How To Lower Blood Pressure Naturally
Table of Contents
Did you know that high blood pressure causes damage to the blood vessels without any symptoms? Also known as the “silent killer'' high blood pressure causes fatalities and doesn’t have a definitive cure. All you can do is make lifestyle changes and try to reverse the damage. Heart disease is an epidemic that takes more lives a year than any other disease around the world. High blood pressure causes several heart diseases.
It seems that eating well and exercising can solve all bodily problems. FITPASS offers more than 200 types of fitness routines for you to stay fit as you please. With over 3,500+ gyms and fitness centers across 12+ cities in India, you can workout anywhere, anytime. Attending yoga classes is a high blood pressure treatment as good as any that makes you flexible as well.
Natural Blood Pressure Treatment
Your blood pressure usually increases as your weight increases. Being overweight or obese is also associated with sleep apnea, which further increases the blood pressure. Regular exercise and weight loss are the best lifestyle changes for high blood pressure treatment. Losing even a few kilograms can noticeably reduce your blood pressure. Too much fat around your waistline is associated with a high risk of high blood pressure. Men with a waist of more than 40 inches and women with a waist of 35 inches might be at a higher risk of high blood pressure. However, it depends on the height as well.
Exercising for half an hour to an hour every day is important to stay healthy. Physical activity doesn’t only work as blood pressure treatment but improves mood, and increases strength and balance. Moreover, it decreases the risk of diabetes and heart disease. If you’re not a big fan of conventional workout options, choose from a plethora of workout options available at FITPASS.
Reducing your sodium intake is an essential part of blood pressure treatment and improving heart health. While some people need a comparatively higher sodium intake, 1,500 milligrams is ideal for most adults.
How to Reduce Sodium Intake
Consuming certain foods is a cause of sudden high blood pressure.
- Read labels before buying foods to choose low-sodium foods and beverages
- Cut down on processed foods as sodium is added in the manufacturing process, whereas natural foods contain very low quantities of sodium
- Use herbs and spices instead of salt to add flavor to your food. Of course, you don’t have to reduce your intake in a day, just cut down in it gradually
Your high blood pressure treatment is half done if you can cut down on alcohol intake. Doctors advise having a little bit of alcohol; 1-2 drinks a day can lower blood pressure. However, we hardly stop at one drink and the effect is countered with too much alcohol. Drinking inordinate amounts of alcohol is a cause of sudden high blood pressure. Alcohol counters the effect of blood pressure medications, which means that you’re doing yourself double the harm. For the benefits of alcohol drink no more than 1 pint of beer, 1 glass of wine, or 45 ml of hard liquor in a day.
Smoking is another cause of sudden high blood pressure for a few minutes. If you’re a heavy smoker, you can do the math – your blood pressure will stay high for extended periods. Moreover, smoking more than the usual number of cigarettes while drinking is quite common and much worse for your health. If you smoke and your blood pressure is already high, you are at a very high risk of a heart attack and stroke. For that matter, passive smoking can cause your blood pressure to spike and cause heart disease as well. The benefit of quitting smoking is normalized blood pressure. It can be quite hard to quit, so don’t feel ashamed if you need help.
Too much caffeine is also a cause of sudden high blood pressure but its exact effect on blood pressure is still being debated upon. However, regular coffee drinkers are unlikely to experience more than a little effect on their blood pressure. The benefits of coffee are many for it to be ignored altogether but you should check its long-term effect on your blood pressure. Check your blood pressure within 30 minutes of drinking coffee or any other caffeinated beverages. You may be sensitive to the effects of caffeine on blood pressure if it rises by 5-10 mmHg.
High levels of stress often contribute to high blood pressure. Now and then we feel stressed and react to it by consuming alcohol, smoking, and eating unhealthy food more often than not, which leads to high blood pressure. If you do this, your high blood pressure treatment is useless. Instead of giving in to these desires while feeling stressed, you should try and take some time to think about things that bother you like work, illness, family, finances, etc.
How to manage stress
- Planning your day is a good way to focus on your priorities. In any case, try to avoid working too hard. It is important to know and remember that not everything is under your control but you can control how you react to it
- Planning works when it comes to solving issues as well. No matter who it is, try talking to them about it. Resolve conflicts by talking it out
- We can always identify what triggers stress. It could be arguments at home or work, getting stuck in a traffic jam. Trying to avoid contact with people who can cause you to feel stressed. When it comes to traffic jams, just leave a few minutes earlier
- Every day you must take time out to do things you like. It could be getting up early and taking a few deep breaths. Take a walk in the nearby park; play with your pets, cook, or volunteer
- Practicing gratitude can help you reduce your stress
These tips work as a natural high blood treatment. Do not miss out on high blood pressure medication is your doctor has prescribed you. Finally, just take it easy and enjoy life.
