How to reduce pressure without pressure on yourself

I decided to devote this material to the most important cause of death of people - the state of our cardiovascular system. In general, in the column I plan to talk a lot with you about what most often kills us. So it turns out that health systems develop the clearest instructions for these diseases and research them the most. They can be understood: the country needs hands and taxes so that there is more prosperity than poverty and hopelessness.

Statistics predictsTop 10 causes of death in the world / WHOthat half of your peers will die of cardiovascular disease: a heart attack or coronary heart disease, and maybe stroke (more recently it has been classified more as a neurological condition, but in this column we will look at it from the side cardiac).

All these states are connected by many things - for example, high blood pressure, that is, such that it is more than 120/80. It is insidious, imperceptible, dangerous. Sooner or later, it finishes off the organs that did not count on it: the kidneys, the retina, the brain and our dear heart.

Disclaimer: This column is written by a science communicator, not a doctor. Together we deal with the conditions that affect the quality and length of your life. To do this, we look at open epidemiological sources and guidelines for patients. The task is not to cure you, but to help you begin to appreciate your life and health. If you need treatment, go see a doctor.

Why is it important to think about pressure as early as possible?

Because the heart may be older than you. Our heart is fantastically hardy and strong, but even it can get tired and refuse to work due to working conditions. Such is the strike, which, however, can cost lives.

To understand how your heart is generally doing there, you can take a test for its age. They are in Russian, but if you know English, it is better to turn to NHS: there are fewer questions, and everything is on the case. Fill out a short questionnaire and get a figure - how old is your heart.

I am 31 (I am 30), although all my indicators were normal, only I do not know the level of cholesterol. But my young man, who is 31, aged his heart to 36, because he smoked, although he quit a long time ago, and also took pills for high blood pressure.

The test also shows how long you can live without life-threatening conditions. hearts. To be honest, looking at this figure is scary, but sobering. I thought then: “That’s how many years I will be at my place if I don’t get hit by a car or a new respiratory virus kills me.” And there you can also estimate how your prognosis for survival after 70 will improve if you begin to control your high blood pressure.

What causes high blood pressure

It is hardly possible to say exactly where you got it from. Process understandableAbout how the process of increasing pressure is arranged, it is cool and understandable written in Telegram channel neurologist, educator, author of the hit list of drugs Nikita Zhukov.how to manage it - in general, too. But the specific causes are so complex and multifaceted that it is impossible to establish them in an individual patient in 95% of cases. Only one in 20 clearCauses - High blood pressure (hypertension) / NHS It could be a drug or a disease. For example, kidney disease or infection, diabetes, hormone problems, sleep apnea, scleroderma, or lupus. That is why, if you already have consistently high blood pressure, you need to go and discuss it with your doctor.

Next, we will talk about the factors that are associated with an increased risk of hypertension, and hence death from stroke, heart attack or heart failure. Related, not cause. This is important to remember for understanding the whole approach to a healthy lifestyle.

For example, smoking is not a cause of stroke per se. Smoking can affect the arteries, which can unlearn how to contract and decompress normally, they will become constricted, this will force the heart to pump blood with more force to push it through the arteries. The pressure will rise. Sooner or later, this will lead to problems in the vessels of the brain, which are unpleasant for such loads. Voila - the stroke is ready. And the first domino was launched by your classmate, who offered a cigarette at recess behind the school.

Done with smoking. With what else bindCauses - High blood pressure (hypertension) / NHS is this state? Chronically stressed, overweight, high in salt, over 65, or a relative with high blood pressure. Hypertension is also easier to develop if you sleep little and poorly, do not exercise, and like to drink alcohol or coffee.

How to reduce pressure without tantrums

Now we will come up with a plan for you to control pressure or reduce it. Everything for you to live happily ever after.

As you remember, we will talk about risk factors, not causes. Some of them cannot be changed (for example, gender or age, or the fact that your mother has hypertension since she was 35). And some factors can be removed or changed, and then you reduceprevention. High blood pressure (hypertension) / NHS risk. In general, this is your task after reading the column.

