Lowering Your Blood Pressure

Posts Tagged ‘Quickly Lower Blood Pressure’

It appears that doctors everywhere are all too quick to prescribe drugs rather than to suggest natural ways of lowering high blood pressure (hypertension). Most of these drugs can have undesirable side-effects, so it is wise to look for natural methods.

It has been shown that a healthy diet containing high levels of potassium, magnesium and calcium can lower and help control high blood pressure. Just as important, a healthy diet should include essential fatty acids, but as little as possible saturated fats, salt and sugar. Below is just a short list of foods good for high blood pressure.

SPINACH

Spinach is rich in magnesium and helps prevent heart disease. It also contains folate which protects the body from homocysteine, an excessive amount of which can cause heart attacks and strokes. Cook for as little time as possible. Better still, eat raw in salads.

SUNFLOWER SEEDS

Sunflower seeds are rich in potassium, magnesium and phytosterols which can aid in the reduction of your cholesterol level. (High levels of cholesterol can cause a constriction of the arteries and blood vessels which raises blood pressure).

BANANAS

Bananas are rich in potassium and have a high fiber content. Try to eat at least two bananas per day.

SOME FATS ARE GOOD!

Unsaturated fats can help lower cholesterol and provide essential fatty acid that the body needs. Fish contain omega-3 which prevents heart disease. Try eating oily fish such as trout, salmon and mackerel. It will be a lot healthier for you if you grill, bake or steam the fish. Do not add salt when cooking. Sardines, too, are a good choice. Fresh fish are best, but if you must buy tinned fish check the label to make sure the salt content is low.

GARLIC

Garlic helps thin the blood and prevents blood vessels clogging, so lowering blood pressure. Try chewing a clove or two of garlic each day. If you don’t want to lose all your friends you may prefer to take it in the form of a supplement.

TOMATOES

Tomatoes are rich in calcium and potassium, and contain vitamins A, C and E. Tomatoes also contain lycopene which is a powerful antioxidant that is reputed to lower the risk of heart disease. The antioxidants found in tomatoes can prevent LDL cholesterol from oxidizing and adhering to the blood vessel walls, which would raise blood pressure. Drinking tomato juice is a great way to enjoy tomatoes. If you own a juicer, make your own. If you have to buy tomato juice make sure it’s a pure juice with no added salt or sugar.

BROCCOLI

Broccoli is full of nutrition. Not only is it high in potassium but it contains chromium that helps regulate blood sugar and insulin. Don’t over cook it. Place it in a pan with just enough water to cover it, that way it will retain more nutrients. Better still, steam it. When I’m preparing broccoli I always cut off a few florets and eat them raw. Try it, they’re delicious!

HAWTHORN

Hawthorn dilates the arteries and improves the flow of blood, so lowering blood pressure. Use a mixture of leaves and flowers to make a tea. Place two teaspoonfuls in a cup and add boiling water. Leave to infuse for around twenty minutes before straining. Drink two or three cups of the elixir per day.

High blood pressure (hypertension) is known as the “silent Killer”, and the number one cause of premature death in the western world. One in three adults have high blood pressure, many adults have it without knowing as it rarely displays any symptoms. High blood pressure can cause a heart attack, stroke and kidney failure, so it really is vital to get your blood pressure checked regularly. If you do have high blood pressure don’t panic as there are plenty of ways to quickly lower blood pressure.

Take Regular Exercise

If you are able, start taking some exercise today. Regular exercise makes the blood vessels more flexible and the heart stronger so it is able to pump blood around the body more efficiently. It also makes it easier to achieve a healthier weight if you are overweight.

Don’t overdo it! Walking is a great way to start your exercise regime. Try to do thirty minutes per day, five days a week. You can start off by doing three ten-minute sessions, or two fifteen-minute sessions, and build up gradually as your stamina improves. You should walk at a brisk pace so that you feel quite warm and slightly out of breath.

If you blood pressure is between 140/90 and 179/99 then it should be safe to start taking some exercise. If your blood pressure is higher than 180/100 then your doctor may prescribe medication to lower your blood pressure before you begin to exercise.

The sort of exercise that is good for your blood pressure is: cycling, dancing, swimming, tennis, jogging, walking.The sort of exercise that is not good for your blood pressure is: weight lifting, squash, sprinting.

Drink Plenty Of Water

Drinking water at regular intervals throughout the the day prevents the body becoming dehydrated. This is especially important when taking exercise. When the body is low on water the brain reacts by constricting the veins and arteries, so causing an increase in blood pressure. Remember: drink plenty of water, not alcohol, coffee, or soft drinks that contain sugar as these drinks actually cause dehydration.

Cut Down On The Salt (Sodium Chloride)

Research carried out over a period of fifteen years and involving over three-thousand people who were on the verge of developing high blood pressure, showed that reducing their salt intake from about ten grams per day to seven grams per day cut their risk of developing a stroke or heart disease in the next ten to fifteen years by between twenty-five and thirty per cent, and they had a twenty per cent lower risk of dying prematurely than those who ate ten grams or more salt per day.

