Long-term high blood pressure harms the cardiovascular system. One-third of the U.S. population and one billion individuals globally are afflicted. Exercise, weight loss, and healthy eating are all proven methods for bringing blood pressure levels down.
Elevated blood pressure is a danger factor for cardiovascular disorder and stroke.
Fortunately, there is a combination of non-medical methods known for decreasing blood pressure.
The following are some approaches on how to lower blood pressure naturally.
1. Walk and Exercise Regularly
It's common knowledge that maintaining a healthy lifestyle through frequent exercise is important. Exercising not only aids in weight management, heart health, and stress reduction, but it also helps reduce high blood pressure.
Exercises of intermediate intensity, for example, brisk walking, should be executed at least 150 minutes per week, as recommended.
Find an aerobic activity you love performing, as any form of exercise is beneficial to heart health (walking, running, dancing, etc.). This will encourage you to get up and start moving about regularly and help you stick to your usual commitments.
2. Eat Less Salt
The average person consumes much too much salt daily. According to the American Heart Association, the typical American consumes 3,400 milligrams of salt daily. The everyday limit should be slighter than 1,500 mg, particularly for people with elevated blood pressure. However, the RDA is 2,300 mg.
If you have hypertension, lowering your blood pressure and improving your heart health can begin with as little as a 10% reduction in your daily salt intake.
Here are some suggestions for lowering blood pressure by decreasing salt intake:
- Learn to decipher food labels. Try to replace some of your typical purchases with "low salt" or "low sodium" variants.
- Engulf less packaged dinners. Naturally, foods have a very tiny amount of sodium. The majority of the salt in our diets comes from industrially produced meals like those found in grocery stores and restaurants.
- Leave out the salt. There are 2,300 milligrams of sodium in only 1 teaspoon of salt. To enhance the flavor of your favorite recipes without using as much salt, try using spices, garlic, herbs, and other seasonings as alternatives to table salt.
3. Put in More Potassium to Your Diet to Decrease Elevated Blood Pressure
Potassium's useful advantages on the body extend beyond only regulating heart rate.
Potassium aids the kidneys in the excretion of sodium and relaxes the smooth muscle lining your blood vessels, both of which contribute to low blood pressure.
Changing your diet is more beneficial than taking pills to raise your potassium consumption. Examples of foods high in potassium are:
- Bananas, cantaloupe, melons, oranges, apricot, avocado, and tomato are all examples of fruits.
- Cheese, yogurt, and milk
- foods like potatoes, sweet potatoes, and leafy greens
- Salmon and tuna
- Beans
- Crunchy and tasty: nuts and seeds
Your doctor can help you determine the optimal potassium amount for your diet, but eating these foods can help your heart. Too much potassium can be harmful since renal disease can impair the body's ability to excrete the mineral.
4. Limit Your Alcohol Consumption
Drinking alcohol in moderation may be good for your heart, according to some studies. However, drinking too much at once can lead to a dramatic increase in blood pressure.
Alcohol use should be closely tracked. There is some proof that drinking liquor might lead to weight increase due to its caloric and sugar range.
5. Methods to Reduce Your Blood Pressure by Decreasing Stress
Daily stressors like a flat tire in the norm of rush hour or an impending job deadline can temporarily boost blood pressure. Your heart rate and blood pressure often recover to normal once the stressful procedure has expired.
However, long-term disclosure of stress has been correlated to a boosted chance of hypertension, cardiovascular disorder, and stroke. If you serve sick habits such as eating fast food, drinking liquor, or smoking to deal with anxiety, you may discover that it boosts your blood pressure.
The following are some methods for managing or reducing anxiety:
Transforming one's perspective. Rather than worrying over what you can't change, concentrate on what you can modify. Many of our worries are based on "what if" plans that may never come to pass. Worries can be relieved by reminding oneself to live in the present and setting things in perspective.
Try to stay away from anything that could induce tension. Don't put yourself through stress if it can be avoided. You can avoid the rush hour by doing things like leaving for work early.
Learn to be thankful. Recognizing the many blessings in our life might help us stop dwelling on the things we don't have. Stress can be mitigated via the simple act of publicly expressing thanks to others.
Enjoy some downtime and unwind. Make room in your schedule for the activities that make you happy. Find ways to appreciate the little things every day, whether it's a tasty dinner, quality time with loved ones, or a thought-provoking podcast on the commute.
Note that if you have long-standing high blood pressure, you may need to make these adjustments in addition to receiving medical attention and taking any drugs your doctor prescribes. If you want to know how to reduce your blood pressure, talk to your doctor.
