HYPERTENSION, NOT DEATH SENTENCE. . .

Mr. John came out of the doctor's office, face downcast, really moody, head frequently shaking, acting like someone who had just lost a loved one. After enquiring the reason for his unpleasant gesticulations, I discovered it was all down to what he had heard the doctor tell him. Mr. John was just told he had hypertension.

As the case with Mr. John, so is it with a lot of people; some are at the point of death right about now, just because they've been told they have hypertension.

But I think the problem is actually with the 'big' word, not what the word really is, hypertension.

HYPERTENSION BROKEN DOWN. . .

Hypertension, in simple terms, High Blood Pressure, means that your blood pressure is higher than the normal level it is meant to be.

"THESE DOCTORS SELF, THEY CAN LIKE TO CONFUSE SOMEONE WITH BIG GRAMMA", you say. . .

Now you know, but that's not all. . . Please follow me. . .

Instead of shivering and excessively worrying over what's not, it's time to ask questions, the right questions; "how do I prevent it?", "how do I bring it back to normal?", and so on. . .

                     SO HOW DO YOU PREVENT IT?

• First of all, cut down on salt:

This might be a 'little' hard to hear, but it's the truth anyways. Salt isn't such a good friend of the body.

Here's the link between the salt we eat and blood pressure:

High salt diet disrupts the natural sodium balance in the body. This causes retention of fluid in the body which increases the pressure exerted by the blood against blood vessel walls (high blood pressure).

Reducing salt is one of the quickest ways to reduce your blood pressure, particularly if you already have high blood pressure.

It is advised that our daily intake of salt should be less than 6g, about a teaspoonful.

• Eating a healthy diet:

This is another thing, and it complements the first point. Aside reducing our salt intake, having a healthy balanced diet on daily basis is a perfect idea. Eating foods low in fats, rich in vegetables and fruits will greatly put your heart health in the best condition.

• Reducing stress: 

Mr. John came out of the doctor's office, stressed up. Now, this gets me wondering. You were just told you have hypertension, all you should do is not panic, you'll only be increasing the pressure on the already pressured blood vessels if you do that.

Stressing up is not just the solution. Stress greatly contributes to, or can lead to high blood pressure.

I'd like to say here, "man, you need to relax". Relaxation helps reduce blood pressure.

Avoid things that easily get you upset. Calm down.

• Maintaining a healthy weight:

Being overweight makes the heart work harder and raises blood pressure. For people who are overweight, even small amounts of weight loss can make a big difference in helping to prevent and treat high blood pressure. Being too fat isn't good living.

• Getting regular exercise:

People who are physically active have a lower risk of getting high blood pressure. Exercising goes a long way in helping to reduce not just blood pressure alone, it helps the general body system to stay fit and healthy.

• Alcohol is not the way forward: 

Drinking too much alcohol can raise your blood pressure. Regularly drinking beyond limits is seriously damaging your health. It gradually destroys every vital organ of the body.

• QUIT SMOKING:

I capitalised this point because smoking still remains one the leading bad health habit the world's still battling with.

Smoking doesn’t just affect the lungs, your throat and air passages. It does more. . .

Yes, smoking doesn’t directly affect blood pressure, but  it does worse by increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke.

• Limit caffeine: 

Research has shown that blood pressure may be increased by drinking more than four cups of coffee a day. Consider going decaf. Remember, caffeine is also found in tea, cola (Coca-cola), some energy drinks and even some medicines. Cut down on these drinks.

• Regular medical check-up:

You just have to know this; HYPERTENSION HAS NO DEFINITE SYMPTOMS, and if it's not treated early, it can damage other important body organs like the kidneys, heart, brain, and eventually cause death. So there's no way you're going to know if you fail to go for regular check-ups. Your health is important, take it serious.

Now, you know what you didn't at the start of this write-up.

Hypertension is not death sentence, it's just a warning, if adhered to, puts you back on track. Failure to heed brings a very big bad price along.

Take good care of yourself, and remember to #stayhealthy.