Nearly everyone eats too much salt. Try to cut down on how much salt you eat to less than six grams per day. At first your food may taste bland, but as your taste buds adjust to a low-salt diet you’ll soon get used to it. If you really can’t do without it try a low-sodium substitute.

If you are looking for ways of how to lower high blood pressure perhaps we should first talk about what causes high blood pressure in the first place. Well the truth is that there are many different causes ranging from, poor diet, lack of exercise, stress and hypertension. High blood pressure that is left untreated can lead to other more serious conditions, including stroke and heart attack. Having some knowledge of what causes high blood pressure will help you to avoid the risks.

By altering your diet and taking a pro-active approach to healthy eating, you can easily help to lower your blood pressure. One of the major causes of high blood pressure is cholesterol. People with high levels of cholesterol are almost certain to have higher blood pressure when compared to someone with a healthy diet. Cholesterol causes fatty deposits to coat the artery walls. Over time these fats form into a hard plaque that reduces the size of arteries and blood vessels making them smaller and smaller. There is still the same amount of blood trying to force it’s way through these vessels and this is what can lead to high blood pressure.

Another great way of how to lower high blood pressure is to reduce the amount of sugar in your diet. We all like our sweets and desserts but here again simply by lowering your sugar intake can really help reduce high blood pressure. Your blood can thicken from too much glucose as a result of consuming high amounts of sugary foods. If your blood is thicker than it normally should be it is again harder to circulate and so causes high blood pressure.

By avoiding eating foods which can cause high blood pressure then you are taking steps to help reduce it naturally. These include nicotine which is in cigarettes and other tobacco products. Excessive alcohol consumption has also been proved to increase the risk, so by lowering your alcohol intake it will also help reduce high blood pressure, as will cutting down on the amount of caffeine in your diet.

It has to be said that exercise is possibly one of the best solutions, not just for blood pressure, but for overall health in general. However, be sure to always consult a medical professional before undertaking any new workouts. Weight lifting is something that should be avoided because this can be very stressful on the heart. Highly intensive cardiovascular workouts are also not good for people with high blood pressure as this type of workout greatly raises your blood pressure.

One of the best ways is through some gentle exercising. And consistent exercise will help you to lower cholesterol levels, lose weight and therefore ultimately affect blood pressure. Exercises such as pilates and yoga are all effective at lowering blood pressure naturally as well as being extremely beneficial to the health of your heart. Whenever exercising, take care to warm up and cool down before and after. This will prevent any dangerous spikes in pressure that could rapidly occur.

By using these simple tips on diet and exercise you will be well on your way to achieving a more normal range blood pressure level and also help reduce high blood pressure in the future.

High blood pressure or hypertension is a condition that can affect about one in three people, this percentage rises among certain groups i.e. people who are overweight, heavy drinkers or people over forty. With more and more people becoming overweight and the stresses of a modern lifestyle it is no wonder that hypertension is becoming more common. However it is not all doom and gloom as there are ways of lowering blood pressure naturally.

High blood pressure can be treated with the proper medication and it is always advisable to seek professional medical advice, and get your blood pressure checked if you think that you may have a problem with hypertension. However lowering blood pressure naturally can easily be achieved by most people. A few simple changes in lifestyle can help reduce high blood pressure. These include a programme of moderate exercise and even a diet that contains foods that lower blood pressure.

So what are these natural remedies for high blood pressure?

First of all getting a reasonable amount of moderate exercise every day will greatly help reduce high blood pressure. In fact not getting enough exercise is often what causes high blood pressure in a lot of people in the first place. Moderate exercise means working up a slight sweat and getting slightly out of breath. Try to exercise for about thirty minutes a day, four or five times a week. Brisk walking is a great way to start.

This may take a few weeks before it starts to help reduce high blood pressure as there is no really safe way to quickly lower blood pressure, so be patient and stick with it. And the bonus is that this will not only help reduce high blood pressure, it will also help you to lose weight and feel much fitter too.

Another of the natural remedies for high blood pressure is a simple change of diet, and there are even certain foods that lower blood pressure. It is not always easy to maintain a healthy diet, the speed at which we live our lives these days usually means grabbing a quick snack or eating lots of fast foods. But a healthy diet is a really good way of lowering blood pressure naturally. And if you can find foods that lower blood pressure to include in your daily diet then so much the better.

Some of the foods that lower blood pressure include fruits and vegetables as well as fish. As long as you have no allergies then a diet rich in grains, low fat dairy and modest amounts of meat will help reduce high blood pressure over time, as will cutting down on the amount of salt in your foods. Again be patient and stick with it, and remember that there is no remedy to quickly lower blood pressure safely, it is all about taking it slowly. A steady regime of moderate exercise, a few dietary changes and eating foods that lower blood pressure will help in lowering blood pressure naturally and above all safely.