Cardiologists Are Begging People With Hypertension To Stop Doing This One Thing ASAP

Cardiologists Are Begging People With Hypertension To Stop Doing This One Thing ASAP originally appeared on Parade.

Heart disease has the distinction of being the leading cause of death among U.S. adults. In 2025, the American Heart Association specifically called out hypertension as a risk factor that keeps heart disease at the top of this list. As scary as this sounds—especially if you have hypertension—cardiologists emphasize that it’s important to know the truth so you can take action (which you can).

“Hypertension poses a significant risk for the development of cardiovascular diseases, including heart attacks, strokes and congestive heart failure,” says Dr. Bradley Serwer, MD,an interventional cardiologist and chief medical officer at VitalSolution, an Ingenovis Health company. “Hypertension is treatable, and early interventions can significantly reduce the likelihood of these devastating conditions.”

Medications can help lower blood pressure. However, it’s also important to make lifestyle tweaks, including understanding certain easy-to-overlook risks that can make hypertension worse. Cardiologists shared the one thing they’re begging people with hypertension to stop doing ASAP, plus how to become a more informed (food) consumer.

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The No. 1 Habit Cardiologists Want People With High Blood Pressure To Break ASAP

Cardiologists are urging people to be more mindful of their daily salt intake and not overlook the hidden ways sodium can be incorporated into foods.

“Increased salt—sodium—intake affects how your kidneys manage the water balance in your body,” explains Dr. Cheng-Han Chen, MD, a board-certified interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center. “When you take in more sodium than you need, this will cause the body to retain water, which then leads to increased blood pressure in your blood vessels.”

Dr. Chen echoes the American Heart Association’s recommendation for daily salt intake, which is 2,300 mg per day. However, Dr. Chen adds that the American Heart Association recommends sticking to 1,500 mg per day for people with kidney or heart problems, and that includes hypertension.

Related: 5 Foods To Buy Every Week To Lower Your Hypertension Risk, According to Cardiologists

Why Salt Intake Is Hard—But Not Impossible—To Reduce

You may know not to add salt to foods if you have hypertension or want to keep blood pressure numbers in check. However, cardiologists say daily salt consumption is easy to underestimate.

“Most people do not look at labels to see how much sodium they’re consuming,” points out Dr. Randy Gould, DO, a cardiologist with Manhattan Cardiology in NYC and labfinder.com contributor. “If they have foods that don’t taste salty, they may think they’re not high in sodium, but this might not be the case.”

Indeed, salt is used for reasons beyond flavor, so taste testing isn’t always the best way to gauge how much is in a meal or snack. Believe it or not, salt is in some of the sweetest foods (like cookies!).

“Salt is hidden in many foods as both a flavor enhancer and preservative,” Dr. Serwer reports. “For these reasons, salt is used in high quantities in many canned foods, prepared and processed meals and in commercial restaurants.”

Related: Here’s What Happens to Your Blood Pressure When You Eat Blueberries Every Day

Still, it’s possible to consume less salt. Dr. Chen recommends:

• Checking the nutrition label on foods whenever possible

• Preparing your own food with fresh ingredients more often than not

• Ask for menu items that are lower in sodium when eating out

Dr. Serwer also recommends eating more home-cooked meals and especially avoiding fast food when eating out. Studiesconsistently show that people who eat out more frequently consume more sodium. He suggests:

• Avoiding canned and pre-prepared meals (including ones you heat up in your own microwave)

• Adding more produce to your diet

• Considering salt substitutes for flavoring (like parsley, basil or cumin)

Related: The Simple Food Swap Cardiologists Are Begging You To Make ASAP

Other Ways to Manage Blood Pressure

Keeping a keen eye on salt intake is essential. However, cardiologists recommend a holistic approach to tackling hypertension. They shared a few other ways to keep your blood pressure numbers in a healthy range.

1. Get regular exercise

Dr. Gould recommends getting at least 150 hours of physical activity per week. The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity (exerting enough effort to breathe heavily but still able to talk) or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity (a hard effort that causes heavy breathing, so you can only speak in short, choppy sentences) exercise each week for overall heart health. Research finds regular exercise is important for lowering and managing blood pressure.

Dr. Serwer recommends discussing exercise programs with your doctor, especially if you have underlying health conditions.

2. Manage your stress and sleep

The idea that stressful situations are “raising your blood pressure” may not be some tongue-in-cheek line. Dr. Gould states that stress management is a crucial tool for regulating blood pressure.

Some studies show that tools like mindfulness-based stress reduction programs are effective. Stress can leave you tossing and turning at night, but Dr. Gould notes it’s vital to catch enough Zzz’s. A Hypertension study linked irregular sleep patterns to hypertension.

Excessive drinking and smoking are two ways people may try to manage stress, but Dr. Chen advises against them, saying neither will do your heart (or overall health) any favors. Your care team can recommend resources to help you with these habits, such as therapy and support groups.

3. Stay in touch with your doctor

Dr. Serwer reminds people that doctors, such as cardiologists, are here to help. “Maintain a close and consistent relationship with your primary care providers and take your medications on time,” he says.

Additionally, you may need to check your blood pressure regularly. He advises people to heed these recommendations from their care team because it can help flag irregular blood pressure. `

Up Next:

Related: I’m a Cardiologist, and This ‘Relaxing’ Habit Is Actually Harming Your Heart Health

Sources:

• Heart and Stroke Statistics. American Heart Association.

• Dr. Bradley Serwer, MD, an interventional cardiologist and chief medical officer at VitalSolution, an Ingenovis Health company

• Dr. Cheng-Han Chen, MD, a board-certified interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center

• Shaking the Salt Habit to Lower High Blood Pressure. American Heart Association.

• Dr. Randy Gould, DO, a cardiologist with Manhattan Cardiology in NYC and labfinder.com contributor

• Can Meals Outside Homes Impact Sodium Intake? Current Developments in Nutrition.

• Frequency of eating home cooked meals and potential benefits for diet and health: cross-sectional analysis of a population-based cohort study. International Journal International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.

• American Heart Association Recommendations for Physical Activity in Adults and Kids. American Heart Association.

• Exercise as a tool for hypertension and resistant hypertension management: current insights. Integrated Blood Pressure Control.

• Effect and Acceptability of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program on Patients With Elevated Blood Pressure or Hypertension: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Hypertension.

• Sleep Irregularity Is Associated With Hypertension: Findings From Over 2 Million Nights With a Large Global Population Sample. Hypertension.

Cardiologists Are Begging People With Hypertension To Stop Doing This One Thing ASAP first appeared on Parade on Jul 6, 2025

This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 6, 2025, where it first appeared.