Hypertension or commonly known as high blood pressure is a known silent killer because some people suffering from it does not feel any symptoms. According to health professionals, most of the patients suddenly experienced a stroke or heart attack without any signs. It is the reason why it is one of the leading causes of mortality in the world. It is good to know that there are natural ways to lower blood pressure.
Note that there are two terms that you need to know when it comes to blood pressure. Systolic blood pressure is the number on top that represents the pressure in the blood every time the heartbeats. The other one is the diastolic blood pressure, the lower number that represents the blood vessels between every beat of the heart while at rest.
The number of blood pressure depends on several factors such as the number of pumps the heart does and the resistance of the blood flow within arteries. It is vital to take note that narrow arteries are one of the reasons for high blood pressure. The normal blood pressure is between 90/60mmHg to 120/80mmHg, and above that is elevated blood pressure. The following are home remedies for high blood pressure that you can do along with taking your maintenance medicine if you are already diagnosed with hypertension.
1. Regular Physical Activities
According to a study conducted in 2013, elders with a sedentary lifestyle were asked to participate in an aerobic exercise showed a significant result in lowering their systolic blood pressure by 3.9% and diastolic pressure by 4.5%. These data are close to the effect of some blood pressure medications.
The reason for this is that the more your heart pump and increases breathing makes it easier for the heart to function normally with lesser effort. In return, the blood vessels and arteries will experience less pressure that can lead to a decrease in blood pressure. To make your heart pump, there are simple ways to do it such as climbing stairs, walking, and gardening, playing a sport, doing some household chores, and biking. As you do these high blood pressure remedies daily for at least one hour, then you will see a great difference in your blood pressure.
2. Try to Lose Excess Weight
People need to know the fact that as you increase weight, blood pressure increases at the same time. Extra pounds can put a toll on your normal breathing especially at night during sleep and may lead to a condition called sleep apnea. Weight management is one of the most natural ways to lower blood pressure at a normal level. Aside from monitoring your weight, it is vital to keep a record of your waist and hip circumference. Too much fat around the waist area puts a lot of weight that can increase the risk of developing hypertension.
3. Decrease Sugar and Carbohydrate Intake
According to different scientific studies, cutting off sugary products and refined carbohydrates in the diet is beneficial in reducing blood pressure by losing tons of weight. A study happened way back in 2010 compared to low fat and low carb diet. The diet with low fat was administered with a diet drug. The result showed that both diets are effective in losing weight, but the low carbohydrate diet is more effective in decreasing blood pressure. This type of home remedies for high blood pressure recommends a higher intake of protein that makes you feel full for a longer time.
4. Cut off Smoking
Quitting smoking is known to positively affect overall health not just for high blood pressure. Hitting cigarettes can cause an immediate rise in blood pressure and heart rate. Effective high blood pressure remedies are to stay away from tobacco and second-hand smoking as this chemical can create great damage to blood vessels, and it can narrow the arteries.
5. Meditation and Yoga Exercises
One of the most natural ways to lower blood pressure is to live a stress-free life through meditation activities and yoga exercises. A study conducted in 2012 has 19,000 participants participated in a meditation program to decrease stress. They found out that most of the participants experienced reduced stress and recorded lower blood pressure.