In an effort to promote awareness about the importance of cardiovascular health, Pic Solution -specialists in self-care and well-being-, in collaboration with Paula Martín (@farmanutriconsejo), a collaborating pharmacist and nutritionist, share all the necessary information about blood pressure to keep tension at bay during the holidays since the usual nostalgia of the Christmas season, along with the stress caused by the typical family discord, copious meals with excess sugar and salt, and increased alcohol consumption as a result of the celebrations , are external factors that affect our health and trigger our tension, especially at Christmas.
In the middle of Christmas, loaded with copious meals and dinners, the Spanish Heart Foundation (FEC) warns of the importance of paying special care to our hearts in winter and specifically in December, since Christmas is a period of less control of certain factors. cardiovascular risk.
The Spaniards are aware of the control of tension. Half of the respondents (50%) in Pic Solution’s VI Barometer claim to include in their self-care routines the review of health parameters such as tension. Furthermore, since the pandemic, 33% of Spaniards claim to have increased their stress measurement.
And, according to the WHO, the healthiest blood pressure values are those that are below 120 mmHg systolic pressure and 80 mmHg diastolic pressure. Below 140/90 are considered normal values for the adult population. Above this, we can begin to talk about hypertension, with its associated cardiovascular risks. Maintaining these values below healthy levels is essential to maintain good health. Therefore, as Paula Martín adds, “blood pressure is always a crucial indicator of health because it can alert us to possible future concerns.”
In the words of the expert, “the only reliable way to identify high blood pressure is to perform daily measurements at approximately the same time. «Looking ahead to this Christmas, it is more than advisable to keep a daily check on your blood pressure, not only for people who suffer from hypertension, but for all those who go out of their ‘healthy’ comfort zone at this time of year and are aware that they are going to carry out excesses. “It is a simple act that takes little time and on many occasions, has saved more than one life.”
Expert recommendations
Paula Martín brings together five recommendations to avoid high blood pressure next Christmas:
1. Don’t skip any meals. «At Christmas it is very common to say: since I have eaten too much, I won’t have dinner; or I’m not going to have breakfast because today I have food and my hunger goes away… With these practices we will only manage to arrive hungry for food and overindulge. Therefore, it is advisable to maintain our eating routine during the holidays and not skip any of the 5 meals of the day.
2. Maintain your physical activity routine. Christmas is a time of year when we are more sedentary and we abandon the practice of physical exercise, having excuses such as being away from home and not having our trusted gym on hand. The expert, therefore, assures that not only should we not abandon the practice of physical exercise, but we should increase physical activity in order to balance all the excesses. It is advisable to walk, run, swim or ride a bicycle, 30 to 60 minutes a day and at least three to five days a week.
– Increases water consumption. It is recommended to consume 2.5l of water per day and not all people consume it. “Drinking liquids is always positive, if we do not reach the recommended water consumption we can always help ourselves with infusions, broths and fruits rich in water such as pineapple or papaya,” he recommends.
– Avoid salt and other unhealthy foods. Avoiding excessive consumption of salt is one of the habits that will bring us the greatest benefits for our health. “We must avoid excessive consumption of salt, replacing it in meals, for example, with oregano or parsley. However, salt is not the only ingredient that we should avoid, we must also eliminate sugar and sugary drinks, all sauces (such as mustard, ketchup, hot sauces…), licorice (For those who suffer from hypertension, excess licorice can cause sodium retention and potassium loss, aggravating the pathology), alcoholic beverages, industrial fats, caffeine, red meat…
– Proper control of our blood pressure. Paula Martín recommends maintaining our self-care routine and controlling our blood pressure especially during these dates, whether at home or at the pharmacy.
This is how to use a blood pressure monitor
The blood pressure monitors They are essential devices that allow you to control your blood pressure at home, giving you the opportunity to comfortably and regularly monitor your health without having to go to the pharmacy. More than half of Spaniards already do so, since according to the same barometer, 55% claim to have a blood pressure monitor at home, 8% more than the figure obtained in 2022.
This information is not surprising considering the wide variety of blood pressure monitor models that currently exist, and the ease of obtaining them. Physical pharmacies and parapharmacies are the favorite point to obtain blood pressure monitors (56%), followed by online stores (18%).
It is vital to highlight the importance of using these devices appropriately to obtain accurate and meaningful measurements. Below, we share some tips for the correct use of blood pressure monitors:
1. Mornings, the best time of day to measure tension. It is recommended to take your blood pressure in the morning, before breakfast and before taking any medication. It is important not to have had coffee or alcoholic beverages for 30 minutes before.
2. Sitting and resting, essential for measurement. If you have gone to the bathroom, you have gone up the stairs quickly…. Rest in the chair for 5 minutes before taking your blood pressure. To measure tension properly, we must be sitting properly.
3. Left arm. We will always measure the tension in the left arm, with it always resting on a table at heart level. It is important not to talk, not cross your legs and breathe normally.
4. Good adjustment of the blood pressure monitor. It is important that it is well adjusted, without being too tight or too loose.
«In short, it is important to always keep a more exhaustive control of the main health indicators: body mass index, glucose, cholesterol… However, let’s start this Christmas by keeping a more exhaustive control of our blood pressure. If you suffer from any of the following symptoms: severe headache, chest pain, dizziness, difficulty breathing, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision…, do not hesitate to go to the doctor,” concludes Paula Martin, expert collaborator of Pic. Solution.