If You Suffer From Hypertension, you are aware of the seriousness of the condition. Your High blood pressure will never magically disappear on its own. It’s called the Silent Killer. Unfortunately, it can damage (to the body) for years without showing any outward signs or symptoms. There are no symptoms, and it’s difficult to tell whether you have hypertension, i.e., high blood pressure, without measuring your blood pressure every day regularly. Blood pressure varies, and that’s normal. Hypertension, which consistently measures over 120/80, is considered hypertensive. It would help if you found a way how to lower high blood pressure.
Dangers of High Blood Pressure
It can affect and damage the arteries, the heart, the brain, the kidneys, and eyes. Hypertension is NOT a condition to be taken lightly. It will not just magically disappear, no matter how hard you try to avoid it. You must take medication or educate yourself on how to lower high blood pressure. Don’t talk yourself out of having hypertension if you think you have “white coat” syndrome. If your blood pressure shoots up at the doctor’s office and you think it’s usually expected, buy a blood pressure monitor and measure it several times a day. The readings will vary over the day but should be no more than 120/80 most of the time.
1) Hypertension Can Affect Your Arteries.
When arteries are affected, it can lead to atherosclerosis or the possibility of an aneurysm. Atherosclerosis or ‘hardening of the arteries’ occurs when artery walls thicken, causing obstructed blood flow. An aneurysm occurs when weakened arteries bulge and then rupture. Aneurysms can be fatal.
2) Hypertension Can Cause Damage to the heart
Including coronary artery disease, an enlarged heart, or heart failure. These conditions are due to obstructed arteries, weakened blood flow, and added exertion to the heart. The harder your heart has to work to pump blood, the more likely you will have problems.
3) Possible Brain Damage From Hypertension can include TIA, stroke, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia
A TIA (transient ischemic attack) is sometimes referred to as a ‘mini-stroke.’ It is a temporary blockage of blood to the brain, usually caused by a clot. This type of attack should be taken as a warning that a full-blown stroke could occur. Learn how to lower high blood pressure because uncontrolled hypertension can cause a stroke by weakening or damaging blood vessels in the brain.
5) Hypertension Can Cause Kidney Scarring And Failure, As Well
If diabetes is also a problem, there is a chance that this kidney damage will be worse.
6) Hypertension Can Damage The Eyes
The eyes are susceptible to damage caused by hypertension because of their tiny blood vessels. Problems such as retinopathy (vessel damage), choroidopathy (fluid accumulation under the retina), and optic neuropathy (nerve damage) can often occur.
19 Tips on How to Lower High Blood Pressure
Prescribed medications are available, and they work well. If you want to learn how to lower high blood pressure naturally (without a prescription), you can find several options below. If you are under therapy for hypertension, please consult your health care professional before making any changes.
1) Assemble a Support System that consists of family and friends members.
You’ll be pleasantly surprised when you will see how much this helps. Your support network can exercise with you, accompany you to doctor’s visits, encourage you to eat healthier, etc. Support is sometimes a phone call away when you want to skip the gym or splurge on unhealthy snacks. Your support group also holds you accountable when you decide to incorporate healthy lifestyle changes. Use text messaging, private messaging on social media, or even phone calls.
If your support team is unfamiliar with the dangers of hypertension, teach them about the condition. Email them links to reliable health sites. Let them know you value their ongoing support on how to lower high blood pressure very much.
2) Reduce As Much Salt from your diet as possible to lower your blood pressure.
According to the studies, less than 20% of the salt we consume comes from the salt shaker on the table. The other 80% comes from baked goods, processed foods, eating out, and prepared foods. When you buy foods, always read the labels on canned goods. Reduce processed foods as much as possible. Fast food is heavily salted, so skip the burger and fries, tacos, and fried chicken. If you choose a salad, use lemon juice as the dressing, as commercially prepared salads rely heavily on salt. Another option is to dip your fork’s tines in the sauce and then spear up a forkful of salad. You’ll consume much less of the dressing this way.
3) Down With Caffeine.
Please do all you can to cut down on your consumption or eliminate it from your diet to lower your blood pressure. Switch to decaffeinated coffee or soda. If you don’t want to go ‘cold turkey,’ try mixing your soda half and half. Start with half caffeinated and half with no caffeine, then gradually decrease the caffeinated drink and increase the decaffeinated beverage. It may take a few days to get used to the no-caffeine lifestyle, but it is certainly worth it as far as blood pressure is concerned.
According to the studies, heavy caffeine drinkers typically have higher blood pressure. They also indicate that many times, drinking a caffeinated beverage will cause a temporary spike in blood pressure. If you’re a heavy caffeine drinker, cut down slowly to avoid the caffeine deprivation headache.
4) Change Your Lifestyle
In a nutshell, it’s all about lifestyle changes and healthier living. These are changes that everyone can benefit from, not just those dealing with hypertension. Do you know how to lower high blood pressure with a healthy lifestyle? You might be tempted to take a shotgun approach and try various natural methods all at once. The problem is you won’t know which change worked for you. You also may feel overloaded by all the changes and slip back into your old habits.
5) Say Yes to Exercise.
Exercising regularly, at least 30 minutes several days a week, will help improve hypertension. Don’t think you have to sweat at the gym for 30 minutes straight. Break up the exercise into 10 minutes chunks if you like. In most cases, it won’t take long to notice an improvement, usually just a few weeks. Lifting weights helps lower blood pressure, so include a moderate program of free weights in your plan. Don’t buy any special equipment. Use cans of vegetables, quart containers, or gallon jugs as your weights.
