Hypertension is a very common problem. It is estimated that about 25% of adults suffer from high blood pressure and 30% of them don’t even know it.
Hypertension is known as a silent killer, because it usually doesn’t give early warning signs.
This condition is associated with heart attacks, strokes and kidney problems.
It can also affect the blood vessels of the eyes and impair vision or even lead to blindness.
Unfortunately, the symptoms appear in advanced stages when it’s quite late.
When the symptoms do occur, they usually include dizziness, headaches, and nosebleeds.
If you are trying to lower your blood pressure using natural ways, then you will find the following tips very helpful:
Try to maintain a normal weight: being overweight is a major risk factor because excess body fat leads to hypertension.
If you lose 20 pounds, it can cause a reduction of 5-20 mm Hg.
Indeed, for every pound, you lose you can reduce systolic pressure by at least 1 mm Hg.
Reduce your caffeine intake: drinking about 1 cup of coffee per day is generally safe.
However, studies show that consuming more than 300 mg of caffeine daily (2-3 cups) can have a negative impact.
Eat a lot of garlic: for this to work, you need rather high dosages of garlic, so it would be a good idea to take a supplement.
Drink a little red wine: moderate consumption of alcohol (1 drink for women and 2 drinks per day for men) can have beneficial effects.
Eliminate salt from your diet: most people consume more salt than they actually need. In fact, according to the estimates, the average salt intake in the population is more than 10 grams per day.
The daily recommended intake is about 5 grams. Reducing your salt intake to less than 3 grams per day, can decrease systolic blood pressure by 4 mm Hg and diastolic by 2 mm Hg in hypertensive patients.
Change your diet: try to consume more fresh fruits and vegetables. Eat foods low in fat, like low-fat yogurt and milk with 0% fat or 1% fat. Choose lean meat, fish, chicken and turkey without skin.
Eat more oranges. There is a myth that oranges lead to hypertension, but exactly the opposite is true. Oranges contain a lot of potassium and clinical studies have shown that potassium is very effective in treating this condition.
Avoid noisy places: a new Swedish scientific study shows that people who live near noisy roads tend to have high blood pressure.
