How to Lower Blood Pressure

Many people have high blood pressure for years without even knowing it. Undetected and untreated, high blood pressure can cause strokes and heart attacks.

Blood pressure is the amount of force pushing against artery walls as blood is pumped out of the heart. If this pressure stays elevated for a period of time, it can cause serious harm.

Understanding how to lower high blood pressure begins with lifestyle changes. Medication is also used to treat high blood pressure, and lifestyle changes can lower the amount of medication needed to control your blood pressure.

Here are some tips for how to lower your blood pressure:

  1. Quit using tobacco. Nicotine causes blood vessels to tighten, which makes the heart beat faster, which in turn raises blood pressure.
  2. Quit drinking alcohol. Alcohol causes high blood pressure in many people. Limit yourself to one drink per day if you’re a woman and to two drinks per day if you’re a man.
  3. Eat a healthy diet. Eating the right foods can lower the risk of developing high blood pressure. Eating right can also lower your blood pressure if you already suffer from hypertension too. Eating plenty of vegetables, fruits, and low fat dairy products will measurably lower blood pressure in most people.
  4. How to Lower Blood Pressure

    How to Lower Blood Pressure

    Control stress. Stress and anxiety increase blood pressure. To help fight stress, perform relaxation techniques, breathing exercises, meditation or yoga.

  5. Lower your intake of caffeine. Caffeine causes a temporary increase in blood pressure. And people who drink caffeine regularly have higher blood pressure in studies too. So reducing your caffeine intake is an easy step you can take to lower your blood pressure.
  6. Go to the doctor for regular health care. Even if you have normal blood pressure, you should see your doctor regularly so that she can monitor your blood pressure. Blood pressure can change as you get older. If you’re on medication or a lifestyle program in order to control you blood pressure, then your doctor needs to track your blood pressure in order to determine whether or not your high blood pressure treatment is working.
  7. Cut back on your sodium intake. Sodium causes high blood pressure in some people. To maintain a healthy blood pressure, you should limit sodium intake to 2,300 mg each day. Older people who have high blood pressure need to limit their daily sodium intake to 1,500 mg.

Warning signs of high blood pressure can include headaches, nosebleeds and dizziness. Often high blood pressure presents no symptoms at all.

Medication is only one way of treating high blood pressure. Lifestyle and diet changes can help to control blood pressure levels too.

To learn more about how to lower blood pressure, see:

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