If you are diagnosed with high blood pressure (HBP), you need to find ways to lower it. If you do not, it can lead to heart disease or even a stroke. There are several ways to overcome hypertension.
1. Exercise
Regular exercise is one of the best ways to get your systolic and diastolic readings under control. The body quickly regulates to the activity and this will help to lower your readings. A thirty minutes walk everyday is a nice way to start.
2. Diet
A DASH diet is recommended by doctors. It stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. It is high in fruits and vegetables, and low fat dairy. Increase fiber and avoid salt. Salt intake is connected with HBP because it makes you retain fluids, especially around your heart and can cause other damage.
3. Medication
This is important especially when it has been recommended by your doctor. There are different types of medications such as the ace inhibitors, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers and others. These help by balancing blood pressure.
4. Relaxation
Having a stress free environment helps in reducing blood pressure by approximately 3-5 mm Hg diastolic. For instance, you could stop working an hour early, try some meditation or listen to relaxing music.
5. Avoid Caffeine
Although caffeine is just a mild stimulant, it plays a part in raising systolic and diastolic readings. Drinking coffee or soda with a high caffeine content is not advisable.
6. Avoid Smoking
Smoking will generally increase hypertension. Any form of tobacco is harmful to your health.
7. Get adequate sleep
It has been proven that people who get insufficient sleep at night are most likely to have elevated readings. When we are asleep, our heart rate decreases and blood flow increases. So a person who doesn’t get a good sleep can have a higher BP than normal.
8. Acupuncture Treatment
This is a new way of lowering your systolic and diastolic readings. Through research, it has been shown that when a needle is inserted at certain pressure points, it stimulates brain cells and neurotransmitters were released. Needles are inserted at the wrist, forearm or leg to help stimulate the opiod chemicals in the brain and decrease excitatory responses of the cardiovascular system. This process eventually lowers the heart activity and in turn, lowers BP.
9. Herbal
There are varieties of herbs which have been used to lower BP and have proven to be very effective. Garlic, cayenne, red clover, olive, and sweet orange are just a few that work.
If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure you really need to find a way to bring it down so you do not develop major complications. There are many ways to go about doing this, from watching what you eat to taking the stairs instead of the elevator for some exercise. Your health is important, and your heart is a major part of that. Take care of it, and it will take care of you.
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