Health Tips for Lowering High Blood Pressure

A healthy human has 4.7 to 5 litres of blood flowing in their veins and arteries. This amount of blood is maintained constantly and when a person drinks water, it gets into the arteries. The body then loses water through processes such as perspiration, urination and breathing. The extent to which arteries and veins are filled with blood determines a person’s blood pressure. High blood pressure can be a killer. It can damage blood vessels including capillaries in body organs such as the heart and brain, which can cause serious damage and even death. Since maintaining the pressure at normal levels is critical and needs to be done throughout life, it is important to do it naturally if possible. 

You can ensure your blood pressure is regularly checked at reputable pharmacies like Day Lewis. They can check your blood pressure so that you can then consult your doctor if an issue is apparent. This is a free check if you are over the age of 40 and not already on blood pressure medication.

If you are then put onto blood pressure tablets like Ramipril, Day Lewis can also organise your online prescriptions to ensure that you never run out of important medication.  You simply sign up using your NHS login to see all your medications and order at a click of a button. This can save a lot of time and worry trying to call your surgery to arrange prescriptions.

If you are worrying about High Blood pressure, maybe due to having a history in your family, there are things you can do linked to a healthy lifestyle that may help you avoid issues.

Pay attention to what you eat

Changing your diet is one of best way to maintain a normal blood pressure. Instead of eating foods that are high in cholesterol, opt for foods rich in calcium, potassium and magnesium.  These nutrients are important in maintaining a healthy heart and maintaining normal blood pressure. Each day, ensure that you eat foods that provide these kind of nutrients and take a lot of water. To enhance your nutrient intake, you may consider taking specific supplements. For instance supplements with fish oil side effects can help enhance healthy cholesterol and reduce triglyceride levels in the blood, leading to a healthy blood pressure.

Reduce amount of sodium in your food

 Though debate over sodium and blood pressure exists because a change in salt intake creates varying results, studies have established that high salt intake causes the body to retain water. Persons who are aged 40 and above or those in families that have high blood pressure history need to limit their sodium intake to at least 1,500 milligrams per day. The best way to do this is keep off fast foods and processed foods as those have high amounts of salt.

Make exercise part your daily routine

Exercise doesn’t have to be complicated. Rather than waiting until you have modern equipment to begin exercising, just start off with taking walks. Studies have shown that engaging in moderate activities like dancing, walking, playing tennis or golf or swimming helps lower blood pressure significantly. Exercising is so powerful such that it delivers immediate and lasting benefits to your body that no other change in lifestyle provides. For people who have not been living active lives, it is best to start with 10 minute exercises per day and keep increasing until they reach half an hour, 5 days a week. Keep off activities that make you strain as those can course sudden exertion leading to a heart attack.

Reduce your sugar and caffeine intake

Many studies show that sugar including processed one can cause atherosclerosis. This is a situation where a sticky material piles along arterial walls, making the arteries narrow and increasing blood pressure. Sugar also spikes insulin levels. High insulin has been liked to increased triglycerides, diabetes, bad cholesterol and high blood pressure. Caffeine can also increase blood pressure in some people. To tell whether you are sensitive to caffeine, take your blood pressure before taking caffeine and take it again within half an hour after taking caffeine. If there is a five to ten point increase, then your blood pressure might be affected by caffeine and it is advisable to quit caffeine intake gradually.

Improve your mental health

Each blood pressure case has the adrenaline hormone involved. This hormone rushes into the blood when one experiences flight, fear, fright or fight. When in the blood, the adrenaline constricts the arteries, causing a temporary rise in blood pressure.Repressed anger, fear and frustration are some of hypertension and heart disease risk factors. These emotions trigger the release of cortisol, a stress hormone in the blood. On the other hand, cortisol signals the body to produce more blood platelets that can clump up to create clots.  This is why extended periods under stress or pressure are risky. If you are at risk of blood pressure, seeking psychotherapy is important to identify emotional pain points might be causing the physical disease.

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