Hypertension: 10 Effective ways to lower your blood pressure

Have you ever wondered why a doctor asks you whether you are suffering from Hypertension or Diabetes even though you are suffering from some other disease?

There is a reason why Hypertension is also known as a “Silent Killer”. A person might not even show any symptoms or signs of high blood pressure for years but it can slowly damage your blood vessels and organs due to which any small sickness can turn into some serious complications.

These complications are mainly cardiovascular diseases such as stroke, peripheral arterial disease, heart failure, atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, etc. Hypertension can also affect other organs such as:-

• Brain: Hemorrhage, Hypertensive Encephalopathy, Dementia, etc.
• Kidney: Renal Failure, End-stage kidney disease, etc.
• Eye: Hypertensive retinopathy causing vision problems

Hence, you need to visit a doctor every year to check your blood pressure which normally is 120/80 mm of Hg. If your blood pressure goes above 140/90 mm of Hg, that means you are suffering from hypertension. And even though if you are not showing any signs and symptoms of high blood pressure, you should still pay attention to it to save your future.

Fortunately, hypertension can be significantly overcome by some lifestyle modifications described below:

Increase physical activity

This is the best thing you can do to lower your high blood pressure.

Hypertension simply means your blood is creating more force on your arteries than normal. One of the major factors causing this is your heart pushing blood out with more effort.

If you start exercising and increase your physical activity, eventually your heart will become stronger and it will be able to push more blood with less effort. This will cause less stress to the arteries and your blood pressure will reduce.

According to the American Heart Association (AHA) research, the moderate aerobic activity of 150 minutes or vigorous activity of 75 minutes per week is recommended. This aerobic activity can be

• Walking
• Swimming
• Jogging
• Running
• Gardening
• Sports
• Climbing stairs
• Reduce salt intake

According to research, a reduction in salt intake and sodium amount in blood will result in a decrease in complications related to cardiovascular disease significantly.

Sodium is an electrolyte and has a capacity of water retention. As soon as sodium enters blood for the food, water will come along with it and your blood volume will rise. This increased blood volume will cause more pressure on blood vessels and ultimately lead to hypertension.

According to research, it is recommended to consume around 1000 – 1500 mg of sodium per day.

Weight loss

If you are suffering from obesity or even if you are simply overweight, it is high time for you to start working on your weight loss program. In fact, losing even 10 pounds can help you reduce your blood pressure.

Being obese means increased fatty tissue in the body.  These fatty tissues will cause increased demand for oxygen and nutrients which makes the heart pump more with effort. Moreover, these fatty tissues provide resistance to arteries causing increased systemic vascular resistance due to which heart has to work harder to pump blood throughout the body.

You can apply different types of exercises in your routine along with weight loss promoting foods to reduce weight.

Consume more potassium

Potassium is an electrolyte which has opposite effect of sodium by lowering blood pressure.

Sodium and Potassium regulate the filtration process of blood in the kidney. The kidney tries to absorb the maximum amount of water and nutrients from blood as possible and the filtrate is then passed to the bladder.

If sodium levels are high in the blood, water will osmotically remain in the blood thus causing increased blood volume and blood pressure.

However, if potassium level is increased, it will cause the removal of extra sodium into the filtrate and thus extra fluid is also removed and regulates blood pressure.

Potassium also helps by loosening and increasing compliance of blood vessel walls by increasing their duration of action potential and hyperpolarization. Tense and rigid walls can lead to high blood pressure.

Fruits and vegetables contain high potassium and hence eating them is beneficial.

DASH diet

DASH stands for ‘Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension’. This diet is a long term approach to a healthy diet in order to treat hypertension.

It emphasizes on:

• Whole grains
• Poultry and fish
• Nuts, seeds and dry beans
• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Low-fat or fat-free dairy food
• Fewer fats, red meats, sweets, and sugared beverages
• Stop Smoking

Smoking cessation is one of the most effective lifestyle measures for many cardiovascular diseases.

The main chemical of Cigarette i.e. Nicotine binds to nicotinic receptors in the body and causes an increase in heart rate. It narrows the arterial wall and makes them stiff. It can also lead to blood clotting. This all factors can lead to increased blood pressure.

However, there is no direct correlation between smoking and hypertension yet but smoking can cause several cardiovascular diseases and stroke which can lead to hypertension.

Limit Alcohol

Alcohol induced hypertension depends on amount of alcohol drank by an individual.

Normally, 3 drinks a day does not cause any harm. However, if alcohol is consumed with more than 3 drinks at once, it can raise your blood pressure but after alcohol is processed inside the body, blood pressure goes back to normal.

Binge drinking (5 or more drinks for men and 4 or more drinks for women) can lead to an increase in blood pressure and if it continues, it will lead to hypertension.

Sleep

Lack of sleep and insomnia both can lead to prevalence of hypertension.

During normal sleep, your sympathetic nervous system slows down which causes the lowering of blood pressure. If an individual is suffering from insomnia or sleep deprivation, it can keep the sympathetic system activated. This will lead to long term sleep deprivation that can increase the risk of high blood pressure.

People who sleep less than 5 hours or more than 9 hours have generally more risk for hypertension or other cardiovascular anomalies.

Consume less Caffeine

Caffeine activates your sympathetic nervous system and keeps you energetic throughout the day.

One of the functions of caffeine is it increases blood pressure. However, studies have shown no significant correlation between caffeine and hypertension as it depends much on individual characteristics.

If you are a person suffering from hypertension, then you should really stop consuming caffeine as it may aggravate conditions.

Reduce Stress

Stress can come in the form of anyone – socially, financially, family, business, work, etc. You need to learn to control your stress and tension.

Stress increases the surge of hormones inside the body. These hormones lead to increase heart rate and narrowing down of blood vessels.

There are many different ways that you can use to relieve high blood pressure:

• Meditation and Yoga
• Deep breathing
• Get a hobby
• Enjoy time with family or friends
• Read a book