6) Eat More Fresh Fruits and Vegetables.
Remember, they’re nearly salt-free and help lower your blood pressure. Colorful vegetables such as dark leafy greens, red tomatoes, scarlet sweet peppers, even purple eggplant are chock full of vitamins and antioxidants. If you don’t like naked veggies, dip them in nonfat yogurt mixed with half a teaspoon each of garlic and onion powder. Do not use garlic and onion salt but powder. Throw in some fresh parsley and chopped scallion, and you won’t miss the salt. When you are using a variety of herbs and spices can ‘jazz up’ your meals, as well. Eating less salt doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy eating.
7) Say Maybe to Alcohol for lower blood pressure.
Even though alcohol, consumed in small amounts, can help prevent a heart attack, heavy drinkers should do all they can to reduce daily consumption. What’s a heavy drinker? Anyone who consumes more than four drinks daily.
Regardless of how much you drink, you should never binge. This is very dangerous because it causes your blood pressure to increase rapidly. What constitutes a binge depends on your gender: women metabolize alcohol more slowly than men, your weight, how fast you consume the alcohol, and whether your body is used to alcohol. Drinking on an empty stomach affects how drunk you get and how quickly.
8) Stop Smoking.
Nicotine can raise your blood pressure substantially. Avoid smoking and secondhand smoke a.m.a.p. You should also be aware that nicotine interferes with many popular blood pressure medications. Check with your doctor about any over-the-counter smoking cessation product so you don’t inadvertently choose one that could potentially impact your blood pressure.
9) Warm Milk Lowers Your Blood Pressure.
Drink a cup of warm milk right before bedtime. It not only helps you sleep but also lowers your blood pressure by as much as 11 points. Vary the flavor by adding a cinnamon dash, a splash of vanilla, or a few drops of hazelnut flavoring. The milk helps you sleep better, which is suitable for your blood pressure as well.
10) Spinach Kills High Blood Pressure.
The Journal of Nutrition reports that a single serving of spinach drops systolic pressure by seven points, and that drop lasts for hours. A serving is one cup raw or half a cup cooked. The nutrient is responsible for the decrease in nitrates. Nitrates are also found in tomatoes and bananas.
11) Lower Stress with a Hot Soup High in Vitamin C.
The warmth of the soup calms you, and the vitamin C slows down cortisol production, a hormone your body produces under stress. Try Hubbard squash soup or good old tomato soup. You could even heat a cup of tomato or vegetable juice. If you select store-bought soup, read the label to make sure it’s low sodium.
12) Exercise Your Hands and lower your blood pressure.
Use a grip strengthener, or stress ball, for 10 minutes a day, and your blood pressure drops as much as 11 points in 60 days. Another option is clenching your fists and then opening your fingers wide, or pressing the palms of your hands together for a few seconds and then releasing.
13) Potassium is a Critical Weapon Against Hypertension.
Potassium is found in avocados, spinach, sweet potatoes, and beans. Consume two cups daily — that’s only a large spinach salad, for example — and watch your blood pressure drop up to 12 points in 30 days. Half an avocado, a medium sweet potato, and a 1/2 cup of beans are considered a serving.
14) Swap Out Refined Grains for Whole Grains to lower your blood pressure.
In other words, brown rice instead of white rice; whole-grain bread for white; and whole wheat pasta. The texture of whole grains is a bit chewier than processed grains. Your family, especially children who are used to white bread, may balk at entire wheat. Introduce the whole grains gradually to avoid tummy upset from all the added fiber.
15) Pet Your Pet.
Calmly stroking your dog or cat helps prevent a rise in blood pressure when you’re stressed. As a bonus, the stroking helps calm your pet as well. And who doesn’t want to snuggle up with a warm, soft puppy?
16) Keep Your Blood Pressure Level with a daily 200 mg L-theanine — an amino acid which manages your blood pressure under stressful situations.
17) Beans Beat Blood Pressure.
Just two cups of beans, any kind, lowers blood pressure. Add a can of rinsed beans to soups, salads, and stews or only serve as a side dish. Sprinkle with herbs or seasoning that don’t contain salt if your family doesn’t like beans, purree and add to spaghetti sauce, meatloaf, or chili.
18) Get Some Sun.
You’ve heard it over and over again, put on sunscreen. However, sunscreen blocks your body’s ability to produce vitamin D from sunlight. 15 to 20 minutes, exposing your arms and legs to the sun is all you need. Or take a supplement.
19) Good For You Fats.
Fats such as nuts, olive oil, avocados, and whole milk help lower insulin production. Too much insulin tightens your blood vessels, thereby increasing blood pressure.
20) Lose Weight
Take care of your diet and make exercise regularly. You can find major reasons why you need to lose weight in this article.
Conclusion
High blood pressure or hypertension is often referred to as the ‘silent killer,’ with very good reason. Unfortunately, it is capable of causing damage (to the body) for years without showing any outward signs or symptoms. Once symptoms do occur, seeking treatment is imperative. Not doing so can be fatal. The first sign you have hypertension may be a devastating stroke or heart attack. You don’t have to go to your doctor to check your blood pressure. Many pharmacists in drug stores and grocery stores have machines that do it. Sometimes at no charge.
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