Facts About High Blood Pressure

While sodium tends to constrict blood vessels, resulting a spike in the blood pressure level, potassium tends to have the opposite effect. Potassium is known to relax the arterial walls of the heart and enable better flow of blood. Thus, if you have high level of sodium in your body it may result in high blood pressure. Therefore, it is advisable that you consume foods high in potassium to counter its effect.

While excess salt in your diet may cause your blood pressure level to rise, cutting it beyond a specific level may also have the same effect. This especially is bad, because this may cause patients to suffer from congestive heart failure. If you are suffering from cardiac problems or certain conditions that indicate it, you must try and keep your salt consumption level not below 1.8 gm a day.

A regular exercise regimen helps in regularizing the level of blood pressure, but overtraining with weights has been known to spike blood pressure level rather than maintaining it. Thus, it is recommended by doctors that while work out, especially if you have high blood pressure, it is better to reduce your weight training. Also, in the long run you can reduce the number of weights and increase repetitions until your blood pressure level is under control.

Eating dark chocolate in controlled amount is actually beneficial in reducing the blood pressure level. However, you should keep the amount within half an ounce a day. It will help your high blood pressure level without adding extra weight or excess sugar in your blood.