High blood pressure ( hypertension ) affects 1 out of 3 adults, but most people don’t know they are living with it and what it could mean for their future. High blood pressure can lead to a heart attack, stroke, heart failure or other serious health problems if left untreated. So what is the high blood pressure treatment at home? Is there a natural home remedy for blood pressure? If a patient chooses to use natural remedies, s/he should inform his or her physician about it.
Have you ever experienced high blood pressure? It’s a scary feeling. The feeling of pounding in your head and the idea of having a heart attack can make blood pressure one of your worst fears. But high blood pressure is easy to treat and also easy to prevent. Let’s hear what causes high blood pressure, how it can be prevented, and how you can treat it at home with my tips.
Blood pressure is the force that blood exerts on the walls of the arteries. In health, this pressure is controlled by the body through a complex set of mechanisms involving the heart, blood vessels, nerves, and hormones. Blood pressure is typically expressed as two numbers, one over another: “120 over 80” for example. It is written as two separate numbers because both numbers are important: the top number represents “systolic pressure” (pressure in your arteries when your heart beats), while the bottom number reflects “diastolic pressure” (pressure in your arteries between heartbeats).
High blood pressure is the most common type of cardiovascular disease. Often called the “silent killer,” it does not usually cause any symptoms. It can be detected by regular blood pressure readings. There are some natural treatments for high blood pressure at home that you can try (and most of them will not cost a fortune).
Eat a healthy diet
A healthy diet can help lower your blood pressure. Aim to eat more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, fish, and poultry while also cutting back on saturated fat, trans fat, salt (sodium), cholesterol, refined sugars, and alcohol.
Reduce the amount of sodium in your diet. The easiest way to do this is to limit your intake of processed foods like chips and frozen meals. If you have a hard time eating less than 2 grams per day of sodium, consider trying a low-sodium diet for one or two weeks. You might be surprised at how much better you feel when you consume fewer salt-laden foods.
Follow a low-fat diet by reducing fat intake from all sources except fish oils and nuts/seeds (which contain heart-healthy fats). It’s also important to avoid trans fat found in some fast food restaurants fried items as well as baked goods made with hydrogenated vegetable oils such as margarine; these types contribute greatly toward clogging arteries over time so should always be avoided if possible!
Exercise regularly
Exercising on a regular basis is crucial to reducing and maintaining healthy blood pressure levels. If you exercise regularly, your heart will become stronger and your muscles will become more efficient at using oxygen. Oxygen-rich blood will then flow more easily through your body, lowering the work required by your heart to deliver blood to different parts of your body.
In order to lower blood pressure, it’s important that you participate in aerobic exercises that increase the size of vessels carrying blood. Additionally, it’s recommended that you do strength training at least two times per week as well as stretching exercises daily. Some examples of aerobic exercises include:
Walking
Running or jogging
Cycling
Swimming
Dancing
Try out different exercises until you find ones that work for you and make sure not to push yourself too hard initially; start off slow and gradually increase intensity over time. It’s recommended that adults get 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week (or about 30 minutes 5 days a week). You can also break this down into 10 minute segments throughout the day if needed (e.g., 3 sets of 10 minute walking sessions each day).
Reduce sodium in your diet
Disciplining yourself to cut down on sodium is a big step toward getting your blood pressure under control. Sodium raises blood pressure by forcing fluids into the bloodstream, which increases the volume of blood circulating and the overall load on your heart. But cutting down on salt isn’t easy, not just because it tastes so good but also because it has become ubiquitous in processed and restaurant foods. Men should aim for no more than 2,300 milligrams (mg) of sodium per day; women should cut that back to no more than 1,500 mg per day.
The easiest way to reduce your sodium intake is to avoid salting food at the table. You should also eliminate regular salt from cooking and substitute spices or herbs instead. Don’t add salt when you cook pasta or rice either; use a low-sodium broth during cooking instead. One gram of salt contains about 2 grams of sodium, so if you’re aiming for a daily limit of 1,500 mg of sodium (about two-thirds teaspoon), don’t consume more than 3/4 teaspoon of salt per day.
Limit the amount of alcohol you drink
It’s important to limit the amount of alcohol you drink. It can also increase your risk of developing other medical problems, such as stroke and liver disease.
