Waskaganish Walk-in Clinic suspended from Monday, June 27 until further notice.
What is hypertension?
Hypertension – or prolonged high blood pressure – damages your blood vessels and organs over time if left untreated, and can lead to a heart attack or stroke.
Keep reading to learn about preventing or managing hypertension.
Do you know?
Salt makes your body hold on to water. This extra water raises your blood pressure and makes your heart work harder. Salt does not only come from the salt shaker – check the food label to know how much sodium is in your packaged foods.
Even people with a healthy lifestyle who feel well can develop hypertension, because of their age or their family genes. Through regular medical appointments and monitoring your blood pressure, you can detect high blood pressure early so that you can manage it and prevent it from doing harm.
Steps you can take for a healthy heart
Eat well
Decrease how much salt you eat - remember to check food labels for sodium!
Be active
Get 30 minutes of physical activity each day. This helps to manager your stress.
Reduce your tobacco and alcohol use
- Quit smoking
- Limit alcohol use
Get help at the CMC
- Check your blood pressure once a year
- Consult your doctor if you have questions about blood pressure medications
Did you know?
Stress plays a big role in your blood pressure. It narrows the blood vessels and makes your heart need to pump more. Try managing your stress by listening to music, getting good sleep, enjoying time with family and friends, doing traditional activities, being on the land, and staying active.
Explore more
Being active is part of healthy living. It has many benefits for our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.
Focusing on healthy habits like physical activity helps us build a strong Cree Nation.
When you try lowering your stress, you might have more time to focus on the other aspects of healthy lifestyles.
Anxiety is a body's natural reaction to a threat or a perceived threat.
Related resources
Updated
February 21, 2022
