of some blood pressure medicines you take.

Be careful with caffeine.

If you drink coffee, energy drinks, or similar soft drinks regularly, it may not affect your blood pressure much, but it’s best to keep it in moderation.

However, if you don’t drink caffeine often, it can cause a temporary increase in your blood pressure, so pay attention to how it impacts you.

Get enough sleep.

Your blood pressure drops when you sleep. Getting enough sleep is important for a healthy heart and blood vessels.

How much sleep do you need? Most people need at least 7 hours of good sleep each night. This usually means falling asleep within 30 minutes, not waking up more than once, and quickly falling back asleep if you do wake up.

Unfortunately this is not often easy at menopause with both flushes and night sweats disturbing your sleep as well as more frequent bathroom breaks.

Check your blood pressure.

Regularly check your blood pressure to ensure it doesn’t get too high. You can use a home monitor, visit your doctor, or many pharmacies offer this service.

High blood pressure often has no symptoms, so checking your blood pressure helps you see if diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes are working.

More help

Menopause brings its own challenges, many of which can increase blood pressure, particularly stress and anxiety.

Diabetes is also more common at menopause and that is linked to having high blood pressure, and other conditions like high cholesterol, sleep apnoea, and thyroid issues also are more frequent.

Always talk to your doctor to ensure any such health issues are managed and when you manage your overall health, you’ll help keep your blood pressure in check.

If excess oestrogen and low progesterone are concerning you then there is a specific diet that helps you lose weight and tackle that specific problem.

https://blog.wellsprings-health.com/the-diet-to-help-beat-oestrogen-dominance/