What Lifestyle Changes Should Seniors Expect with High Blood Pressure?

High blood pressure is a serious health condition, but many aging adults can get their blood pressure back under control simply by making some lifestyle changes. They don’t have to do it alone, though, because home care assistance providers can work with them to adapt their routines and make the right adjustments.

Which ones are they most likely to hear about?

Home Care Assistance Wyckoff NJ – What Lifestyle Changes Should Seniors Expect with High Blood Pressure?

Dietary Changes

High blood pressure tends to get worse for seniors who are eating diets full of extra sugar and salt. Choosing a healthy, well-balanced diet that is lower in salt and sugar is the typical recommendation from medical providers. Sometimes this means seniors have to learn new cooking methods or start cooking at all. Home care providers can make this easier, ensuring seniors get plenty of healthy meals and snacks that meet their new dietary requirements.

Increasing Activity Levels

For most seniors, the recommendation is 30 minutes of moderate physical activity per day, at least five days a week. Starting out with 30-minute workouts right away can be intimidating, though, and few seniors stick with it for the long run. Finding exercises that seniors enjoy and easing into being more active can help make physical activity something that they’re more likely to embrace.

Manage Stress

Stress is terrible for high blood pressure and life is all about stress. Home care assistance can take over some of the tasks that are more difficult for seniors to handle alone. That frees up time and energy that they can spend doing things they enjoy doing and that help them feel less stressed. That might be reading, meditating, or simply spending time in nature. All of these activities can significantly reduce stress.

Avoid Smoking and Alcohol

Both smoking and alcohol can have big health effects, especially for seniors with high blood pressure. Reducing alcohol and quitting smoking can give seniors big results fast because of how these activities affect the body. Seniors who find it difficult to give up these activities might want to talk with their doctors. There are medications and other treatment plans that can make these changes easier on their bodies.

Get Plenty of Sleep

If seniors aren’t getting quality sleep, their bodies don’t get the rest they need to repair themselves. That also puts stress on the systems of the body, which can contribute to higher blood pressure levels. Prioritizing sleep and making sure that seniors are getting the best quality sleep possible can help them feel better overall. The easiest way to start is by assessing sleep hygiene, particularly bedtimes and wakeup times, and making small adjustments to help seniors sleep better.

When they get the right combination of lifestyle changes in place, some seniors with high blood pressure may not need to take medication. Home care assistance can help aging adults embrace these lifestyle changes and find ways to enjoy them. Making changes for better health doesn’t have to be doom and gloom. Instead it can be fun and seniors can start to see results sooner than they may have thought possible.

If you or a senior family member are considering hiring Home Care Assistance Services in Wyckoff NJ, please get in touch with the caring staff at Caring Solutions Home Care LLC.

Providing in-home senior care, servicing Bergen & Passaic Counties. Call today at (973) 427-3553.