Managing High Blood Pressure
If you are diagnosed with high blood pressure by your healthcare provider, it is important that it is managed effectively. This will include regular follow-up with your healthcare provider, and may include home blood pressure monitoring.
Management of high blood pressure starts with important health behaviour changes.
You will notice these recommendations are very similar to the measures recommended to prevent high blood pressure and heart disease in general:
Maintain a healthy weight
Eat a healthy diet high in fruits and vegetables, DASH diet
Limit sodium intake to less than 5 grams of salt or 2 grams of sodium per day
Physical activity
No smoking, limit alcohol to less than 9 drinks per week in women
Consider stress management
If blood pressure remains >140/90 with health behaviour changes, medications should be started
There are several types of medications which work well to treat high blood pressure. Most people taking medications to lower blood pressure do not experience side effects. If you do develop a side effect, your doctor will prescribe a different type of blood-pressure lowering medication.
If you do require medications, the behavioural recommendations (such as eating a healthy, low-sodium diet and participating in regular physical activity) remain very important and may limit the number of medications that are needed to control your blood pressure.
Some blood pressure medications are not safe during pregnancy, while others are. It is important to discuss this with your doctor, and make sure that you are on pregnancy-safe medications if you are planning another pregnancy.