So, we need to figure out how to make your life less salt, smoking, alcohol, coffee, stress and your own weight. And more sleep, sports, fruits and vegetables.

In coaching, there is the concept of a minimum baseline. This is a great approach for changing habits or introducing new ones without you going crazy and giving up.

Usually when we give ourselves Promise lose 20 kg or stop eating sweets, it sounds impossible, tough. But the worst thing is that we just take it and lie to ourselves from the doorway. Of course, you won’t lose weight this way, but rather, you will drive and quit.

To make things more comfortable, you need to understand your minimum baseline - the amount and the approach that you can definitely handle and be satisfied with yourself. For example, do not eat sweets after 19.00 once a week. The bar can be raised, but the main thing is your feeling of the success of what is happening.

So, in order to protect yourself from an unpleasant death ahead of time, you can try to understand your minimum baseline in our risk factors.

How to deal with risk factors

Let's start with measuring pressure. It would be better to get into the habit of measuring it. This can be helped by your keen interest in learning more about your body.

You do not need to immediately buy a blood pressure monitor - try to measure the pressure at the granny's. This is a reason to see each other at least once a month, and at the same time a useful quick screening. More blood pressure monitors are usually in pharmacies.

High pressure is not felt, so it is important to check it. It is worth straining if it is above 120/80. And then start changing your life.

Alcohol abuse

If you drink every week with friends, you can save one evening and go to the movies or play football with the same friends the next.

Love for coffee

If you love coffee, try a decaffeinated drink. At least one glass a day instead of the usual. If you like it, you can get involved. And in the summer, when you want iced coffee, take orange juice once a week. Same price, but less damage.

Stress

It is also possible to slightly reduce the level of stress without radical solutions. If you don't want to change jobs or start working with a therapist, try walks in the evening, a bath once a month or a rest in the bath at least once a week.

Sedentary lifestyle

Sports can be added to life at home with millions of YouTube videos. You can agree with yourself and discover a new look every week: fitness, yoga, Pilates, dancing. There is no one to be shy at home and you can sometimes take a break between exercises - no coach will put pressure on you. You can also run with colleagues and support each other.

love for salty foods

Salt can be reduced a little. If you completely refuse salt, then you will simply fall into apathy. After all, it adds flavor to many dishes. And if you reduce the amount of salt in soup or pasta, you will not notice a change. We quickly get used to this, and then the chips seem incredibly salty.

In general, try starting with one dish and a smaller pinch.

Lack of vegetables and fruits

The same rule will work for adding to your diet. vegetables and fruits. Slowly, little by little, look for those that you really like and eat them, not celery or broccoli.

Excess weight

If you need to lose weight, remember that eating less and moving more is often enough. You can reduce portions slowly, find your minimum baseline for abstaining from cakes, and try to at least walk for 30 minutes every evening. And there, you look, and go on a run.

bad dream

If you're not sleeping well, try tweaking your sleep hygiene. Yes, there are a lot of rules, but maybe start at least with the phone? Set it aside half an hour before bedtime - so, by the way, you will definitely get up for it in the morning if there is an alarm clock. Read a book before bed. A couple of pages - and you are already falling asleep. Then you will still be proud of yourself for not storing books on the shelf, but reading them!

Smoking

With smoking it's a bit more complicated because it's about addiction. If you smoke and all those pictures of black lungs and missing teeth on packs don't make you think about unpleasant consequences, then what will one column do? In this case, it is better to score and smoke, if you like to smell bad and spend a lot of money on cigarettes.

But you can try something from the list above. For example, reduce the amount of coffee or alcohol, or maybe start going to boxing or squash, albeit with smoke breaks. The main thing is not to think radically and not deprive yourself of the opportunity to live longer, even if you decide to smoke.

What is the result

High blood pressure may kill you one day, but that doesn't mean you have to throw salt out of your house and give up all the pleasures of life. Just make it a little better with simple solutions. And I hope that one day, when we are all 100 years old, we will thank ourselves for such care and love for our body.