Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsPhysicalEmotionalSocialPracticalNext in Hypertension GuideWhat Is Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)?
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Physical
Emotional
Social
Practical
Next in Hypertension Guide
Sincehypertensionusually does not cause anysymptoms, you may not think of putting effort into coping with the condition. However, a diagnosis means that you must dedicate yourself to taking anti-hypertensive medications and making some dietary and lifestyle modifications. High blood pressure is an important risk factor for various diseases, including heart attacks,strokes, andkidney disease.
So, although you may feel fine, your body needs you to help keep hypertension from causing additional concerns. You may also find that managing high blood pressure can take its toll on you, and that’s where emotional and social support can help.
Verywell
If you have hypertension, you need to maintain healthy habits to optimize your blood pressure. As far as physical limitations related to hypertension, there are very few, and your regular daily activity need not be limited.
Healthy Habits
Making lifestyle changes is a critical component of any plan tolower blood pressure. In many cases, lifestyle changes may be the onlytreatmentneeded to lower blood pressure to optimal levels.
Steps You Can TakeAccording to the American Heart Association (AHA), there are changes you can make to manage high blood pressure. They include:Losing weightif you are above a healthy weightQuitting smoking if you smokeEating a healthy diet rich in low-fat dairy products, fruits, vegetables, whole-grains, skinless poultry and fish, and nuts and legumesLimiting sodium (salt) intake to no more than 2,300 milligrams a dayParticipating in regular aerobic exercise—at least 30 minutes a day, most days of the weekLimiting alcohol intake to no more than two drinks a day for men and one drink a day for women
Steps You Can Take
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), there are changes you can make to manage high blood pressure. They include:Losing weightif you are above a healthy weightQuitting smoking if you smokeEating a healthy diet rich in low-fat dairy products, fruits, vegetables, whole-grains, skinless poultry and fish, and nuts and legumesLimiting sodium (salt) intake to no more than 2,300 milligrams a dayParticipating in regular aerobic exercise—at least 30 minutes a day, most days of the weekLimiting alcohol intake to no more than two drinks a day for men and one drink a day for women
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), there are changes you can make to manage high blood pressure. They include:
Physical Limitations
In general, hypertension should not require you to restrict what activities you engage in, allowing you to participate in athletic activities, travel, and to enjoy life to the fullest.
Some healthcare providers may recommend that you avoid “thrill rides” at excessive speeds. And, if you have a heart condition that causes chest pain or if you experience breathing difficulties, you should avoid activities that could make you short of breath.
Chronic conditions of any kind can take an emotional toll over time, whether that’s due to the need to take medications, monitor your health, change your habits, or something else.
There is a link between hypertension anddepression, but the cause-and-effect relationship is not well established. If you experience sadness or a sense of hopelessness for a prolonged period of time, you should talk to your healthcare provider. If you are diagnosed with depression, a combination of cognitive therapy, counseling, and medical treatment may help alleviate your symptoms.
Likewise,stressis believed to play a role in causing hypertension, although the link is not completely clear from a scientific perspective. If you have had unchecked stress for years, it may also worsen hypertension and/or hamper your treatment efforts.
Stress can be managed with counseling, a change in mindset, or with medication. Sometimes, the best way to deal with stress is to make real and practical changes in your schedule or to modify some of the demands that you have in your life.
If this sounds like a loved one, you can try to directly talk about your concerns, but be aware that people are ultimately responsible for their own actions and wellness. There is a limit to how much you can get another person to accept that he or she has to take action. If you are the one with hypertension, keep this fact in mind—realizing that denial is a common and natural response to a diagnosis, but one that must be overcome if you are to live your healthiest life.
Hypertension does not impact one’s social life in the way that some other conditions can, requiring individuals to miss out on engagements and the like. That said, changes that can help improve your high blood pressure can have social implications.
For instance, if you have to quit smoking or decrease your alcohol intake, this can affect your time with friends if your interactions are heavily centered around on these activities.
Whether you decide to explain this to others is completely up to you, but most people who have hypertension are able to maintain regular social interactions, perhaps with minor adjustments, rather than limitations.
Support
That said, it’s worth asking others if they too are managing hypertension if you are open to sharing your diagnosis. Many people who have high blood pressure share tips and recipes for tasty, blood pressure-lowering dishes, and you may find these interactions valuable as you work toward your goals.
If you have hypertension, you can take some practical steps to make sure that you reach your treatment goals.
Check (and Track) Your Pressure
Your blood pressure must be checked regularly, at least every one to six months, to ensure the effectiveness of your course of therapy. You can monitor your blood pressure at home or have it checked at your healthcare provider’s office or pharmacy.
Measuring your blood pressure regularly at home can help your healthcare provider determine if treatment is working. The AHA recommends home monitoring for all people with hypertension—preferably using an automatic, cuff-style, bicep (upper arm) monitor.These types of devices are generally very easy to use and can be relatively inexpensive.
Devicessuch as smartphones, laptops, and smartwatches can save recordings of your blood pressure if they are attached to a blood pressure monitoring device. Some gadgets may also transmit information to your healthcare provider’s office, or even your health insurance carrier (if you so choose). These records can help your healthcare provider manage your condition, especially if your blood pressure is not stable.
Time Your Medication
Timing and wearing off ofanti-hypertensive medicationdoses can also have an impact on your blood pressure. In general, it is best to take your medication as prescribed and to evenly space out your doses throughout the day, if your medications are daily.
