If you’ve been diagnosed with hypertension, you need quick and effective ways to decrease your blood pressure without taking medicine. Even if your doctor puts you on a prescription drug, there is no magic pill. It will help if you make some lifestyle changes to help assist with this medical problem.
You already know the risk of having high blood pressure for extended periods can result in heart attacks, stroke, and even kidney failure. However, did you know that 1,000 people die every day in this country because of hypertension? The Center for Disease Control states that one in five people have high blood pressure and don’t even know it.
Any reading that you get at your doctor’s office or home above 130/80 mmHg is considered hypertension. The first choice of most physicians is medication. Sadly, the medicines can cause more harm than good. Many people complain about side effects like dizziness, insomnia, and muscle cramps.
Fifteen Tips to Help Decrease Blood Pressure (other than a prescription drug)
Lifestyle changes are imperative to combat hypertension. Try these 15 all-natural ways to get your blood pressure in a normal range.
1. Lose Weight
Obesity is a considerable risk factor for high blood pressure. If you want to get your hypertension under control, then one of the best ways to do this is to lose weight. Even losing 10 percent of your body weight can significantly impact the load your heart carries. It’s the easiest thing you can do to help your blood pressure.
2. Watch Your Sodium
Sodium is bad for people who suffer from blood pressure issues. Salt makes you retain water, which causes inflammation in the body. When you have inflammation, your heart must work harder to pump the blood into all areas, causing hypertension.
If you reduce your salt intake, then you can reduce how hard the body must work. How much sodium should you eat? The American Heart Association suggests no more than 1,500 mg per day. Watch out for things like potato chips and canned soups, which tend to be high in sodium.
3. Cut Back on the Caffeine
Caffeine is a stimulant that can do horrible things to the body. Did you know that if you consume just two cups of coffee per day, you are ingesting 200 to 300 mg of caffeine? A study showed that this small amount of coffee could raise your blood pressure by eight points.
Now, what about all those energy drinks? You must limit your caffeine consumption as it makes your heart beat faster.
4. Turn on Some Tunes
Have you ever heard the saying that “Music calms the savage beast?” There is something remarkable about music that can motivate you. Practice deep breathing and meditation while listening to some good tunes. It will calm you down and lower your blood pressure.
5. Drink a Bit of Wine
There’s nothing wrong with a glass of wine at dinner or before bed. Having too much alcohol in your system isn’t healthy, but a little bit can be very beneficial. If you want to decrease your blood pressure, then you should try some alcohol each day.
Now, if you have an addictive nature or are in recovery, you should find alternatives. However, alcohol in small doses can be very calming.
6. Take Power Walks
Running can be bad for your joints, but a power walk is good for the heart. A study was conducted on the effects of lowering blood pressure using power walking. They found that exercise made the heart use more oxygen, and it didn’t have to work nearly as hard to pump blood throughout the body.
All you need is about 30 minutes a day, and you can help decrease your blood pressure. If you need a bit more resistance, then try adding in ankle or wrist waits.
7. Eat Potassium-Rich Foods
If you want to decrease your blood pressure, then eating potassium-rich vegetables and fruits is essential. When you have sufficient levels of potassium in your body, your kidneys will rid the excessive sodium when you urinate.
Getting rid of excessive amounts of sodium will not only lower blood pressure, but it will reduce inflammation. You can say goodbye to puffy feet. Try things like kidney beans, honeydew, raisins, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes.
8. Indulge Yourself with Dark Chocolate
Who doesn’t love chocolate? If you have a sweet tooth, then you should use dark chocolate to fill it. Milk varieties are loaded with sugar that will only pack on the pounds. However, dark chocolate has little sugar and has plenty of antioxidants your body needs.
Eating just two ounces of dark chocolate each day can help to lower your systolic blood pressure, but it shouldn’t be your only source of naturally treating hypertension.
9. Drink a Cup of Hibiscus Tea
There are so many natural teas out there that Mother Nature provides to heal the body. The Chinese have been using things like hibiscus tea for centuries. This robustly flavored brew has a dramatic impact on your blood pressure.
Tufts University studied how this tea impacted people who wanted to decrease their blood pressure. They found that after six weeks, the participants saw an average reduction of seven points. Not too bad for drinking something delicious.
10. Treat Your Snoring
Did you know that more than half of the people who suffer from hypertension also have sleep apnea? Has your partner complained about your constant snoring? Do you wake yourself up, unable to breathe, or coughing at night?
If you have sleep apnea, your body is going for long periods without oxygen. This sleep disorder can cause all kinds of problems for you. If you want to decrease your blood pressure, then get that chronic snoring problem checked.
11. Try Meditation
When you’re under stress, your body releases hormones like cortisol into your bloodstream. The abundance of this hormone causes your heart rate to increase automatically, and your blood vessels constrict. The result is high blood pressure.
If you’re under chronic stress, then you will stay elevated. You can combat your stress levels by using meditation. Do you know what meditation can do for you? First, it can reduce any inflammation in the body and bring a form of natural pain relief.
You don’t need long periods to devote to this art. All you need is about five minutes in the morning and n the evening. You will see a reduction in your blood pressure when you use this all-natural method.
12. Drink Milk
Shockingly, your systolic blood pressure can be reduced when you consume more dairy products. When you have a diet that consists of refined carbohydrates will cause a natural increase in blood pressure. However, a diet full of dairy instead of carbs can help to reduce the spikes.
13. Commit to a Plant-Based Diet
There are many different eating plans out there that can help you to decrease your blood pressure. Perhaps, the best is eating a plant-based diet. Nature provides the perfect balance of fiber, protein, carbohydrates, and the vitamins and minerals your body needs to function.
To keep yourself healthy, you need to eat from the earth’s bounty.
14. Cut Back on Work
Do you work more than 41 hours each week? Do you know that stress has a significant impact on your blood pressure? If you could reduce your work hours just a little bit, then you help with hypertension.
When you spend too much time at the office, you have less time for healthy eating and exercise. People who work long hours often stop for fast food on the way home. If you want to improve your health, learn how to set healthy boundaries with your job.
15. Laugh as Often as You Can
Whoever said laughter is like good medicine knew what they were discussing. Your blood pressure will increase slightly when you laugh, like a good belly laugh. However, it will quickly rebound.
A happy person will naturally have better blood pressure levels than someone who is solemn. It all comes down to stress, cortisol, and adrenaline hormones. When you laugh, your body releases feel-good chemicals called endorphins that help to repair and restore.
If you want to decrease your blood pressure, can you think of any better way than a good belly laugh? While you won’t see a dramatic improvement overnight, with time, a merry heart will indeed be like good medicine to you.
Final Thoughts on Using These Tips to Decrease Blood Pressure
Did you find any helpful ways to help you decrease your blood pressure? By incorporating a few of these all-natural tips, you can watch your numbers slowly drop. The best thing about using natural methods is that there are no side effects and no expensive drug costs. You can take matters into your hands and control your health.
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