There are a number of complications that can occur from having blood pressure that is too high. Most people know that taking medication can keep your BP at a reasonable level, but there are other things you can do as well. I’ve listed 10 tips for lowering your blood pressure. Sometimes it even helps to combine a few of them for added benefits. I hope you find some of them to be useful for you or a loved one.
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This should go without saying, but there are people who forget to take their blood pressure medicine and then wonder why they feel so crummy. When I have a certain time that I need to do something, I find it helpful to set an alarm. If it’s something I do multiple days in a row, then I have an alarm set for the same time each day. Use whatever method you need to for reminding yourself to actually take your BP medicine.
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Even something as simple as walking is beneficial. You don’t have to walk 10 miles a day to lower your blood pressure, even thought this might be very helpful for those who are able to easily do it. The great thing about walking for exercise is that it doesn’t require any expensive equipment. People who live in the city can go to the mall when it first opens and walk in the comfort of indoors. Walking down a quiet lane and back or taking a walk around the house a few times is better than sitting on the couch.
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Of course, this doesn’t pertain to everyone, since not everyone smokes. If you do happen to be one of the many smokers in the world with high blood pressure, then eliminating this habit will lower your BP. It’s hard to quit smoking, but there are many programs to choose from. Many of these are very successful and offer support groups to keep the cravings at bay.
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Being overweight only makes your heart work harder. Keeping excess weight off will provide you with less mass to move around, which keeps your heart from beating so hard. The harder the heart beats, the more blood is being pumped through the body. When there is a lot of blood being circulated through the body, a person’s blood pressure is generally elevated. A person who weighs less doesn’t have to put as much effort into every physical move, so breathing will be less labored and the heart won’t have to work nearly as hard.
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Over-exertion also causes the heart to work hard. Try to pace yourself and give your blood pressure a chance to remain as low as possible. It’s hard to just sit inside on a nice day, when you’d really rather be out working in the garden. Just remember to take it easy and do what you can without getting your heart racing. Being outside when the weather is cooler will allow you to work for longer periods at a time. If you do need to be outside when it is hot out, keep a cool rag on your neck or wrap a few ice cubes in a tea towel and tie this around the back of your neck.
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The night time is when your body recovers from all that it went through during the day. You need to get enough sleep at night for your body to successfully re-energize. When you are tired, your body works harder to perform all the functions it normally does. You might be too tired to notice that you need to stop what you are doing, due to elevated blood pressure. Be sure to get a good night’s rest and take a nap when you need a quick boost of energy.
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A lack of water can cause the organs of the body to become stressed. If the organs are stressed out, then the body is going to try and work harder to fix this situation. You can speed up the recovery process by drinking plenty of water, especially during extremely hot weather. People who drink lots of soda aren’t helping their blood pressure any, since soda has salt in it and causes blood pressure to rise. Water is the best thing for your entire body, since water is what the cells are mostly made of.
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Besides soda, salt is found in just about everything you eat. Adding more to a meal only increases your blood pressure even more. If you try hard to not add extra salt, then be sure to check labels of canned goods before buying them. You’d be surprised at how much salt is added as a preservative to almost all canned goods. There are salt alternatives that provide a similar salty flavor, but no sodium is contained in these substances.
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I mentioned about organs becoming stressed, due to lack of water, but your entire body can also become stressed by your surroundings. Stress can be caused by work, home life, the neighbor, the neighbor’s dog, or nearly anything that you let bother you. Changing anything you can to eliminate the amount of stress in your life will greatly lower your blood pressure. The less stress you put on your body, then the lower your BP will be and also the risk of having a stroke or heart attack form elevated blood pressure.
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Anger can go hand-in-hand with stress. However, there are some people that have little stress, but they end up getting angry over the littlest things. It doesn’t matter if anger is shown by way of yelling or by keeping it all on the inside and just thinking about things that cause anger. Both of these types of anger cause a person’s blood pressure levels to become greatly elevated in a matter of seconds. Not being able to manage your anger can quickly lead to high BP and a heart attack.
Each of these 10 tips for lowering your blood pressure might be helpful to you or someone you know with high blood pressure. Are there other techniques you’ve used or heard of? What seems to work best for you? I enjoy hearing about successful methods for lowering blood pressure.
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