High blood pressure is also known as hypertension. If your blood pressure reading is above 140/90 mmHg then you have a problem of hypertension. A high reading can put you at risk for a number of serious health conditions like stroke and heart disease.
Long-term hypertension has shown to increase the likelihood of a person developing cardiovascular disease. You can also suffer from poor circulation, damage to the heart muscle and tissue, the risk of stroke, the risk of heart attack. In many cases, it cannot be traced to a direct cause. The longer blood pressure is high the more dangerous the side effects of the diagnosis can become. You can take proactive measures beyond simply taking medication to reduce blood pressure. Making the right lifestyle changes you can control blood pressure.
Tips to Reduce Blood Pressure:
1.) Weight Lose to lower Blood Pressure
Blood pressure often increases due to weight gain. Being overweight can also disrupt in breathing while you sleep, which further increase your blood pressure. Losing weight is one the most effective lifestyle change to reduce blood pressure. Along with shedding pounds, you also need to notice on your waistline. Carrying too much weight around your waist can put you at greater risk of high blood pressure.
- Men are at risk if their waist size is greater than 40 inches.
- Women are at greater risk if their waist size is greater than 35 inches. There number vary to individuals according to height and other factors. You can ask your doctor for a healthy waist measurement for you.
2.) Eat Healthy Diet Reduce High Blood Pressure
Taking a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grain and low-fat dairy products and skimps on saturated fat and cholesterol can reduce blood pressure by up to 14 mmHg.
- It is not easy to change your eating habit, so you can use these tips to adopt a healthy diet.
- Food Diary- Writing down what you eat, even just for a week can put light on your true eating habits. You will need to monitor what you eat, when, how much and why.
- Boost Potassium- Diet high in potassium can help to lessen the effects of sodium on blood pressure. The best source of potassium is food such as vegetables and fruit. You can also take a supplement but first consult your doctor about the potassium level that is best for you.
- Read food label- You will need to read food label before you buy something and stick to your healthy eating plan when you are even dining out too.
3.) Exercise Regularly to Reduce Blood Pressure
Exercising regularly for at least 30 minutes a day can reduce your blood pressure by 4 to 9 mmHg. It is important to be constant because if you will stop exercising, your blood pressure can increase again.
- If you have slightly high blood pressure, so exercise can help you to avoid developing full-blown hypertension. If you already have hypertension, so regularly performing physical activity can bring your blood pressure down to safer levels.
- The best type of exercise you can perform to reduce blood pressure jogging, walking, cycling, dancing or swimming. Strength training also can help to lower your blood pressure.
4.) Reduce Sodium to Lower Blood Pressure
Even a small reduction in the sodium intake in your diet can help to reduce blood pressure by 2 to 8 mmHg. The effect of sodium intake on blood pressure varies among groups of people. In general, limit your sodium to less than 2,300 mmHg a day. however, reducing sodium intake to 1,500 mg a day is inappropriate for people with greater salt sensitivity such as African American, anyone who is diagnosed with high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease.
To decrease sodium in your diet, you can follow these tips:
- Read Food Labels– If it is possible, so choose low-sodium alternatives of the foods and beverages you normally buy.
- Eat less Processed Foods- Only a small amount of sodium produce naturally in foods. most sodium is added to foods during processing.
- Avoid Salt- Just 1 level teaspoon of salt had about 2,300 mg of salt. You can use herbs or spices to add flavor to your diet.
- Ease to it– If you don’t feel you can suddenly decrease the sodium in your diet, so cut back gradually.
5.) Limit Alcohol to Reduce Blood Pressure
Alcohol can be both good and bad for your health. It can potentially lower your blood pressure by 2 to 4 mmHg. But the protective effect is lost if you drink too much of alcohol. Generally, you should only consume one drink for women and for men older than age 65. More than two a day for men age about 65 and younger. One drink is equal to five ounces of wine and 12 ounces of beer.
- But drinking more than a moderate amount of alcohol can actually increase your blood pressure. It can also reduce the effectiveness of blood pressure medications.
6.) Cut back on Caffeine to Lower High Blood Pressure
Caffeine can increase your blood pressure by as much as 10 mmHg in people who rarely consume it. but those who are habitual coffee drinkers, there is little to no strong effect on blood pressure.
- Although the effects of chronic caffeine ingestion on blood pressure in not clear, but the possibility of a slight increase in blood pressure exists.
- If you want to see if caffeine raises your blood pressure, so you can check the pressure within 30 minutes of drinking a caffeinated beverage. If it increases your blood pressure by 5 to 10 mmHg, you may be sensitive to the blood pressure-raising effects of caffeine.
7.) Reduce Stress to Reduce Blood Pressure
Stress can also increase your blood pressure. Occasional stress can also contribute to high blood pressure if you react to stress by eating unhealthy food, smoking or drinking alcohol.
- Take some time to figure out what causes stress for you such as work, family, finances or illness. Once you know what is causing you stress so you can consider how to eliminate or reduce stress.
- If you can emilnate all sources of stress, you can at least cope with them in a healthier way.
- Give yourself time to get things done. Learn to say no and live within manageable limits. Learn to accept the things you cant change.
- You can talk to your boss about the difficulties at work or to your family members about problems which you face at home.
- Avoid the triggers of stress whatever you can. For ex, avoid driving in rush hour traffic or spend less time with those who bother you.
- Take about 15 to 20 minutes a day to sit quietly and breathe deeply. Try to enjoy intentionally what you do rather than hurrying through your relaxing activities at a stressful pace.
- Expressing gratitude to other can help you to reduce stressful thoughts.
8.) Stop Smoking to Reduce Blood Pressure
Each cigarette you smoke temporarily increase your blood pressure for several minutes after you finish it. if you are a heavy smoker, so your blood pressure can stay elevated for extended periods of time. Those who smoke and have a high blood pressure problem are at greater risk of developing dangerously high blood pressure. Even passive smoking can put you at risk of high blood pressure.
Smoking not only helps to reduce your blood pressure but also it gives other health benefits.
9.) Coconut water to Lower your Blood Pressure
Contain water contain both magnesium and potassium, they can relate to regulating function to heart. While there are some limited studies on the effect of coconut water on high blood pressure. Many people report that it helps to reduce blood pressure. In studies, it seems to particularly affect on systolic blood pressure or the force that takes place when the heart pumps blood away. If you don’t have a problem with coconut water so it can be a solid remedy for you.
- You need to consume 8 ounces of organic coconut water 1 to 2 times a day
- Morning is ideal if you drink once a day.
- If you want to drink twice a day, morning and night work well.
10.) Fish Oil to Reduce Blood Pressure
Fish contain omega 3 fatty acids which are very good when it comes to your heart. While studies have not proven that it actually reduce the risk of heart attacks or strokes. It has been successful when it comes to reducing blood pressure while also reducing triglycerides and increasing HDL. Heart transplant patient has been given fish oil to decrease the risk of hypertension.
11.) Fruits and Vegetables to Reduce Your Blood Pressure
Eating 4 to 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day is the best way to lower your blood pressure. Fruits and vegetables are great sources of magnesium and potassium which helps to control your blood pressure.
- Include salads in your meals. You can add a sweet element by putting orange slices or apple on a salad. You can also include fresh greens, tomatoes, and carrots.
- Always keep an apple, carrot, banana, cucumber or green pepper with you. Include fresh and frozen vegetables in your diet.