If you are having any symptoms or have any questions, please call 811 to speak with a registered nurse 24 hours a day.

If you have high blood pressure, you can lower it with small lifestyle changes. Work with your healthcare provider to develop a plan for lowering your blood pressure. Part of the plan may also include taking blood pressure-lowering medicine. However, your lifestyle changes will be just as important.

Path to improved health

How do tobacco products affect blood pressure?

The nicotine in cigarettes and other tobacco products causes your blood vessels to constrict and your heart to beat faster. This temporarily raises your blood pressure. When you quit smoking or using other tobacco products, you can lower your blood pressure. Stopping tobacco significantly lowers your risk of heart disease and stroke.

What about losing weight and exercising?

If you’re overweight, losing weight usually helps lower blood pressure. Regular exercise is a good way to lose weight. It also seems to lower high blood pressure even if you don’t lose weight. Even a 5 pound weight loss can bring down blood pressure significantly if you are overweight.

Is sodium really off limits?

Not everyone is affected by sodium, but sodium can increase blood pressure in some people.  Health Canada recommends that people over the age of one year eat between 1000-1500 mg sodium per day. People aged 14 and over should not eat more than 2300 mg sodium per day with an ideal limit of 1500 mg daily. A sodium intake above 2300 mg per day is likely to pose a health risk.

 Your healthcare provider may tell you to limit your sodium even more.

To lower your sodium intake, don’t add salt to your food. Check food labels for sodium. Some foods, such as potato chips, obviously have a lot of sodium. But you may not realize how much sodium is in food like bread, canned vegetables, soups, and cheese. Also be aware that some medicines contain sodium.

Do I need to quit drinking alcohol altogether?

In some people, alcohol causes blood pressure to rise quite a lot. In other people, it doesn’t. If you drink alcohol, limit yourself to no more than 2 drinks per week.  If your blood pressure increases when you drink alcohol, it’s best not to drink any alcohol.

Does stress affect my blood pressure?

Stress may affect blood pressure. To help combat the effects of stress, try relaxation techniques or biofeedback. These things work best when used at least once a day. Ask your family healthcare provider for advice.

How can I know if changing my lifestyle is helping?

One of the best ways is to see for yourself.  Consider buying home blood pressure monitor. Use it to see whether what you are doing is lowering your blood pressure numbers.

Even if doing the things mentioned in this article don’t decrease your blood pressure, they still will promote your overall health and are worth continuing.

Things to consider

Not lowering your blood pressure puts you at higher risk for certain diseases. These can include:

• Stroke
• Heart attack
• Heart failure
• Kidney disease
• Early death

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada

Toll free 1-888-473-4636

http://www.heartandstroke.ca/