High blood pressure or hypertension, is a disease which is called as the “silent killer” for the sole reason of experiencing no symptoms of this disease while being at significant risk for heart disease and stroke. Not to mention that these diseases are on top of the list which causes death in many countries, like the United States wherein about one in three U.S adults have hypertension.
Now, if you suddenly found yourself with hypertension or high blood pressure, then it is just right for you to know the things that would help you out to take good care of your body, especially since hypertension should not be taken lightly. Thus, we will be discussing as to what will help you reduce your blood pressure with easy and simple strategies.
Be Physically Active
Walking or exercising regularly is one of the best actions to take to lower your high blood pressure since it helps make your heart stronger and more efficient in pumping blood, resulting to a reduced pressure in the arteries. In fact, 75 minutes of a vigorous exercise per week, like running, or 150 minutes of moderate exercise like walking, can help improve your heart and lower blood pressure.
A 2013 study has proved this fact when sedentary older adults have participated in an aerobic exercise, wherein their blood pressure has lowered by an average of 3.9 percent systolic and 4.5 percent diastolic, which means that these results are as good as a blood pressure medication.
The reason behind this is that a regular increase in heart and breathing rates makes your heart stronger and pumps with less effort, thus putting less pressure on your arteries resulting in lowered blood pressure.
Reducing Sodium Intake
Did you know that salt consumption is high across the globe? This is primarily due to processed and prepared foods. And for this reason, many public health efforts have the goal of lowering salt in the food industry.
So, why is salt a big deal in dealing with high blood pressure? This is mainly because many studies have found out that salt has been linked to high blood pressure and heart-related complications like stroke. Another reason for the link between salt and hypertension is the genetic differences in how people process sodium. There about a half individual with high blood pressure and a quarter of people with normal levels of blood pressure seems to have a sensitivity to salt.
The bottom line of this segment is to cut back on your salt consumption and see if it makes any differences in your body. So, instead of eating those unhealthy processed foods, then you should swap it out with fresh foods and try seasoning with herbs and spices, rather than salt.
Cut Back on Refined Carbohydrates and Sugar
Many studies have supported that restricting refined carbohydrates and sugar will help you lose weight and lower your blood pressure. There’s a 2010 study wherein a low-carb diet, and a low-fat diet was compared with each other, wherein the low-carb diet was found out to be much more effective in lowering blood pressure than the low-fat diet. Although both diet methods produced weight-loss.
Drink Less Alcohol
Sorry to the alcohol lovers out there, but drinking alcohol raises blood pressure. As a matter of fact, it is linked to 16 percent of all the high blood pressure cases across the world. While some researches have suggested that low to moderate amounts of alcohol may protect the heart, the so-called benefits might be an offset by adverse effects instead.
Manage Your Stress
The stress hormones in your body may constrict your blood vessel which can lead to temporary spikes in your blood pressure. In addition, over time, stress might trigger unhealthy habits that would put your cardiovascular health at risk. Unhealthy habits might include overeating, misusing drugs, poor sleep, and alcohol. Thus, for all of these reasons, reducing stress should be your top priority if you are looking for a natural way to lower your blood pressure.
Many studies have explored stress management which can help lower blood pressure. Here are some of the advises that you can do at the comfort of your home:
Listening to Music. Calming music will help your nervous system to relax. There are even researches that have shown its efficacy as a complement to other blood pressure therapies.
Work Less. As what was said beforehand, stress makes your blood go cray-cray, which is why you should take it easy in working.
Takeaway
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a no joke disease which should be attentively monitored now and then. Take good care of your body better by following the advice discussed above and follow your doctor’s instructions in terms of advice and medications. To know more, you should gather information through reading books or visiting https://pharmaquotes.com to learn about high blood pressure and its remedies.
