Healthy lifestyle changes can help lower your blood pressure.
Dos
- Have a healthy, balanced diet
- Exercise regularly – aim to do at least 150 minutes of exercise a week
- Lose weight if you're overweight
Don’ts
- Eating too much salt – avoid salty food or adding salt to your meals
- Drinking too much alcohol – avoid drinking more than 14 alcohol units a week on a regular basis
- Drinking too much caffeine – drinks high in caffeine include coffee, tea and cola
- Smoking
Medicines for high blood pressure
A health provider will usually prescribe medicine for high blood pressure if:
- Your blood pressure is very high
- You're at higher risk of problems linked to high blood pressure, such as a heart attack or stroke
- Your blood pressure is still high after making healthy lifestyle changes
There are lots of different medicines for high blood pressure. The medicine recommended for you depends on things like how high your blood pressure is and your age.
Most blood pressure medicines are taken as tablets once a day. You may need to take more than one medicine to keep your blood pressure under control. Remember, your healthcare team is there to support you every step of the way; therefore, they will prescribe exactly what you need.
