Stress is something we all experience from time to time. Heightened stress levels are reflected in several areas of our lives, including focuses on work, finances, and family. While it’s normal to have a certain level of stress in our lives, it can become an issue when it impacts our health. Stress triggers a response to your mind and body, which can be dangerous if it’s difficult for one to manage their stress.

It’s important to know that stress is not the same thing as anxiety. Anxiety is a response to stress. The accumulation of stressors not only can elicit clouded judgment or feelings of anxiety, but stress also elevates your heart rate and blood sugar. Keep in mind that both stress and anxiety conditions can impact a person mentally and physically, but it’s important to distinguish between them.

How stress can impact the body, especially when it comes to blood pressure? Acute stress can temporarily increase blood pressure, but it’s not a main cause of hypertension, Things like genetics, smoking and a bad diet are much bigger factors. Understanding the physical response to stress can help people learn coping strategies that can help improve their lives and wellbeing.

Here are some useful tips on how to avoid stress:

1) Putting yourself first

You can start with managing the responsibilities you put upon yourself.  When you don’t have the time to take on specific projects or need a moment to relax. Practice the power of simply saying “no”. Everyone needs a break now and again. If you find yourself in a situation where you are overwhelmed, make a habit of asking for help when you need it.

2) Plan ahead

Discovering what “makes you tick” can help you to manage it. Then you can strategize ways to manage common stressors, in hopes to ultimately lower the amount of stress you experience. If you know that being late or sitting through traffic is stressful to you, then plan accordingly to avoid those things when you can. If it’s impossible to avoid stressors, consider things you can do at the moment to help relieve the tension, such as listening to music or taking a few deep breaths.

3) When you feel overwhelmed, find your breath

Some people like to sit quietly and reflect; others want to tap into a deeper relaxation by controlling your respiratory rate to slow, deep breaths. You could try meditating or visualization to help calm yourself down. An easy breathing technique is practicing belly breathing. Throughout your typical day, your breath isn’t using all of your lung’s power. Practice diaphragmatic breathing. Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose until your abdomen fills and your chest slightly expands. Then release all the air slowly through your lips, with a relaxed jaw. Do this for several minutes and take notice of the release and relaxation experienced with every exhale.

4) Find a support circle

Maybe your idea of relaxation is spending time with someone you care about or participating in your favorite hobby. Sometimes the presence of someone else, including your loving pets, can help you find calmness.

5) Healthy lifestyle

The best way to manage your stress is putting your overall health first. It’s important to take care of your body to help reduce the impact life may have on your heart, physiologically and emotionally. Get plenty of  exercise, sleep well, and eat a balanced diet.

Everybody has areas of their life that stresses them out. It can be helpful to know what that might mean for you. Just as important as discovering stressors you need to manage, is finding ways to relax that works for you. Stress happens. However, the small changes you make today can help preserve your health tomorrow. Consider how stress affects your life, and ultimately your cardiovascular health too.

6) Track your health

Keeping your health under control is important. Remember to stay active during the day and drink enough water.

Sleep is also crucial to your health, as a healthy diet and regular physical activity. Sleep loss, insomnia, can affect you both mentally and physically. People with insomnia report a lower quality of life compared with people who are sleeping well.

The less you sleep, the higher your blood pressure may go. People who sleep six hours or less may have steeper increases in blood pressure. If you already have high blood pressure, not sleeping well may make your blood pressure worse.

You can track the effect of bad or good sleep by measuring your blood pressure before and after sleep. In a couple of weeks, you will have a clear picture of how the quality of sleep affects your blood pressure. Automatic blood pressure MED-55 with a memory of 60 last measurements with a date and time can help you keep your blood pressure under control. It also can be used for 2 people at the same time.

Check out the general recommendations for blood pressure measurement at home and follow us on Instagram and Facebook and keep your blood pressure under control!