High blood pressure or hypertension is a silent killer. Unlike most other ailments which present subtle to pronounced symptoms, people suffering from high blood pressure may not realize what they are dealing with until they are diagnosed by a doctor early on, or if it manifests as cardiac distress, stroke, or an aneurism.
What Causes High Blood Pressure?
“Blood pressure” measures the force that blood exerts against the walls of the blood vessels. When these blood vessels harden or become clogged, your heart has to work overtime in order to circulate the required quantity of blood. This builds up stress and can ultimately culminate in heart failure.
High blood pressure is usually caused due to poor lifestyle choices.
Not getting enough exercise, eating foods rich in trans-saturated fats and salt (fast foods for example), stress and smoking—all can cause your blood pressure to spike. Hypertension can also run in some families as people with kith and kin who have high blood pressure are at a greater risk of developing the symptoms themselves.
Best Solutions for High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure medications, unfortunately, only help to alleviate its symptoms, so are hardly long term solutions. The best ways to ensure that your circulatory system remains healthy are surprisingly free natural ones, including…
Exercising Regularly
Gerald Fetcher, MD at Mayo Clinic says – “By exercising 30 minutes a day, most days a week—you can bring down your blood pressure significantly”. Hypertension is often the product of a stagnant, sluggish circulatory system.
When you are exercising more often, you burn away excessive fat, and cause the blood to shoot through the vessels, clearing them of any debris which may have accumulated.
Aerobics are particularly helpful in exercising your cardiovascular system. Pick up any exercise – walking, running, cycling or swimming and stick with it. Before long, your blood pressure will begin to normalize.
Cutting Back On Salt
There is a great deal of proof that people with a high sodium intake have a greater tendency to develop high blood pressure. For instance, residents of the Northern islands of Japan have the both the highest intake of salt per capita and also the highest incidence of hypertension compared to the rest of the world.
On the other hand, people who add next to no salt to their diet show almost not prevalence of high blood pressure.
People with hypertension are recommended to limit their salt intake to 1,500 milligrams per day. Processed foods also have higher quantities of sodium, so check their labels for salt quantity before purchasing.
Increasing Potassium Intake
Few people know that potassium can control the effect of sodium on blood vessels. Potassium can be consumed through vegetables and fruits, bananas are particularly rich sources, so consider adding them to your regular diet.
Limiting Alcohol Intake
In smaller quantities, alcohol has been shown to reduce blood pressure by a few points. However, don’t head out to the bar just yet, if you consume more than 1 drink a day, alcohol can increase your blood pressure, and even interfere with your high blood pressure medications.
Don’t let hypertension ruin your life! There are perfectly safe natural remedies to tackle high blood pressure and ensure that your body remains healthy and strong. Out expert practitioners can help you solve a variety of chronic problems.