Some people notice thattaking medications at certain times of the dayworks better to sustain a target blood pressure for a longer period of time.
Pay Attention to Blood Pressure Triggers
Some people notice that their blood pressure increases after consuming salt, while others have an increase in response to stress or excessive physical activity. Be aware of what specifically triggers you, so you can do your best to avoid these factors, if possible.
8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Heart Association.Changes you can make to manage high blood pressure.American Heart Association.Shaking the salt habit to lower high blood pressure.American Heart Association.Getting active to control high blood pressure.American Heart Association.Limiting alcohol to manage high blood pressure.American Heart Association.Changes You Can Make to Manage High Blood PressureLiu MY, Li N, Li WA, Khan H.Association between psychosocial stress and hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurol Res. 2017;39(6):573-580. doi:10.1080/01616412.2017.1317904Anthony H, Valinsky L, Inbar Z, Gabriel C, Varda S.Perceptions of hypertension treatment among patients with and without diabetes. BMC Fam Pract. 2012;13:24. doi:10.1186/1471-2296-13-24American Heart Association.Monitoring your blood pressure at home.Additional ReadingLiu MY, Li N, Li WA, Khan H.Association between psychosocial stress and hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Neurol Res. 2017 Jun;39(6):573-580. doi:10.1080/01616412.2017.1317904. Epub 2017 Apr 17.Ushakov AV, Ivanchenko VS, Gagarina AA.Psychological Stress in Pathogenesis of Essential Hypertension. Curr Hypertens Rev. 2016;12(3):203-214. doi:10.2174/1573402112666161230121622.
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Heart Association.Changes you can make to manage high blood pressure.American Heart Association.Shaking the salt habit to lower high blood pressure.American Heart Association.Getting active to control high blood pressure.American Heart Association.Limiting alcohol to manage high blood pressure.American Heart Association.Changes You Can Make to Manage High Blood PressureLiu MY, Li N, Li WA, Khan H.Association between psychosocial stress and hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurol Res. 2017;39(6):573-580. doi:10.1080/01616412.2017.1317904Anthony H, Valinsky L, Inbar Z, Gabriel C, Varda S.Perceptions of hypertension treatment among patients with and without diabetes. BMC Fam Pract. 2012;13:24. doi:10.1186/1471-2296-13-24American Heart Association.Monitoring your blood pressure at home.Additional ReadingLiu MY, Li N, Li WA, Khan H.Association between psychosocial stress and hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Neurol Res. 2017 Jun;39(6):573-580. doi:10.1080/01616412.2017.1317904. Epub 2017 Apr 17.Ushakov AV, Ivanchenko VS, Gagarina AA.Psychological Stress in Pathogenesis of Essential Hypertension. Curr Hypertens Rev. 2016;12(3):203-214. doi:10.2174/1573402112666161230121622.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Heart Association.Changes you can make to manage high blood pressure.American Heart Association.Shaking the salt habit to lower high blood pressure.American Heart Association.Getting active to control high blood pressure.American Heart Association.Limiting alcohol to manage high blood pressure.American Heart Association.Changes You Can Make to Manage High Blood PressureLiu MY, Li N, Li WA, Khan H.Association between psychosocial stress and hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurol Res. 2017;39(6):573-580. doi:10.1080/01616412.2017.1317904Anthony H, Valinsky L, Inbar Z, Gabriel C, Varda S.Perceptions of hypertension treatment among patients with and without diabetes. BMC Fam Pract. 2012;13:24. doi:10.1186/1471-2296-13-24American Heart Association.Monitoring your blood pressure at home.
American Heart Association.Changes you can make to manage high blood pressure.
American Heart Association.Shaking the salt habit to lower high blood pressure.
American Heart Association.Getting active to control high blood pressure.
American Heart Association.Limiting alcohol to manage high blood pressure.
American Heart Association.Changes You Can Make to Manage High Blood Pressure
Liu MY, Li N, Li WA, Khan H.Association between psychosocial stress and hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurol Res. 2017;39(6):573-580. doi:10.1080/01616412.2017.1317904
Anthony H, Valinsky L, Inbar Z, Gabriel C, Varda S.Perceptions of hypertension treatment among patients with and without diabetes. BMC Fam Pract. 2012;13:24. doi:10.1186/1471-2296-13-24
American Heart Association.Monitoring your blood pressure at home.
Liu MY, Li N, Li WA, Khan H.Association between psychosocial stress and hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Neurol Res. 2017 Jun;39(6):573-580. doi:10.1080/01616412.2017.1317904. Epub 2017 Apr 17.Ushakov AV, Ivanchenko VS, Gagarina AA.Psychological Stress in Pathogenesis of Essential Hypertension. Curr Hypertens Rev. 2016;12(3):203-214. doi:10.2174/1573402112666161230121622.
Liu MY, Li N, Li WA, Khan H.Association between psychosocial stress and hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Neurol Res. 2017 Jun;39(6):573-580. doi:10.1080/01616412.2017.1317904. Epub 2017 Apr 17.
Ushakov AV, Ivanchenko VS, Gagarina AA.Psychological Stress in Pathogenesis of Essential Hypertension. Curr Hypertens Rev. 2016;12(3):203-214. doi:10.2174/1573402112666161230121622.
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