Blood Pressure and medication
Blood pressure comes with too many terms and conditions, and one of them is medication. More than 50% of people start taking precautions after they know they have blood pressure. When the existence of hypertension is identified, one must attempt not to get rid of it but to control the blood sugar levels to normal as much as possible. Now, many internal and external factors contribute to increased levels of blood sugar. These internal and external factors are the effects of how and what lifestyle we adopt. The lifestyle effect further contributes to our actions that increase blood pressure, and to balance it is dosed with medications.
The solution is as simple as that if we adopt a lifestyle that makes sure not to contribute to our increasing levels of blood sugar, our medication, and reduction in treatment, delayed or avoided. A healthy lifestyle can help to cut down the complications of diabetes. An unhealthy lifestyle not only increases the blood sugar levels but also increased blood pressure can invite many other diseases related to heart, kidney, and eyes. No wonder if any one of them exists in a diabetic patient, the medication will increase even more. So, how about controlling that blood sugar level by choosing a healthy lifestyle and controlling it with consistency towards lifestyle choices without a heavy dosage of medication.
Let’s understand various factors that can help to contribute a healthy lifestyle and maintaining the blood pressure levels without medication or treatment:
Exercise
Physical activities have shown direct contact with the heart rate. A healthy heart rate means stronger heart health and lower are chances of heart risks. Exercise promotes more healthy heart pumps, which increase the blood circulation and thus decrease stress on the heart. Exercising helps you to maintain your blood pressure to safer levels. Meditation, yoga helps in inculcating healthy breathing habits which is important for patients with high blood pressure. The highest risk of blood sugar is associated with heart, and it can give rise to heart strokes, heart failures, attacks, etc.
Developing good breathing techniques can help in controlling short breathing during hypertension and thus can reduce the stress on the heart.
The exercise shows effects only when consistently carried out daily. Studies have shown that three months of regular exercise can give equal benefits as medication. Exercise recommendations:
a) Walking
b) Cycling
c) Hiking
d) Treadmilling
e) Swimming
f) meditation
e) yoga
g) aerobics
h) outdoor games, i.e., volleyball, basketball
Food intake
Diet is a very important factor in blood sugar level, and to keep a thorough check on how does any food affects our blood sugar, it’s equally important to check the glycemic score of those foods. The Glycemic Index indicates the existence of the effect of the specific food we consume on our blood sugar. High blood sugar exists due to lower insulin sensitivity. The body that is unable to produce enough insulin or is not using insulin correctly tends to develop blood pressure complications.
This complication refers to the glucose accumulation in the body, which causes tiredness or exhaustion in the short term but also heart diseases in the long term. A diet that is rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, low fats, and good and low-fats, good cholesterol should be preferred instead of unhealthy foods.
The aim of a balanced diet should be to keep nutrient high, keep weight on track, increase good carbs that control the sugar spikes in the blood. As the increase in any of the diet elements can cause heart disease, kidney problems, vision loss, etc., which would not only involve diabetic complications but also increase medication and treatment. On the other hand, if a diabetic patient focuses on controlling those elements, then there would be no blood spikes plus no chance of catching high blood sugar
Read: High Protein Diet and Diabetes
Manage Stress
Blood sugar levels get affected due to the stress levels. Stress can trigger hormones, which can lead to hypertension, thus increasing the blood pressure of a diabetic person. The hormone cortisol releases during the tensed situation, and this increases the heart rate and breathing speed, in turn, worsens the diabetic person’s blood sugar as a result of immediate energy needs, and the body starts releasing sugar directly into the blood. Hence, stress management needs to get full attention from a diabetic patient.
Cortisol hormone affects the pancreas, making it difficult to release insulin. As insulin helps the sugar to move out blood cells for energy, but the increased cortisol can ruin the process and increase sugar’s concentration in the blood. As a result of this, insulin injections advised by doctors. So, all measures should be taken along with stress management to balance the insulin sensitivity in the body.
Cut down toxic habits
Alcohol and smoking are harmful to health irrespective of any disease anyone poses. But in the case of diabetic patients whose kidneys and heart are already at great risk, smoking can cause harmful consequences on the heart and lungs. For a diabetic patient, respiratory diseases are very likely to attack and can increase complications like asthma, heart attack, and other lung infections.
Similarly, alcohol has dangerous effects on blood sugar levels and can weaken the liver and kidneys to detoxification alcohol out of the body. Adds stress over the liver and kidneys and can lead to many more infections leading to diseases. Increases in diseases mean an increase in treatments and medicines. So, eliminating toxic habits can help to lower blood pressure without medication.
Weight Management
Overweight can cause obesity in everyone. Increased fats in the body can increase heart risks. Controlling the portion sizes of the meal, undertaking physical activities can even result in better in maintaining weight. Weight has a direct connection with blood sugar levels. Maintaining a proper diet plan can help to reduce the sugar levels in the body, and exercising can help to down fats and calories from the body.
The rigid body can lead to central fats in the body can increase heart risks. To avoid daily blood pressure pills or medication tries to maintain weight and control excessive eating to keep sugar levels in the blood as low as possible.
Monitoring blood sugar levels at regular intervals
A diabetic patient’s every activity has some effects on the blood pressure levels, right from exercising, foods that a diabetic patient eats to the sleep pattern. Hence, it should be a mandatory habit a diabetic person should put to themselves to monitor sugar levels after every physical activity, which helps in analyzing what all are the internal and external factors that need controlling at the individual level. Besides, it will also help in reducing activities that might lead to an excessive complication resulting in need of medication to balance the sugar levels.
By keeping a thorough check and monitoring blood sugar spikes at the regular interval, we can manage to lower the blood pressure levels without medication.
Conclusion
Lowering Blood sugar level means to maintain it to as low as possible and not let it go above a specific limit. Now to do this, there are various things right from controlling the food we eat, burning fats and calories, maintaining insulin sensitivity, and if the manual efforts do not bring change, then opting for pills and medication to lower it.
However, the various factors mentioned above are the efforts when putting up together can replace the medication. Still, if the complications arise, then it is always recommended to seek a doctor’s help and follow the medication/treatment as prescribed.
Medication is just a simpler and faster way to achieve lower blood sugar levels when you fail to adhere to the terms and conditions that silently comes along with blood pressure diagnosis. But if a diabetic patient follows the right lifestyle from the very beginning and unlocks the factors that can help him/her to reduce the blood sugar levels, then he/she can reduce, delay or even avoid the medications that may require.
Hence, medication takes a replacement when a person with high blood pressure can promise not to undertake activities that will lead to complications. Follow it consistently throughout to make sure that the blood sugar level is normal. No medicine, pill, or treatment is required further. Rather than preventive measures, as mentioned above, adherence to the steps very strictly shall help to get rid of the medication should be the aim of a diabetic patient.