High blood pressure and diabetes are both severe problems undermining the health of tens of millions of Americans and hundreds of millions of people worldwide. They each have to do with the health of the blood and the blood’s ability to facilitate the metabolic functions of the body. It should come as no surprise then that the presence of one condition tends to worsen the problems with the other.
In particular, diabetes, which in a nutshell is an inability of the body to process glucose as energy leading to excess blood sugar and cellular deterioration, is made a lot worse when high blood pressure rips the lining from the walls of the veins and arteries, making them expand, harden, and clot. The increased sugar levels in the blood is already damaging to blood vessels, and these things together increase the risk of stroke, kidney failure, eye damage, and a range of terrible effects. So how do you lower blood pressure when you have diabetes?
Food
Fortunately, there are some things that you can do that will help not only lower your blood pressure, but help you control your diabetes as well. A lot of this approach is dietary.
Particularly if you suffer from type 2 diabetes, you have to be concerned about introducing new sugar into your blood stream, as your body’s cells may not be responding to the insulin your body produces. If you have high blood pressure, you want to stop eating foods that increase your blood pressure, which means largely eliminating sodium from your diet.
Together, this basically means that you want to cut out salty and sugary foods from your diet…a depressing thought, we know. But the good news is that you are still left with a tasty range of options that will boost your health in a delicious way.
It may include a lot of salad of course. But dark, leafy greens including kale and spinach are beneficial sources of key minerals like magnesium, calcium, and potassium, without having a lot of sugar. Some fatty foods like avocados, olive oil, and even salmon are also beneficial. Certain sweet foods as well, such as sweet potatoes and yams, which are high in fiber as well as potassium, will ease your blood pressure and your blood sugar at the same time.
Exercise
Another important part of lowering your blood pressure, which will also help your blood sugar, is exercise. Find the best blood pressure monitor you can get a hold of, start exercising 30 minutes a day, and see the results as you stick to your routine.
Now, one has to be a bit careful with exercise, especially if you suffer from type 1 diabetes and are taking insulin. But what exercise does for diabetes is to improve cellular absorption of glucose. This will diminish blood sugar and improve metabolic activity. If one takes too much insulin, thus reducing blood sugar too far, and then exercises, hypoglycemia can be a problem. So take care to listen to your body, but know that careful and conscientious exercise should be an important part of lowering your blood pressure while helping you manage your diabetes.
