Coronavirus and Hypertension: How 120/Life Can Help

Dealing with a global pandemic can feel overwhelming, to say the least. The idea of what “normal life” looks like has been turned upside down, and we’re paying extra close attention to our health. While COVID-19 affects people differently, people with hypertension may be at increased risk of becoming severely ill with COVID-19. Luckily, 120/Life can help normalize your blood pressure to help keep you healthy.

What is hypertension?

Hypertension is another name for high blood pressure. High blood pressure is caused by a large quantity of blood being pumped through narrow arteries in your body. This pressure against the artery walls may cause health problems down the road, such as heart disease, dementia and stroke.

Hypertension is a common condition that typically develops over many years. It’s often present without symptoms, making it difficult to detect without a visit to the doctor. Luckily, once a doctor has identified that you have hypertension, there are a variety of steps you can take to lower your blood pressure.

How does hypertension affect your risk for contracting coronavirus?

Evidence shows that people with untreated or uncontrolled high blood pressure may be at risk of becoming severely ill with COVID-19. People with high blood pressure may also be at an increased risk of developing complications from COVID-19 compared to people with high blood pressure that’s being managed with medication.

Controlling your blood pressure is always important, but especially so now with the risk of COVID-19. In order to reach and maintain a healthy blood pressure, you may need to make adjustments to your daily routine, including the food you eat and the activities you do.

How to treat hypertension

There are medications available to treat high blood pressure, and it will be up to you and your doctor to discuss these and decide if they’re right for you.

There are also a variety of lifestyle changes you can make to help lower your blood pressure. For example, eating healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, poultry, fish, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products can help you control your hypertension. It’s also important to limit the amount of salt as well as saturated fats in your diet, and eliminate trans fats completely if possible.

120/Life makes it easy to add heart-healthy food to your diet. We combine tart cherries, pomegranate, cranberries, beetroot, hibiscus and magnesium in one convenient beverage.

You can also control and prevent high blood pressure by reaching and maintaining a healthy weight, getting more physical activity in your day, limiting alcohol consumption, and finding ways to manage stress.