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Understanding How to Reduce High Blood Pressure

November 4th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

High blood pressure sneaks up on you because one morning everything seems peachy and the next thing you know, you learn that you have it. Hypertension aka high blood pressure can manifest itself in many ways like stroke, heart attack, kidney failure and more. Luckily, you do have ways to reduce high blood pressure and still live a full and productive life.

Understanding High Blood Pressure

In order to know how to reduce high blood pressure, you have to recognize the different stages. A normal blood pressure reading is120/80 mm Hg and any reading above that is considered hypertension. There are several phases of hypertension and your reading will influence your options to reduce high blood pressure.

Quick Facts about High Blood Pressure

The causes of high blood pressure are still largely unknown.

The most widely prescribed methods for controlling high blood pressure are diet and exercise.

In recent years, many experts have begun proposing natural methods to treat high blood pressure, as opposed to medication. Click here for more information.

The first level of hypertension ranges between 120/80 mm Hg to 139/89 mm Hg. Lifestyle alterations like exercise and diet to lower your readings are typically the only treatments at that time. A blood pressure reading of 140/90 mm Hg and above means that medication may also be considered in treatment options to reduce high blood pressure.

Options to Reduce High Blood Pressure

You must take a multi-faceted course of action in order to reduce high blood pressure. Looking at the things you can change like diet, exercise, smoking and alcohol consumption are just a few lifestyle changes you can make to reduce high blood pressure. Most people do not get enough vegetables, fruits and whole grains in their diet so you are likely not getting enough vitamins and minerals which help reduce high blood pressure like calcium, potassium, family of B Vitamins, magnesium, and Vitamin C. Keep a log of what you eat and find ways to lower your fat intake which will also naturally reduce high blood pressure by lowering cholesterol as well. Staying hydrated by drinking plenty of water and avoiding salty foods are two additional ways to reduce high blood pressure. Incorporate unconventional exercise into your daily routine such as stair climbing, gardening, and cleaning your home. In addition, by easing into a regular exercise routine such as walking and other cardiovascular exercise, you will reduce high blood pressure and also lose weight, another great by-product of the whole deal. And by reducing the stress on your heart with less weight to carry around, you will start to see your blood pressure readings go down. Nix the bad habits like smoking and excessive alcohol consumption if you want to reduce high blood pressure. Smoking contributes to hypertension by hardening your arteries and constricting the blood vessels allowing less oxygen in your blood. Excessive alcohol consumption can raise blood pressure and also harm your kidneys and liver. By quitting smoking and drinking in moderation, you are arming yourself with yet another way to reduce high blood pressure. If you are lucky, your will still be in the pre-hypertension stage when the doctor gives you the news to watch your blood pressure. The pre-hypertension stage is your wake-up call and can be controlled with diet, exercise and exorcising those bad habits like smoking and alcohol in order to reduce high blood pressure. Once you hit phase one or two of hypertension, not only will you have to watch your diet and exercise to reduce high blood pressure but you will also likely be put on at least one type of blood pressure medication. Taking blood pressure medication to reduce high blood pressure means that you will likely be on some type of medication for the rest of your life.

We certainly hope you’ve found this information useful. Please make sure and check back often as new information is always being added.

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