High blood pressure is known as the silent killer because there aren’t many symptoms surrounding it. You have to check it to see where you stand on the scale. High numbers should be taken seriously because it can cause multiple life-threatening conditions.
The American Heart Association has stated that above-normal blood pressure can provoke a heart attack, heart failure, angina, kidney disease, stroke, vision loss, or peripheral artery disease, just to name a few. If this doesn’t scare you, we’re not sure what will.
You can check your numbers by either going to the doctors or with an ecg heart monitor. They’re easy to use, and it can all be done at home.
If your numbers are high, don’t worry. It doesn’t mean you have to go on medication for the rest of your life. You can start doing things today that will gradually lower your blood pressure to an average level.
1. Lose Weight
Your number is based on how hard your heart is working to pump blood through your body. Being overweight can put a lot of stress on your whole body, including your bones, lungs, muscles, brain, and heart.
Losing weight is probably the best thing you can do for your body to lower your numbers. This won’t only reduce your blood pressure but also help you in all areas of health. The place you should be most concerned about with extra inches is your waist.
If you’re a man, your middle sections should not exceed 40 inches, and for women, it should be less than 35 inches. If your measurements are greater, then you’re at a higher risk for high-pressure readings.
2. Exercise More
This doesn’t mean you have to turn into a total gym rat. Even just incorporating small movements in your day will help. Take the stairs rather than the elevator, walk to work instead of driving, or take your dog for a short walk every day.
It was studied that those who do some aerobic exercises have lower blood pressure by about 4% than those who don’t. This is because when you work out, your heartbeat, and breathing rises. When you do this, your heart becomes more durable.
A healthy heart can then pump more blood per beat, which puts less pressure on your heart. This lowers your blood pressure overall.
3. Healthy Diet
You may think that just going to the gym a little here and there is going to change your overall health drastically. It’s better than doing nothing, but to really boost your health, you should eat right!
This means incorporating as many vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and healthy fats as possible. Stay far away from refined carbs and sugar as much as possible. Also, be wary of processed foods, even if they claim to be healthy.
Many times, low-fat items are packed with salt and sugar to make up for the taste. Also, all packaged food has additives to provide a long shelf life. You’ll have no control over how much salt, sugar, or fat that is put into the food.
Shop in the fresh produce and meat sections. If you need to buy something in the aisles, look at the ingredients. If there are more than five or six ingredients in it, the product is very processed and stripped of all its natural nutrients.
4. Reduce Stress
With our work schedules nowadays, there’s a lot of built-up stress in our lives. We can’t check out of work because our emails are linked to our personal computers and phones. Also, only having a few days of vacation a year and having to work on the weekends are all contributing to us having high stress.
This affects blood pressure because stress adds hormones, adrenaline, and cortisol into the blood. These hormones make the heart beat more rapidly and constrict the blood vessels. Over time, this will raise your blood pressure because your heart will have to work more to pump blood.
You can reduce stress in multiple ways, so find something that you enjoy and also calms you. You can practice deep breathing and meditation. Also, doing yoga has been proven to reduce stress and center us. If you’re looking for other ways, it could be taking a walk or reading a book.
Find a way to destress after a long day of work that is healthy, and soon you’ll see your numbers going down.
The Bottom Line
Overall health is essential to living a long life with a high quality of life. You want to be able to run around with your grandchild one day, not be in a hospital barely alive.
It’s never too late to change. Take some small steps every day, and soon enough, you’ll be healthier and happier. If you have high blood pressure, you should start by losing some weight, doing exercises, eating whole foods, and destressing every night.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
