High blood pressure entails a lot of health problems for all ages. It’s one of the leading causes of heart problems and is known as a “silent killer” because it has no visible symptoms and can only be seen when your blood pressure is measured. Now, ask yourself, when was the last time you had your blood pressure measured? Two weeks ago? A month? Probably a year?
If so, you might want to have it checked right now. With that being said, if you already know that you have high blood pressure, there are a lot of things you can do to lower it or at least get it back down to normal levels. Here are some of them.
Lose Weight:
The higher your body weight is, the higher your blood pressure will be, and that’s a fact. This is because your heart needs to work twice as hard to pump blood efficiently in a big body. So if you’re obese or even just a little bit overweight, one thing you can do to lower your blood pressure is to lose weight.
Even just shaving off 10 pounds can do significant wonders for your blood pressure, and the more weight you lose, the lesser your blood pressure will be. You can also talk to your doctor about efficient ways to lose weight. They can even recommend you to take some medications to deal with your blood pressure as your train to lose weight, like prescribing Toprol xl, which is a 25 Mg tablet on average $0.32 price per pill.
Eat Less Salt:
In our lives, salt plays a huge role in giving flavor and preserving our food. It’s present in most manufactured food products you see in the market. It’s a very common preservative, after all. However, eating too much salt can do more harm than good.
The American Heart Association estimates that the average American eats about 3400 mg of salt daily. Compare that number to 2300mg, the recommended daily intake, and an ideal limit of less than 1500 mg daily; you know you’re probably eating too much salt right now.
That said, even eating a little lesser amount of salt can significantly decrease your blood pressure. To reduce your daily salt intake, you should read the labels of your food items more frequently. Always pick ones that are low in sodium. Or one easier way would be to decrease your consumption of processed foods.
Eat More Potassium and Magnesium-rich Foods:
Potassium helps regulate your blood pressure by reducing the effects of sodium in our bodies. That said, eating more foods with more potassium can do a lot of good to our bodies. Luckily for us, potassium-rich foods are common in the market. You can try going for melons, oranges, bananas, dairy, leafy veggies, tomatoes, potatoes, etc.
On the other hand, you can also try going for magnesium-rich foods. Magnesium is thought to help our blood vessels relax, making them wider and more accessible for blood to get through.
The tighter our blood vessels are, the harder our hearts will work since it has to pump blood effectively in our bodies. Thankfully, magnesium-rich foods are also common in our everyday lives. You can find magnesium in veggies, dairy, legumes, chickens, and whole grains.
Limit Your Alcohol Consumption:
If you’re an avid drinker and you notice that your blood pressure has been spiking recently, the most sensible thing to do is to lessen your drinking. Drinking too much can increase your blood pressure significantly. You might wonder, “Isn’t it said that drinking moderately can improve your heart health?”
Yes, that statement is true, but the keyword is “moderately.” If you’re drinking moderately, then it should be fine. It’s recommended for men to have two drinks per day and women one. Note that a drink is equivalent to a 12oz beer, 4 oz of wine, 1.5oz of 80-proof spirits, and an ounce of 100-proof spirits. Any intake higher than two drinks for men and one drink for women is already categorized as excessive.
Reduce Your Stress:
Stress is sometimes called a “silent killer” since some people drop dead because of stress and other complications, especially in the heart. Stress is one of the main leading causes of high blood pressure since stress alone entails a lot of factors like lack of sleep, nutrition, and exercise. Not only that, but it can also build up for a long time.
While it’s impossible to eliminate all sources of stress in your life, there are a lot of ways for you to cope with it properly or at least eliminate some stresses you have, like avoiding stress triggers, getting a proper amount of sleep all the time, taking breaks more frequently, etc. By reducing your stress, you’re also reducing your blood pressure. Easier said than done, but it’s the truth.
Final Words:
Our blood pressure, albeit something a lot of people don’t think about frequently, is a very essential thing in our lives. By measuring blood pressure alone, there are a lot of health issues that can be spotted by medical health professionals, which is why it’s a requirement every time you visit the doctor. Luckily for us, there are many things we can do to lower it down, and you can start by following the tips above.
