High blood pressure- lifestyle change

foothillsconcret

Hi everyone, I’m new to this community, just trying to get some advice. I’m looking for some advice on getting my blood pressure under control with lifestyle changes. I have set my daily sodium to 1300mg. Im working with my dr, just had my yearly last week and discovered this wee monster. Any advice from peers on here would be great. I’m not a pill popper, so I’m serious about getting this right.
Thanks

oklabecca

The book Blood Pressure Down: The 10-Step Plan to Lower Your Blood Pressure in 4 Weeks -- Without Prescription Drugs has some good ideas. You can find it on Amazon, or, I would guess that your public library has a copy.

You need to work with your doctor about this. If he/she advises meds, take them. High blood pressure damages your heart and other vital organs. Don't play with it. When lifestyle changes lower it, you can back off the meds, but take them until it does.

lemurcat2

DASH is often recommended for high blood pressure. We have a thread here, although people are doing it more or less strictly and for different reasons. Nice group: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10720748/dash-diet-thread

AustinRuadhain

As you work with your doctor on this and explore lifestyle changes, you might take a look at what NutritionFacts.org has to say:
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure-with-diet/
More on this topic: https://nutritionfacts.org/?s=blood+pressure

NutritionFacts is a nonprofit run by Dr. Michael Greger, author of How Not to Die. He stays up-to-date on research and shares short items in lay terms about the research and if/how you might apply it.

As okalbecca notes, you'll want to stay in contact with your doctor regarding any changes you make, get tested regularly to make sure dosages stay appropriate if your numbers change, etc.

Kalex1975

oklabecca wrote: »

You need to work with your doctor about this. If he/she advises meds, take them. High blood pressure damages your heart and other vital organs. Don't play with it. When lifestyle changes lower it, you can back off the meds, but take them until it does.

(emphasis mine)

I learned this lesson the hard way. I had congestive heart failure in 2015 due to uncontrollable high blood pressure. It was so high that the BP monitors couldn’t even read it! It landed me in the hospital for 10 days...

Agree with @oklabecca here, if prescribed, take the meds and as your lifestyle changes (+weight loss?) lower it your doctor will back you off the meds.

Unfortunately, even after losing 240 pounds I still have to take medication. I went from 7 different meds, to 3 now... looks like I may need them for the rest of my life. I have “essential” hypertension which basically means they don’t know why I have it.

nvmomketo

Lowering your insulin levels through diet may help somewhat.

Insulin controls water and sodium retention - you retain more when you have more circulating insulin. To lower insulin levels, the most effective thing to do is lower carbohydrate consumption, especially refined and processed carbs and sugars. Starchy root vegetables too. To a lesser degree, proteins will also raise insulin but it does not cause the same spike that carbs do.

People who lower their carbs quite a bit commonly lose 2-8 lbs of water weight in the first few weeks. My mother uses lower carb (under 100g of carbs a day) to help manage the swelling and higher BP from her congestive heart failure, along with medications. Good luck.