6 Easy Ways To Lower Your
Blood Pressure
By PositiveMed-Team * Edited By Stephanie Dawson
“Your blood pressure is high,” arguably one of the worst things that your doctor can tell you. Statistics show high blood pressure is responsible for 15% of deaths in the United States. This is not necessarily something to be overly worried about. Making slight changes to your lifestyle can bring it down without the help of medication in some cases. Using medicine to bring the numbers down might have side effects, doing it naturally will not only save you money but will improve your overall health. Mentioned below is a list of natural ways to lower your blood pressure.
1. Exercise more
Regular exercise has numerous benefits but is especially effective in reduction of blood pressure count. If you cannot perform intense training, aerobics and endurance training with activities like swimming, running, dancing, and brisk walking can help you reduce blood pressure. Only perform exercise under a doctor’s supervision with high blood pressure.
2. Reduce sodium
High levels of sodium in the body are partly responsible for high blood pressure. The main source of sodium in our diet is the salt we use in foods. To control your sodium intake avoid excess use of salt. Before buying packaged food products read the label carefully. Avoid processed foods like frozen dinners, potato chips, and bacon as they contain artificial preservatives which are high in sodium.
3. Cut back on alcohol
Alcohol when enjoyed in moderate amounts has many heart health benefits, however overconsumption of alcohol is unhealthy for your heart and liver. Various studies have shown that men who have more than 2 drinks per day are more likely to get health problems like hypertension. If you can’t control your alcohol intake, try drinking while you eat as it nullifies the alcohol’s impact on blood pressure.
4. Breathe deeply
Studies have shown that practices like meditation, yoga, and tai chi that involve deep breathing bring down levels of stress hormones. This reduction in stress hormones elevates renin, a kidney enzyme that increases blood pressure. Moreover deep breathing increases oxygen supply to the body which enhances the transportation of essential nutrients to various parts of the body through the blood.
5. Avoid unhealthy fats
Fast foods like burgers and pizzas may taste great, however they are the prime source of unhealthy fats because they contain cheese and harmful oils. These unhealthy fats result in an increase in cholesterol levels and eventually lead to blockage of the arteries, this in turn increases blood pressure. Putting a check on intake of these harmful fats can drastically bring your blood pressure down without medication.
6. Skip caffeine
Coffee is prescribed to people with low blood pressure as it helps increase it. The caffeine present in coffee results in a rise in blood pressure therefore is dangerous for people who already have high blood pressure. Often people who keep sipping coffee throughout the day have elevated blood pressure levels. The recommended consumption of caffeinated beverages is not more than 2 cups a day. Monitor your blood pressure before drinking coffee and 30 minutes after drinking it to check your sensitivity to caffeine.
The above mentioned natural remedies can help you reduce your blood pressure, in severe cases consult your doctor first and follow his advice.
6 Simple Tips to Reduce your Blood Pressure
May 13, 2022
Small changes can make a big difference in your blood pressure numbers.
May 13, 2022
Small changes can make a big difference in your blood pressure numbers.
If you suddenly find yourself with high blood pressure (hypertension) under the new guidelines from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology, you might be wondering what to do. The guidelines lowered the definition for high blood pressure to 130/80 from 140/90 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg), meaning more people now meet the criteria for stage 1 hypertension.
While you shouldn't shrug off the change, there's also no need to panic. "Obviously, nothing happened overnight inside a woman's body or to her health with the release of the guidelines," says Dr. Naomi Fisher, director of hypertension service and hypertension innovation at the Brigham and Women's Hospital Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Hypertension, and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.
The change, however, should spur you to take your blood pressure seriously. "These guidelines have been long anticipated and are very welcome by most hypertension experts. They may seem drastic, but in putting the knowledge we've gained from large trials into clinical practice, they will help thousands of people," says Dr. Fisher.
Why does hypertension matter?
If you are in this 130/80 range, reducing your blood pressure can help protect you from heart attack,
stroke, kidney disease, eye disease, and even cognitive decline. The
goal of the new guidelines is to encourage you to treat your high blood
pressure seriously and to take action to bring it down, primarily using
lifestyle interventions. "It is well documented that lifestyle changes
can lower blood pressure as much as pills can, and sometimes even more,"
says Dr. Fisher.
Making those changes can be challenging. More than one woman has woken up in the morning committed to healthy eating only to be derailed by a plate of cookies on a table in the office or a dinner out with friends.
How lower your blood pressure with small changes
You don't have to embark on a major life overhaul to make a
difference in your blood pressure. Here are six simple tips for actions
you can take to help get your blood pressure back into the normal range.
1. Lose weight
By far the most effective means of reducing elevated blood pressure is to lose weight,
says Fisher. And it doesn't require major weight loss to make a
difference. Even losing as little as 10 pounds can lower your blood
pressure.
2. Read labels
Americans eat far too much dietary sodium, up to three times
the recommended total amount, which is 1,500 milligrams (mg) daily for
individuals with high blood pressure, says Dr. Fisher. It doesn't take
much sodium to reach that 1,500-mg daily cap — just 3/4 of a teaspoon of
salt. There's half of that amount of sodium in one Egg McMuffin
breakfast sandwich. Weed out high-sodium foods by reading labels
carefully. "It is very difficult to lower dietary sodium without reading
labels, unless you prepare all of your own food," says Dr. Fisher.
Beware in particular of what the American Heart Association has dubbed
the "salty six," common foods where high amounts of sodium may be
lurking:
- breads and rolls
- cold cuts and cured meats
- pizza
- poultry
- soup
- sandwiches.
3. Get moving
It doesn't take much exercise to
make a difference in your health. Aim for a half-hour at least five
days a week. "Make sure you're doing something you love, or it won't
stick," says Fisher. "For some that means dancing; for others, biking or
taking brisk walks with a friend." Even everyday activities such as
gardening can help.
4. Pump some iron
"Add some weightlifting to
your exercise regimen to help lose weight and stay fit. Women lose
muscle mass steadily as we age, and weightlifting is an often-overlooked
part of an exercise plan for most women," says Fisher.
5. Limit alcohol to one drink per day
Drinking too much, too often, can increase your blood pressure, so practice moderation.
6. Relieve stress with daily meditation or deep breathing sessions
Stress hormones constrict your blood vessels and can lead to
temporary spikes in blood pressure. In addition, over time, stress can
trigger unhealthy habits that put your cardiovascular health at risk.
These might include overeating, poor sleep, and misusing drugs and
alcohol. For all these reasons, reducing stress should be a priority if you're looking to lower your blood pressure.
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