6 Natural Ways To Reduce Blood Pressure!

TODAY IS WORLD HYPERTENSION DAY (17TH MAY) 

Every third person on the planet face problems with his Blood Pressure from time to time or constantly. Many of that kind of people are subject to several factors that negatively affect the work of the Cardiovascular System

High blood pressure is termed a “silent killer” because, most of the time, there are no obvious symptoms. Despite this, severe complications arise. These may include the following: 

Heart attack — High blood pressure damages arteries that can become blocked and prevent blood from flowing to tissues in the heart muscle.  

Stroke — High blood pressure can cause blood vessels in the brain to burst or clog more easily.

 Heart failure — The increased workload from high blood pressure can cause the heart to enlarge and fail to supply blood to the body. 

Kidney disease or failure — High blood pressure can damage the arteries around the kidneys and interfere with their ability to effectively filter blood. 

Vision loss — High blood pressure can strain or damage blood vessels in the eyes. 

Sexual dysfunction — This can be erectile dysfunction in men or lower libido in women. 

Angina — Over time, high blood pressure can lead to heart disease or microvascular disease. Angina, or chest pain, is a common symptom. 

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) — Atherosclerosis, caused by high blood pressure, can cause a narrowing of arteries in the arms and legs. 

 

6 NATURAL WAYS TO REDUCE YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE 

1. Cut down salt (SODIUM ) intake & increase potassium intake. This will improve the function of your cardiovascular system, as well as remove the excess liquid from the body. 

Aim to consume no more than 1,500 mg of sodium per day, and meet the potassium recommendation(4,700 mg/day) with food. 

FOODS WITH HIGH SODIUM ARE ( sodium content in mg/ 100 gm of food): TO BE AVOIDED

 pickles- 1200 

soy sauce/ tomato ketchup- 900-1100 

sandwich - 750 

readymade soups- 700 

frozen food - 700

 pizza- 650

 biscuits- 550

 namkeen - 500 

bread- 450 

cheese- 350- 550 

FOODS WITH HIGH POTASSIUM ARE ( POTASSIUM content in mg/ 100 gm of food): TO BE ADDED IN DIET 

white beans- 550 

potato/ sweet potato - 450 

beet- 300 

spinach- 300 

banana- 250 

coconut water- 200 

salmon fish- 200 

tomatoes - 200 

oranges- 200 

yoghurt - 150 

pomegranate- 150 

dried apricots- 150 

Also, Stop eating fast food and other junk foods. Instead, you should eat more fish and seafood. In fact, fish contains many essential substances that are not produced in the human body. Low-calorie diets to lower blood pressure must consist of fruit, vegetables, and fat-free dairy products. Get rid of foods, containing a large amount of cholesterol and saturated fats. Changing your eating preferences is usually the first step towards the lower blood pressure. If you use some other methods in addition to diets, like a change of lifestyle, your blood pressure will be reduced much faster.  

2. exercise and weight loss

It has also been shown that exercise and relaxation were found to lower anger, and hostile expressions in particular concerning individuals who were likely to talk about their problems.  Blood pressure was reduced, heart rate was reduced, and the overall benefits were experienced from exercise. 

By following current guidelines on exercise—30 minutes a day, most days a week—you can bring down your blood pressure significantly. If you’ve been sedentary, try aerobic exercise to reduce your systolic blood pressure—the top number—by three to five points, and the bottom by two to three. People who get moving are often able to reduce the number of hypertension medications they’re on. Pick something you like—walking, running, swimming, cycling—and stick with it. 

Research has consistently shown that dropping just a few pounds can have a substantial impact on your blood pressure. Excess weight makes your heart work harder. This extra strain can lead to hypertension while losing weight lightens your cardiovascular workload. If you’re overweight or obese, losing weight may be enough to get your blood pressure under control. 

3. Skip caffeine. stick to 1-2 cups of coffee per day 

Coffee has some health benefits, but lowering blood pressure isn’t one of them. Caffeine can cause short-term spikes in blood pressure, even in people without hypertension. If you have high blood pressure, it’s a good idea to moderate your caffeine intake to about two cups of coffee per day. You can check whether you’re sensitive to caffeine’s blood-pressure-boosting effects by checking your blood pressure before and within a half hour after consuming your caffeinated beverage. If it increases by 5 or 10 points, you could be caffeine sensitive.

 4. De-stress through yoga or meditation 

Managing the stress in your life effectively may help reduce your blood pressure, but there’s not enough research to offer a step-by-step stress-reduction plan for everyone .“There are a number of things that people have developed as practices like yoga, meditation, music therapy & self- hypnosis to induce a state of relaxation and … which one is better, which is the right one, these are questions that remain to be answered in clinical trials,” according to Dr. Anirban Biswas. Nevertheless, he recommends that people with high blood pressure look into stress management and find an approach they will be able to practice consistently. 

Yoga is a great de-stressor. A New Delhi study recently found that yogic breathing exercises reduced blood pressure in people with hypertension, possibly through their effects on the autonomic nervous system, which governs heart rate, digestion, and other largely unconscious functions.

 Meditation—whether it involves chanting, breathing, visualization, or all the above—can be an effective stress-management tool for many people. Again, the important thing is that it makes you feel good and that you can commit to doing it consistently. 

5. Cut back on alcohol & quit smoking 

Research has found that consuming more than two drinks a day increases the risk of hypertension for both men and women. If you do drink, enjoy your alcoholic beverage with a meal, which may blunt its effects on blood pressure.

Smokers are at higher risk of hypertension. But even though tobacco and nicotine in cigarettes can cause temporary spikes in blood pressure, smoking itself is not thought to cause chronic hypertension. (Instead, factors associated with smoking, like heavy alcohol consumption and lack of exercise, might be responsible.) 

6. 10 Indian herbs for blood pressure 

1. kalonji seeds (nigella seeds) 

2. cinnamon 

3. cardamom 

4. hibiscus 

5. hawthorn (van sanjali) 

6. garlic

7. Arjuna 

8. Indian snakeroot (sarpagandha)

9. flax seeds

10. green tea