5 Everyday Habits and Choices That Can Help Keep Your Blood Pressure in Check

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is one of the most common health concerns among adults, especially older individuals. It’s often called the “silent killer” because it can develop over time without any visible symptoms, damaging blood vessels and causing serious health problems like heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease.

Many factors contribute to your risk of hypertension. Some of these are outside of your control, such as your age, family history, or other existing medical conditions. That said, your lifestyle and everyday habits have a huge influence on your likelihood of developing high blood pressure. Thus, by making small yet consistent adjustments to your lifestyle, you can turn your health around and maintain a healthy cardiovascular system for years to come.

Here are a few everyday choices that you should make to keep your blood pressure in check.

1. Track Your Blood Pressure Regularly

One of the best things you can do for your cardiovascular health is to get a digital blood pressure monitor. Checking your blood pressure every day can help you determine the effectiveness of your lifestyle changes and medications, so that you can make adjustments as needed.

Plus, regular tracking will help you catch any unusual patterns, which could prevent more serious heart conditions later on. Remember to keep a log of your readings so that you can show it to your healthcare provider during your next checkup, as they can use the information to guide you towards better heart health.

2. Read Food Labels

Your diet can influence many aspects of your physical health, especially your blood pressure. The first thing you should limit in your diet is excessive sodium. This is most often found in processed foods, such as cold cuts or cured meats, savory snacks, canned goods, and instant noodles.

Other products that are high in sodium include instant cake mixes, bagels, burritos and tacos, as well as brined foods like pickles and olives. Make sure to read food labels and serving sizes to track your daily sodium intake. As a rule of thumb, it’s a good idea to limit your sodium intake to 2,300 mg a day or less.

3. Establish a Heart-Friendly Exercise Routine

Everyone knows that regular physical activity is good for the body, but cardio exercises are particularly beneficial in lowering your blood pressure, maintaining better heart health, and keeping you at a healthy weight. Look for an aerobic exercise that you enjoy doing, such as jogging, cycling, swimming, or dancing, and aim to do at least 30 minutes of it daily. This level of moderate exercise is enough to keep yourself active and support your cardiovascular health.

Besides cardio, strength or resistance training is also a great way to lower blood pressure and build muscles. You can lift dumbbells, do push-ups, or use weight machines like a leg press or chest press to build your muscles and improve your overall health.

4. Limit Your Alcohol Intake and Quit Smoking

Drinking too much alcohol not only raises your blood pressure, but also reduces the effectiveness of blood pressure medication. Moreover, some alcoholic beverages have high caloric content, which contributes to weight gain, which then increases your risk of developing hypertension.

As a general rule, men should consume no more than two drinks per day, while women should have no more than one per day. Do note that what counts as one drink depends on the type of alcohol, so be sure to know the standard serving sizes before getting yourself a glass or bottle. As a baseline, in the US, one drink is about 12 fluid ounces of regular beer with 5% alcohol.

Smoking is also a huge contributor to high blood pressure and can lead to various other health issues. Thankfully, if you do smoke, it’s never too late to quit and cut off your bad habit. Quitting can be a challenging process, especially if you’ve been smoking for years, so make sure to talk to your doctor first. They’ll be able to give you the guidance and resources you need to help you get through it.

If you don’t smoke, protecting yourself from secondhand smoke is just as important. Breathing in smoke from other people’s cigarettes can still give you the same health complications, including damage to your blood vessels and increased strain on your heart. Steer clear of smoking areas and instead look for public spaces that are 100% smoke-free. It’s also helpful to wear a good-fitting high-filtration mask when outdoors and to use HEPA air filters in indoor environments exposed to cigarette smoke.

5. Improve Your Sleep Habits

A lack of sleep can cause hormonal changes, which contribute to hypertension. That said, your goal is not only to get 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. You should also aim to get quality sleep. To achieve this, practice good sleep hygiene, such as sticking to a sleep schedule and limiting naps during the day. It’s also recommended to have your last meal about 3 to 4 hours before bed, so that your body has enough time to digest the food. Finally, create a space that’s conducive to restful sleep.

If you have trouble sleeping due to medical conditions like sleep apnea, talk to your doctor for possible solutions.

Make the Right Lifestyle Changes for Better Cardiovascular Health

With enough discipline and the right mindset, you’ll be able to develop the right habits over time that help keep your blood pressure within a healthy range. While it may be challenging to remain consistent at first, soon these small choices will become second nature to you, allowing you to enjoy the benefits of better cardiovascular health without feeling restricted.