High blood pressure prevention and health care guide

Preventing high blood pressure does not require eating plain water and cooking every day, and forcing yourself to run 5 kilometers every day. The core is to "control the three core variables of weight, salt, and mood swings within safe limits, measure blood pressure at least twice a year, and intervene promptly if there are signs of dizziness in the morning or tight neck." As long as these points are followed, 90% of essential hypertension can be effectively delayed or even avoided.

In fact, to put it bluntly, blood pressure is like the pressure in your tap water pipe. It is normal for the water pressure to surge when you turn it on occasionally. However, if it is blocked every day or is turned on to the maximum, over time, the water pipe will burst or the valve will be broken. Our prevention of high blood pressure is to help stabilize the pressure within the normal range. We do not need to pursue the slightest fluctuation, which would be abnormal.

When it comes to core risk variables, the first one that cannot be avoided is weight, but don’t be anxious about reducing your BMI to 18.5. I met a 28-year-old programmer at a community free clinic before. He was 175 and weighed 180 pounds. His physical examination showed that he was in the early stage of hypertension. The doctor asked him to lose weight. He starved for three months and lost 40 pounds. His blood pressure came down, but he also developed an ulcer in his stomach. In fact, clinical weight requirements for the prevention of hypertension are not so strict now. As long as your waist circumference does not exceed 90cm for men and 85cm for women, even if your BMI is slightly over 24, as long as your body fat rate is not ridiculously high, you don't have to force yourself to diet and lose weight. Oh, by the way, there is another controversial point here: some experts believe that "fat but metabolically healthy" people will not be at risk of high blood pressure, but a cohort study with a 10-year follow-up shows that the probability of high blood pressure in such people is still 32% higher than that of normal-weight people. So to be prudent, it is better to keep your waist circumference as much as possible.

Let’s talk about the salt issue that everyone is most concerned about. Don’t be frightened by the saying on the Internet that “the less salt you eat, the healthier you are.” In order to prevent high blood pressure, Uncle Zhang from the community didn't even dare to add soy sauce when cooking. He cooked vegetables every time. After eating for half a month, he was shaking when walking. He went to check for hyponatremia. In fact, the current academic consensus is that the daily salt intake of ordinary adults should be controlled within 5g. If you usually exercise and sweat a lot, it is completely fine to eat 1-2g more. Here are two different suggestions: If you have a family history of high blood pressure, it is recommended that you try to avoid "hidden salt consumers" such as bacon, pickles, and processed snacks. Even sweet snacks such as plums and jelly contain a lot of salt. You can check the ingredient list when buying. If the sodium content exceeds 30% NRV per 100g, buy as little as possible. ； But if you have low blood pressure and are always dizzy, you don’t need to deliberately control salt and just eat normally. On the contrary, excessive salt restriction will increase the risk of hypotension. Another word of caution: People with poor kidney function should not follow the trend and buy low-sodium salt. The potassium in it cannot be excreted and may cause danger.

Many people think that to prevent high blood pressure, you need to exercise every day, but this is not true. In order to prevent high blood pressure, a friend of mine runs 3 kilometers every day after get off work no matter how tired he is. As a result, he fainted in the playground after working overtime some time ago, and his blood pressure suddenly spiked to 160. In fact, the core of exercise is regularity, not surprise. If you walk briskly for 30 minutes three days a week, or dance for half an hour in the square, or even walk two extra stops to get off work every day, the effect will be better than if you practice hard once a week. Oh, by the way, there is another point that people tend to overlook: staying up late and having mood swings actually have a much greater impact on blood pressure than eating two more mouthfuls of salt. I met a 40-year-old accountant before. His annual physical examination showed normal blood pressure. However, during the audit period at the end of the year, he stayed up until two or three o'clock every day and even had a fight with his colleagues. He became dizzy that day and couldn't stand. When he went to have his blood pressure measured, it was 150/95. Fortunately, it was transient and he came back after adjusting for half a month. However, if he is in this high-pressure state for a long time, he will soon develop into real high blood pressure.

Oh, by the way, there is also the monitoring that is most easily ignored by everyone. Don’t think that you don’t need to measure your blood pressure because you are young. Nowadays, many people in their 20s have prehypertension. They don’t even know it. When symptoms of dizziness and chest tightness appear, they already need to take medicine. In fact, you don’t need to buy an expensive blood pressure monitor. An ordinary electronic upper-arm type one is accurate. Sit for 5 minutes without talking before each measurement. Measure it at least twice a year. If you have a family history, you can measure it once every 3 months. If your blood pressure exceeds 130/80 at the same time for three consecutive days, you should adjust your lifestyle quickly. Don’t wait until it reaches 140/90.

To be honest, I have been managing chronic diseases for almost 10 years, and I have seen too many people living miserable lives trying to prevent high blood pressure, but ended up suffering from it. The reason is that those extreme methods simply cannot persist. In fact, preventing high blood pressure never requires you to live the life of an ascetic. You just need to drink two less sips of full-sugar milk tea, stay up two unnecessary late nights, scoop out one less spoonful of salt when eating, and take two more steps downstairs when you have time. These inconspicuous little habits are 100 times more effective than buying a bunch of health care products and not using a fitness card. Of course, if you are really found to have high blood pressure, don’t panic. See a doctor to adjust your medication, take it on time, and if it’s well controlled, it’s no different from normal people. Don’t believe the rumors about “dependence on antihypertensive drugs.” Cerebral hemorrhage and kidney damage caused by indiscriminately stopping the medication are the real dangers.