Covid-19 and high blood pressure: Precautionary measures to be taken

<p>It has been over a year and the entire country continues to battle the novel coronavirus. The second wave has put more lives in danger especially of those suffering from diabetes, hypertension, heart conditions and other comorbidities.</p> <p>If you have high blood pressure, the most important step you can take is to manage it efficiently as you fall into the high-risk category and may encounter serious complications with COVID-19. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people with High BP should consider these precautions.</p> <p><strong>Medication</strong></p> <p>Take medication as prescribed by a certified medical practitioner. Avoid skipping the medication or self-medicating and&nbsp;do not adopt any home remedies without your doctors approval.</p> <p><strong>Choose heart-healthy foods</strong></p> <p>Consider the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, which focuses on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, poultry, fish and low-fat dairy foods.</p> <p><strong>Decrease salt intake</strong></p> <p>Aim to limit sodium consumption to less than 2,300 mg a day or less. However, a lower sodium intake of 1,500 mg a day or less is ideal for most adults.</p> <p><strong>Stay active</strong></p> <p>Losing even a little weight can reduce your blood pressure, so try and exercise regularly for 30 minutes or go for brisk walks.</p> <p><strong>Manage stress</strong></p> <p>Stress can cause short-term spikes in blood pressure and taking steps to reduce it can improve your heart health. Try managing your stress and anxiety&nbsp;in healthy ways, such as deep breathing, meditation, yoga and getting&nbsp;a sound&nbsp;sleep.&nbsp;</p> <p>Lastly, to keep COVID-19 at bay, High BP patients should disinfect frequently touched surfaces like BP monitoring machines, doorknobs, wallets, keys, remotes and door handles and must follow all&nbsp;Covid-19 norms.</p>