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.
