High blood pressure is often called a “silent” condition because many people feel well even when their readings are elevated. Measuring blood pressure is the only way to detect it.
Five practical foundations
- Reduce excess salt. Avoid adding extra salt at the table and limit highly processed foods.
- Stay physically active. Regular walking, cycling, yoga, or another suitable activity can support cardiovascular health.
- Choose a balanced diet. Include vegetables, fruit, pulses, and whole grains while limiting excess saturated fat and heavily processed food.
- Make sleep and stress management part of care. Sustainable routines are more useful than occasional intense efforts.
- Measure regularly and take prescribed medicines consistently. Do not stop blood-pressure medicine because one reading is normal or because you feel well.
Blood-pressure goals and medicines vary according to age, diabetes, kidney disease, cardiovascular risk, pregnancy, and other factors. Treatment should therefore be individualised.
Seek urgent care for very high blood pressure accompanied by chest pain, severe headache, breathing difficulty, confusion, weakness on one side, or vision changes.
Further reading: World Health Organization guidance on hypertension.
This article is for health education and does not replace an individual medical consultation. Symptoms, test results, medicines, and treatment decisions should be discussed with a qualified clinician.