High blood pressure or hypertension is a growing concern. It causes cognitive decline in people who don't take measures to control it.
Keeping track of your blood pressure and taking appropriate measures to keep it within the healthy limits is essential for your well-being.
The good news is: Simple lifestyle interventions can reduce high blood pressure. But, consistency is critical.
Here are five simple tips to lower blood pressure:
1) Manage your stress
High stress provokes high blood pressure in several ways. When you are stressed, your body releases the stress hormone cortisol into the bloodstream. This hormone elevates the heart rate and blood pressure as part of the fight and flight response. If the stress persists over a long time, cortisol's constant production continues to affect your blood pressure, putting your heart-health at stake.
To counter this effect, you should find ways to manage your stress levels. Meditation, counseling, and therapy are a few ways you can achieve this.
2) Shed some pounds
People that are overweight/obese are at a greater risk of having high blood pressure. If you're both overweight and hypertensive, you should consider shedding some pounds as it will significantly help you lower your blood pressure.
Your weight directly influences your blood pressure. Therefore losing even a few pounds will make a difference. Research shows that losing 20 pounds of weight can reduce systolic blood pressure up to 20 points. This is a pretty good value, and if you're motivated, you can achieve more remarkable results.
3) Be conscious about your sodium intake
It's no secret that sodium affects blood pressure. Controlling the sodium content in your diet can reduce your risk of getting high blood pressure.
The most prevalent dietary source of sodium is salt. Eating salty food is like inviting high blood pressure to strike us. You can control it by eliminating high sodium foods from your diets.
Train your taste buds to accept low-salt food so you can gradually decrease the amount of salt you put while cooking. Carefully read the labels when buying products to ensure your sodium intake is within the healthy limits.
4) Exercise!
Exercise has numerous health benefits, including blood-pressure reduction. Physical activity improves blood circulation and therefore stabilizes blood pressure. At least 30 mins of moderate exercise such as jogging, cycling, walking or swimming, etc. can help lower blood pressure.
5) Healthy diet
You're what you eat. If you have high blood pressure, it means your diet is full of food that triggers it. Eating a healthy diet consisting of fruits, veggies, whole grains, and low-fat, low-cholesterol food can lower blood pressure. But it needs consistency and determination to alter your eating habits to make this happen.
Final word
High blood pressure is a threat to your health, but it can be managed by employing simple lifestyle changes. The five simple tips to reduce blood pressure mentioned above can help control high blood pressure issues considerably.