8 Steps You Can Adopt To Lower Your Blood Pressure

High blood pressure (also called hypertension) is diagnosed when a patient’s blood is pushing too hard against the walls of the arteries. High blood pressure is a dangerous condition that is linked to heart attack, heart failure, stroke, kidney disease and other disorders.

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), it affects one out of every three Americans, (and this statistic is visibly applicable to all other people all over the world).

Untreated high blood pressure can cause the heart to eventually overwork itself to the point at which serious damage can occur.

High blood pressure can also cause injury to other areas served by delicate arteries that are damaged by the increased pressure. These include the brain, the eyes (retinopathy) and/or the kidneys (nephropathy).

In most cases, there is no cure for high blood pressure. Every day, millions of people quietly battle this silent killer. There are some medications that can control high blood pressure, but there are several lifestyle changes you can adopt to help you keep your blood pressure lower.

There are several things you can do to lower your blood pressure. The top eight are:

1. Eat a healthful diet. Studies have shown that people on the American Heart Association's Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet, or "DASH" diet, for only eight weeks experienced a significant reduction in blood pressure. The DASH diet emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy while limiting saturated fat and red meat.

• Eat less fatty foods.

• Eat foods low in kilo calories e.g. skim milk, lemon juice, legumes, cereals, mushrooms, potatoes, bread etc.

• Eat good healthy mixed meals, but take less i.e. don’t overeat.

• Eat meals which contain plenty of fibre e.g. fruits and vegetable.

• Use natural honey for sweetening instead of sugar.

o    Cultivate the habits of using ginger, garlic and onion in seasoning your foods. These reduce blood pressure. (Research has shown that ginger helps to retard the production of cholesterol by the liver and has been known to reverse the increase in triglycerides and LDL cholesterol, thus helping to combat heart attack.)

2. Excessive sodium intake also has been linked to an increased risk of high blood pressure. Limiting salt intake to 2,000 milligrams per day may help keep blood pressure low. A diet of 1,500 milligrams or less salt is especially effective at controlling blood pressure, according to the National Institutes of Health. Sodium is found in many foods, so keep an eye on the ingredients list to help rein in your sodium intake. In addition, avoid adding table salt to foods.

3. Avoid smoking. The nicotine found in tobacco products constricts blood vessels, causing your hear to beat faster and raising blood pressure for a period of time. Smoking also damages blood vessel walls and hardens the arteries, which both increase the risk of high blood pressure.

4. Abstain from excessive drinking. Alcohol consumption has a significant impact on blood pressure in some people. Limit alcohol use to one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men. One drink is defined as one 6-ounce glass of wine per day, one 12-ounce beer or one 1-ounce shot of distilled spirits.

5. Get regular exercise. Exercising three to four times per week helps regulate high blood pressure, keeping in mind that the regularity of the exercise is more important than the intensity of the workout. Individuals should consult their physician before starting an exercise program.

To be effective, the exercise must be aerobic, meaning it must move large muscle groups and cause you to both breathe more deeply and to push your heart to work harder to pump blood. However, your activity level does not need to be especially intense. For example, studies have shown that tai chi (an ancient Chinese workout involving slow, relaxing movements) may lower blood pressure almost as well as moderately intense aerobics.

6. Lose weight. Shedding pounds, especially in the abdominal area, can immediately lower blood pressure and help reduce the size of the heart. A loss of just 10 pounds can make a significant difference. In many people, a simple combination of weight loss and salt restriction eliminates the need for taking blood-pressure medication.

7. Try to relax. Emotional factors may play important roles in the development of high blood pressure. Studies have linked numerous activities to reducing blood pressure. These include cognitive-behavioral therapy, transcendental meditation, active religious faith and participation in activities related to a faith community. Other research has linked owning a pet with lower overall blood pressure. Relaxation techniques typically work best when they are employed at least once a day.

Also, don’t allow anxiety to rule over your life on any matter e.g. business deals, family lifestyle, etc. Anxiety normally increases blood pressure. Relax, no condition is permanent, all activities/experiences in life are transient.

8. Change your lifestyle.

These days, electro-mechanical means of achieving our ends is contributing to an increase in blood pressure. The sedentary lifestyle being adopted as a result of technological innovations has led to a lot of recessive trait in modern lifestyle. Such recessive activities require being reversed as follows:

Ø  Climbing more of the staircase instead of using elevators.

Ø  Engage in more productive activities e.g. physical community service instead of misusing the time in sitting down for long hours in sedentary recreational activities such as watching television, playing video games and browsing the internet.

Ø  Standing up to change channels on TV instead of sitting down while using remote control.

Ø  Strolling a short distance instead of using a vehicle.

Ø  Encouragement of the Physical Education programmes in our schools.

Ø  Exercising (e.g. jogging) every morning; or at least once a week, preferably on Saturday morning etc.

Ø  Whoever you are, whatever your age or level, engage yourself in one sport, at least.

 

What we eat has been proven to lower blood pressure levels, and most likely will also help prevent the onset of high blood pressure. Start a trend for yourself and your children today.

Finally, there is a healthy style you can adopt conveniently that will help you in preventing/controlling any symptoms of high blood pressure.  To know more about this new pattern of fighting high blood pressure, click http://tinyurl.com/PerfectHealthForAll