It’s perfectly normal for your blood pressure to rise if you are excited, nervous or working out. However, it is an entirely different story if it’s constantly high — it only means that you have hypertension, and it’s something that can considerably increase your risk of having heart disease, heart attack and stroke.
Needless to say, it’s very important to keep your blood pressure within the normal range, which is 120/80 mmHg or lower, according to medical experts. Although it’s true that doctors say that heredity is likely a role player in high blood pressure, most of the time it’s caused by certain dietary and lifestyle choices.
If you want to keep your blood pressure within the normal range for you to be able to live a long, happy and healthy life, steer clear of the following habits that can lead to hypertension:
Having an Unbalanced Diet
The consumption of a lot of salty foods is one of the most common causes of high blood pressure. The same is true with eating plenty of sweet-tasting treats because sugar, in particular the refined kind, can cause inflammation which is something that can contribute to high blood pressure. Opting for a balanced meal that consists of plenty of fruits and vegetables allows you to obtain good amounts of potassium, a mineral that helps lower the blood pressure.
Staying Inactive
Exercising on a regular basis or simply being physically active helps strengthen the heart as well as the blood vessels, thus keeping your blood pressure within the range that’s regarded as healthy and normal.
Being Overweight
Unhealthy eating habits and being inactive are hypertension-causing habits already discussed. These two can easily lead to something that is also commonly blamed for high blood pressure, and that’s being overweight. If you want to keep high blood pressure and all the life-threatening complications it comes with at bay, it is definitely a wonderful idea for you to drop those unwanted pounds and stay within your ideal weight.
Leading a Stressful Life
In this day and age, it seems like everyone has high levels of stress. Medical experts say that failure to deal with stress can put your health and wellbeing in danger due to the many negative things that it can cause, including hypertension. Other than doing your best to avoid some unnecessary stressors, it’s also a good idea for you to engage in activities that can effectively reduce stress, like journaling, doing yoga or having a massage.
Smoking Cigarettes
Everyone knows that smoking is a habit that can ruin the health in so many ways, such as causing your blood pressure to increase. Cigarette smoking causes the blood vessels to become hard and stiff, leaving them unable to relax or dilate. This is why smoking is a risk factor for high blood pressure.
Drinking Lots of Alcohol
Perhaps you have already come across the fact that moderate intake of alcohol is something that offers a number of health benefits. However, too much of this beverage can do the complete opposite — it can ruin your health, and one of the unfavorable problems it can bring is hypertension.
