Once you have identified that you have high blood pressure, there are many things that you can do at home that'll help you manage your blood pressure. One very important thing to consider though is making drastic lifestyle changes can help you control and prevent high blood pressure. This is important even if you're taking blood pressure medication. It is still advisable to consult with your doctor to see if your medications may have any special requirements as certain foods and diets that are known to help blood pressure issues can unfortunately affect their effectivity.
Here are but a few of the things that you can do at home to help you manage your high blood pressure:
- Eat a diet that focuses on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products. You'll need a diet that is rich in potassium which can help balance the salt in your body. Avoid saturated fat as much as possible.
- Salt is one of the main culprits that can elevate a person's blood pressure. 1,500 mg a day is recommended for people that are above the age of 50. You should also take note of the salt content in processed food as many of those canned soups and instant noodles have a high spike in sodium and salt content.
- Weight can put a strain on your heart and blood vessels. Losing just 5 pounds can help relieve your body of the unnecessary bodily stress that being overweight causes.
- An increase in physical activity not only raises your energy levels but it helps you keep your weight under control. Best to try to be highly active for at least 30 minutes a day.
- Alcohol can raise your blood pressure, though a wine a day is healthy, too much can and will raise your blood pressure drastically.
- Smoking is bad in every level. It causes your blood pressure to spike up, hardens the walls of your arteries and puts unnecessary stress to your internal organs.
- Stress is good but too much stress can be unhealthy. Learn to manage stress through relaxation techniques and deep breathing exercices. Sleep can also help your body cope with stress better.
- Once you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, it is imperative to keep a close watch on your blood pressure daily. This shall help you check if the medication is working and give insight to your doctor if anything is amiss.
Aside from what was mentioned above, there are certain supplements that have proven to be quite effective at helping lower and manage blood pressure.
1. CoQ10 - also known as Coenzyme Q10 is very important for the body. It was discovered in 1957 and it is naturally present in foods like organ meats, and in small quantities in beef, peanuts and sardines. As people grow older, their CoQ10 levels go down making it important to take CoQ10 supplements that help in rebalancing their levels of this essential enzyme. Deficiency of this enzyme might cause heart problems and even severe metabolic dysfunctions
2. Garlic - It has allicin, which is broken down into the foul-smelling sulphur compounds which taint breath. These compounds react with red blood cells and produce hydrogen sulphide which relaxes the blood vessels, and keeps blood flowing easily.
3. Hawthorn - This herb dilates arteries and improves coronary blood flow reducing blood pressure. Can widen blood vessels, especially the coronary arteries. Some of the flavonoids in Hawthorn help prevent the narrowing of blood vessels. It also is a mild diuretic that reduces blood volume. Most patients who take hawthorn have a drop in blood pressure of 10 to 15 points over 8 weeks. Once blood pressure is down, you may be able to reduce the dosage to stop taking the herb altogether. Recently, hawthorn has been used mostly as a cardiotonic (to “strengthen” the heart muscle and promote more forceful contractions).
4. Fish Oil - Several studies have found that supplementation with large amounts of fish oil (5-15 grams/day) lowers blood pressure significantly in hypertensive individuals.
5. Folic Acid - B vitamins are essential for many aspects of metabolism. These studies demonstrate a high level of importance for cardiovascular health. B vitamins are depleted by stress, junk food diets, and exercise. They are a basic supplement for maintaining your energy and mood. If intake of them is maintained over the years they will help offset factors that contribute to cardiovascular wear and tear.
6. Calcium, Magnesium and Potassium - these minerals have shown to drastically tip the balance of sodium in the blood stream and help lower blood pressure. To get the right amounts in terms of dosages and food intake, it would be best to speak to a nutritionist.
Once you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure can be quite nerve wracking in itself, but with the help of your doctor, family and friends, this is something that can be managed quite easily. Changing a few things in your lifestyle can go a very long way. Taking the steps to living a healthier life is easy when you put your mind and heart into it.
If you are reading this and want to know the different levels of blood pressure, here is a chart to help you out, but be reminded that it is still best to go visit your doctor for further advice:
If you know of other home remedies or dietary supplements that can help reduce and manage high blood pressure, please do share it with us here. Simply leave your suggestions via the comments field.
Till Next Time...
-Metz-
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