HOW TO LOWER YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE
High blood pressure, also referred to as the “silent killer” has been a significant cause of worries for individuals who have been diagnosed with it. Despite its popularity and the awareness being created about it; the disease still stands as one of the leading causes of death in the U.S.
The silent killer, in most cases, comes with no symptoms, yet it is majorly factored as a risk for stroke and various heart diseases. Well, you should not throw yourself into a state of panic when you are at risk of it, as it will not help in any way!
Instead, you should brace yourself and start getting your arteries more relaxed. Fortunately, tweaking your lifestyle will give you a perfect head start. Here are a few tips for things you can do to get your blood pressure back to normal.
This is a straightforward and efficient approach. It has been noted as being the most effective means of reducing hypertension. More good news: you don’t have to stress yourself too much about losing weight because even losing just about 10 pounds will go a long way in lowering your blood pressure.
Some of the major causes of high blood pressure can be attached to sodium. And there is every bit of it in most of what we consume daily. All thanks to salt.
You need to cut down on your sodium intake and go for more of potassium. Before you eat your favorite processed foods, check the ingredients, chances are that it is a high source of dietary sodium. Seriously, you might need to give that food a pass and look for alternatives with less sodium.
Below, we listed some foods that the American Heart Association tagged as the Salty Six, which you will need to check out their labels before consumption.
- Bread and rolls
- Cold cuts and cured meats
- Pizza
- Poultry
- Soup
- Sandwiches
This approach gives you an equivalent of what some blood pressure medications offer, and it is healthier. You will need to let go of your sedentary lifestyle, and get more involved in regular exercises and physical activities. As your breathing and heart rate gets increased regularly, your heart will get stronger and function with less effort.
This will decrease the pressure on your arteries and lower your blood pressure.
Smoking and intake of alcohol increase your blood pressure temporally. Do that regularly, and you have derived a recipe for an elevated blood pressure that won’t be so temporally anymore. As over time, the chemicals associated with tobacco will damage your blood vessels, constrict your arteries and causing inflammation.
Secondhand smoking doesn’t help either.
When you consider the situation of things today, it will be hard for you to stay off stress. But, that shouldn’t stop you from trying. Stress hormones are known to constrict the blood vessels. Furthermore, stress subjects you to unhealthy lifestyles, such as overeating, alcohol abuse, poor sleep and other factors that put your cardiovascular system at risk.
Get as much rest as you can, eat healthily and do deep breathing exercises anytime you feel yourself getting anxious. Even taking strolls on calm evenings, laughing and listening to good music have been proven to reduce the risk of high blood pressure.
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