For a healthy adult, drinking more than these daily or weekly limits is considered “at-risk” or heavy drinking:
• Men: More than 4 drinks a day or 14 per week
• Women: More than 3 drinks a day or 7 per week
If you choose to drink alcohol, do so in moderation. That means up to 1 drink per day for women and up to 2 drinks per day for men. You should avoid binge drinking, which is defined as having four or more drinks within two hours. If you don’t drink alcohol at all, it is not recommended that you start just because of its blood pressure benefits.
Quit smoking
Smoking raises blood pressure, damages blood vessel walls and diminishes your heart health.
It’s never too late to quit smoking. If you already have high blood pressure, quitting will probably lower your pressure within a year.
Smoking also affects more than just the lungs. Smoking harms nearly every organ in the body, including the heart and blood vessels. One of the reasons that smoking causes so much damage is that it narrows your arteries and raises your blood pressure.
Quitting smoking can help you live longer and enjoy better health overall. In addition to lowering your risk for stroke, quitting reduces your chances of developing other conditions such as coronary heart disease, peripheral artery disease and abdominal aortic aneurysm — all of which are linked to high blood pressure or related factors, such as high cholesterol or diabetes
Cut back on caffeine
Cut back on caffeine. Caffeine can increase blood pressure by tightening blood vessels and magnifying the effects of stress.
Avoid caffeine if you have anxiety or insomnia, because it can make these conditions worse.
Be aware that caffeine may interact with some medications.
Be aware that you may experience unpleasant symptoms when you stop consuming products with caffeine. The symptoms will most likely be headaches, which are caused by your body’s withdrawal from caffeine. These symptoms are short-term problems and will go away within a few days to a week.
Reduce your stress
You can take steps to manage any stress you experience. Try to:
Reduce the amount of stress in your life. Think about what puts you under pressure, and avoid or change the situation if you can. There may be some things that you can’t change.
Reorganise your life if it helps reduce stress. It might help to have a routine so that your day is organised and predictable. If there are certain people who make you angry or upset, try to spend less time with them if possible.
Do what you can to avoid stressful situations – learn relaxation techniques that may help when things get tense, such as relaxing through deep breathing.
Learn to manage your stress – we all respond to stressful situations in different ways, but taking some time out for yourself could help relieve tension, give you more energy and allow yourself time for reflection and relaxation.
Drink less coffee
Caffeine is a stimulant that works on the central nervous system, and overconsumption of it can lead to increased blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure and are used to drinking coffee, tea, cola or other foods with caffeine in them regularly, your best bet might be to cut down or eliminate them from your diet entirely. Caffeine is also a diuretic, which means that it can cause dehydration—a risk factor for high blood pressure. Under doctor’s instructions, you may be able to have a small amount of caffeine every day (such as one cup of coffee) without elevating your numbers significantly. This will depend on several factors such as your overall health and age.
If you’re new to cutting back on caffeine, take it slow and start with decaf drinks instead of regular coffee. If you absolutely need caffeine in the morning, try drinking half-decaf half-regular until you’re ready for completely decaf coffee or tea. After that step is achieved, start drinking more water and less caffeinated beverages throughout the day until you’re only having water at all times except for bedtime.
A healthy lifestyle may help lower blood pressure.
A healthy lifestyle may help lower blood pressure.
Healthy habits can include:
Eating a healthy diet
Exercising regularly (30 minutes per day, 5 days a week)
Reducing stress and staying positive
Taking your blood pressure at home can also help you monitor your health. If you’re wondering how to lower your blood pressure, here are some tips:
Eat less salt (sodium). The American Heart Association recommends 2,300 milligrams of sodium or less a day (about 1 teaspoon). However, if you already have high blood pressure, look at the number on the salt shaker and try to get that much sodium or less each day. At the same time, try eating more potassium-rich foods such as fruits and vegetables. Most people in the United States don’t get enough potassium in their diets. Some examples of potassium-rich foods include bananas, oranges and orange juice, cantaloupe, tomatoes and tomato products (paste and sauce), spinach, peas and potatoes with skin on them. Potassium can be found in dairy products such as milk and yogurt too!