Taking care of high blood pressure this Christmas is not an easy task. However, It’s not mission impossible either..
It’s true that the December holidays tend to be days of least dietary protection. Exercise is also often put off, and there are also stressful situations related to the hustle and bustle of meetings, gift buying and work pressures at the end of the year.
Understanding that high blood pressure can be treated at Christmas is crucial for people living with the disease. Here because, here you will find easy-to-follow tips that will help you. Don’t miss them!
1. Check your blood pressure
People living with high blood pressure are usually trained to measure their blood pressure readings correctly. Even if this premise is not always satisfied and it can happen that there are errors in the technique.
Especially at Christmas and New Year, there is the possibility of being more forgiving with the measurements. Maybe we don’t even do them because we’re busy with other tasks.
You should know that you cannot neglect this aspect. Monitoring blood pressure helps to have a concrete picture of the state of the disease and its imbalances.
Even if there’s no need to obsess, Yes, it is advisable to set times and times to calmly take a measurement at home. It doesn’t have to be every day, but perhaps December could be a month to set aside daily moments for homework.
Common mistakes to avoid when measuring blood pressure
If you want to take care of your hypertension this Christmas, it will be good to take into account some circumstances that could hinder the measurement. Second Pan American Health Organization (OPS), these situations affect logging:
- Discuss: up to 10 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) can be added to the measurement if we’re talking as we take it.
- Placing the measuring cuff on clothing: if the clothes are very thick, due to the cold, the log also goes up.
- Do not put your feet on the ground: feet in air adds 6 mm Hg.
- legs crossed: this can increase up to 8 mm Hg.
- Holding urine: a full bladder, with the urge to go to the bathroom, adds 10 mm Hg.
2. Don’t overdo the salt
It is very common for there to be an excess of salt in Christmas and New Year’s meals. The ingredient can also appear at work farewell dinners.
Events accumulate in this period and it’s easy to opt for typical December foods, with sausages, highly seasoned red meats and marinated preparations, for example. Another problem that happens is that, having a busy schedule, we eat ultra-processed foods or fast food in the evening when we come home exhausted.
According to a recent study published in Nutrientsreducing sodium in the diet results in fewer deaths in the group of people living with high blood pressure. And that doesn’t just mean the sodium we add in the form of salt. What is naturally present in the food we consume should also be considered.
Since 2012 the World Health Organization (WHO) says so more than 5 grams of sodium per day is too much. Overcoming this barrier is increasing the risk of hypertension and complications in already diagnosed patients.
Therefore, Christmas cannot be the excuse. A single salty dinner is enough to alter the mechanism that the body uses to defend itself from sodium.
3. Limit alcohol
A recent analysis, released in 2019 yearClarified this alcohol raises blood pressure. This means that there is no acceptable small amount in patients living with hypertension.
This seems to go against the famous myth of red wine and heart care. The truth is, increasingly, cardiologists are recommending stopping alcohol in any form.
In fact, it would be wise for professionals to create an alcohol consumption registry for people with hypertension. This would allow to anticipate possible abuses, while increasing preventive measures so that drinks do not affect the treatment of the disease.
It’s calculated that those who drink 10 alcoholic drinks a week have a higher risk of developing high blood pressure. Furthermore, those who exceed 14 drinks per week could increase this risk up to 3 times.
Taking care of hypertension at Christmas will also involve avoiding substances that contain alcohol. It may be a difficult attitude to bear in December, but it is very healthy. There are several alternatives in fruit cocktail recipes that avoid alcohol.
4. Maintain exercise routines
THE Spanish Heart Foundation states that 30-60 minutes of aerobic exercise 3-5 times a week is ideal for patients with hypertension. It could be walking, running, dancing or cycling.
This type of physical activity increases resistance, produces vasodilation, improves tissue oxygenation and reduces resting heart rate. Therefore, that’s all you need to keep your blood pressure readings at bay.
Taking care of high blood pressure this Christmas involves maintaining exercise routines. Do you go for a walk every day? Don’t suspend her for the December holidays. Do you ride a bicycle? Try to take it with you if you take a few days of vacation by car.
Again there are no excuses. Christmas isn’t the suspension of sport to stuff yourself with food.
Although it is not advisable to become obsessive with sports, a good habit is built day by day. stopped for two weeks It may result in not resuming exercise.
As well indicated by Australian medical guidelines, sometimes sport is almost the only approach for a patient with the disease. If it is an early picture and in the early stages, it would be possible to reverse it with diet, exercise and some lifestyle changes.
Therefore, what can be done to support the movement becomes more relevant. Suspend it would be equivalent to stop taking drugs.
5. Manage your stress
Taking care of hypertension at Christmas is getting away from stress. It seems like everyone is in a hurry, but it doesn’t have to be.
Most year-end activities could wait a little longer. Gifts can be planned in advance, some meetings are superfluous, work reports won’t change if presented the first week of January.
Adjust your schedule to not be stressed, so as not to push yourself to the limit or encourage anxiety. And if things pile up, learn relaxation techniques.
psychosocial stress increases the risk 3 times of arterial hypertension. However, the awareness reduce this risk.
According to the organization Go red for womenThe simple tasks you can implement to manage anxiety are as follows:
- Don’t promise too much and say “no” when needed.
- Plan a course of activities to deal with stressful times in advance.
- View quiet scenessetting aside 15 minutes a day for this.
- Practice gratitude by focusing on the positive aspects of life.
6. Don’t neglect your medications
Many Scientific studies agree that total non-adherence to treatment for hypertension is about 30%. This means that a third of patients who should be taking antihypertensive drugs do not take them, even if they are prescribed by a doctor.
But there is also a partial lack of adherence that can reach over 50%. This is defined as forgetting more than 20% of the doses that should be taken in a week.
If you have a professional indication to take medicines, One way to take care of hypertension at Christmas is not to put them on hold or relax with schedules. The effect is sustained with continued and conscientious use.
In addition, if you do not take your medication during the December holidays and consume salt, drink alcohol and reduce physical activity, you run a real risk of a heart attack. A Demonstrated a 16-year follow-up that heart attacks are more frequent at Christmas and on holidays that start after this holiday.
Treat hypertension at Christmas to live better
It’s not about being a killjoy. You take care of your body because you want to live longer and better. Christmas shouldn’t be a moment of suspension of good habits.
Follow these simple tips to spend a healthy December, with blood pressure controlled and reducing the risk of cardiac events. You will have the same fun, you will be able to meet your loved ones and the best gift will be your well-being.
The post Diet, exercise and other tips to treat hypertension this Christmas first appeared in research-school.