Those who suffer from high blood pressure may not always need prescription medications to bring it down. By adhering strictly to lifestyle changes and some natural measures, high blood pressure? and the risk of heart attack can be reduced. RALIAT AHMED writes on the ways to keep high blood pressure at bay.
High blood pressure said to be the highest killer world wide. The blood pressure of most of people have been rising as a result of the day to day life’s stress.
Fact is, it’s been rising for decades and today, it has progressively gone worse as nearly a third of adults have BPs of 140/90mm/Hg or higher, including one in four men between the ages of 35 and 44. In most cases, early stages of hypertension is completely mistaken for normal blood pressure.
Keeping the blood pressure low doesn't have to be all about medication. There are some simpleways? to lower high blood pressure.
Reduce salt intake
Eating too much salt causes the body to retain water, which increases blood volume and, consequently, blood pressure. The result of putting too much salt in the food can be deadly because the more sodium one eats, the shorter his or her life span, according to researchers.
They reviewed more than a dozen studies and found that people who reduced their sodium intake by 30 percent lived an average of 7 years longer than those whose sodium intake remained high.
A cardiologist, Dr. Kenneth Asuquo, explains that eating too much salt can damage the arteries that are connected to the heart by causing a slight reduction in the amount of blood being pumped to the heart.
This may lead to angina, a condition where one experiences sharp pains in the chest.With this condition the cells in the heart don't work as well as they should because they are not receiving enough oxygen and nutrients.
“If you continue to eat too much salt, over time, can lead to extra blood pressure which may become so severe that the arteries t gets completely clogged. When this happens, then the part of the heart that was receiving the blood no longer gets the oxygen and nutrients it needs and dies. The result is a heart attack”, he said.
There are many ways to lower blood pressure but the best way is by eating less salt. This is not to say that salt should not be eaten at all because it is needed in the diet no matter how little, he emphasised.
Lose weight
As weight increases, so does the blood pressure increases. Losing weight in general, blood pressure while it also helps blood pressure medications to work effectively.
Besides shedding pounds, you should also keep an eye on your waistline.Carrying too much weight around your waist can put you at greater risk of high blood pressure.
Relax with music
The chronic stress experienced every day at the work place can permanently increase a person’s blood-pressure. Blood pressure goes up in response to stress or tension. When this happens, the body's fight-or-flight response causes adrenaline surges.
According to researchers, the right tunes can help. By relaxing with soothing classical, celtic, or Indian music for 30 minutes daily while breathing slowly can lower blood pressure.
Studies have shown that music therapy can have positive effects on the heart, by decreasing sympathetic nervous activity.
Other researches have? shown that the positive emotions aroused by happy, joyful music can have favorable effects on the endothelium (the thin layer of cells that lines the interior surface of blood? and lymphatic vessels).
Laugh a lot
For those who laugh a lot, they are doing their arteries a lot of good. Laughing to a funny movie causes the blood vessels to dilate by 22 per cent. Also, the physical act of laughing causes the tissue forming the inner lining of the blood vessels to expand, allowing for an increase in blood flow and reducing blood pressure.
A recent research carried out? at the University of Maryland School of Medicine has proven that laughter is linked to a healthy function of blood vessels because when one laughs, the layer of cells lining the interior surface of blood vessels called endothelium will expand so blood can flow better and in the process it lowers blood pressure.