Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally
High blood pressure runs rampant in my family with so many members having very erratic and high blood pressure, orthostatic hypotension (blood pressure drops once standing), palpitations, and other heart related issues. I am 41 years old with no heart issues thus far. I am a firm believer in a good defense is better than a good offense. My motto has always been prevention is ten times better than the cure. I would rather not get sick than have to mitigate the damage already done. So, I don't eat any red meat and substitute turkey in all my recipes. I try and eat fruits and vegetables every day. So a few ways to lower your blood pressure naturally include the following:
1. Lose extra pounds and watch your wasteline
2. Exercise regularly
3. Eat a healthy diet (fruits and veggies)
4. Reduce sodium in your diet (never add salt)
5. Quit smoking
6. Cut back on caffeine
7. Reduce your stress
Stress reduction, exercise, no smoking and healthy diet are critical to lowering blood pressure. Inflammation is the root cause of disease. When you don't reduce the inflammation in your body, a cascade of symptoms occurs. Evidence suggests that inflammation can lead to hypertension and that oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction are involved the the inflammatory cascade. Although aging and aldosterone may be involved in inflammation and hypertension, by making a few small changes in your daily routine, you can significantly lower your risk of disease.
So, how does the average person reduce inflammation in their body? Load up on anti-inflammatory foods such as kale, broccoli, blueberries, ginger, tumeric, tomatoes, beans, cherries and majorly dial down pro-inflammatory foods such as soda's, pastries, deserts, french fries, candy, red meats, processes foods, etc. By eating healthy, you will notice that not only your blood pressure decreases, but you start to have more energy, have a general sense of well being that you didn't have before.
Reduce your sodium intake. I never add salt to flavor food if I don't have to. If a recipe calls for it, then I usually add it but otherwise, I rarely add it to flavor food. The amount of sodium in the foods you eat is a major contributor to high blood pressure as it increases the volume of blood in your body and makes your heart work harder to pump it. There is evidence that sodium damages the linings of blood vessels making scarring and clogged arteries more likely. A study conducted in Britain found that by cutting salt by 3,000 mg per day (a little less than 1 teaspoon), you could prevent 26% of all strokes and 15% of heart attacks caused by blood clots.
Go get some exercise! Exercise, I love to say, is your special way of giving your insides a bath. When you exercise, your heart becomes stronger and can pump more blood with less effort. When your heart works less, the force on your arteries decreases, lowering your blood pressure. My favorite exercise for those starting out is walking. As a nurse, for all our post-surgical patients, walking was recommended the next day after surgery as it prevented blood clots and reduced the amount of physical therapy needed post surgery. Once you get the hang of daily exercise, you can progress. For those in excellent physical fitness, I love high intensity interval training. You can get more bang for your buck with this type of training as you can gain more benefit with less time. I also love yoga for stretching and conditioning.
Reduce your stress. Although life can throw some pretty stressful situations our way, there are many ways to mitigate stress. The power of positive thinking should never be underestimated. Connecting with others is always a great way to reduce your stress. By being with loved ones and those who care about you, you can reduce your level of stress. Listening to calming music while meditating can also reduce your stress. I love the sound of Tibetan singing bowls and actually have one at home. When I get really stressed out, I play my Tibetan singing bowl.
Hope you learn that prevention is better than the cure, but if you already have high blood pressure, there are many natural ways to reduce it.
Comments
Post a Comment