Natural Ways To Lower Blood Pressure
Fewer than half of people with high blood pressure have it under control. The problem: When your pressure is too high for too long, it can stretch and damage your arteries.
The resulting health problems can include heart disease, heart failure,stroke, kidney damage, vision loss, memory loss and cognitive decline. Soits important not to brush off high blood pressure. Your first line ofdefense: Try these lifestyle changes as natural ways to lower bloodpressure. Try these lifestyle canges as natrual ways to lower blood pressure.
Tips To Lower Blood Pressure In Emergencies
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Blood pressure is defined as the pressure that blood applies to the walls of the arteries while being pumped by the heart. A normal blood pressure is 120/80 mm Hg. Where 120 is the pressure when the heart pumps and 80 is the pressure when the heart relaxes. This much pressure is important because blood needs to reach every organ of the body to provide it with nutrients.
What you should know:
Sudden high blood pressure causes and symptoms
Some of the sudden high blood pressure causes might include stress, excessive salt in the diet, obesity, lack of physical activity, and so on. In cases where blood pressure goes up for a short time but then returns to normal, a doctor can prescribe medication to help control it. However, there may be cases where blood pressure shoots up unexpectedly and emergency care is required.
- Pain in the chest
What If A Family Member Needs Emergency Treatment For High BP
The first thing to do is to call your doctor immediately and report the symptoms. If you have been advised to get to the hospital, do as your doctor says.
How to lower blood pressure instantly in an emergency at home
Blood pressure is not a critical ailment if controlled in the initial stages. Proper chronic care management plans and consulting doctors regularly will ensure that lifestyle diseases are kept at bay.
How To Lower Blood Pressure Instantly In An Emergency
How To Lower Blood Pressure Instantly in an Emergency Lowering your Blood Pressure to a healthy level is a standard health protocol. When your blood pressure rises above normal, it can lead to a condition known as hypertension.
This is where your blood pressure is at a level that threatens your health. Chronic hypertension is all too common today.
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How Is High Blood Pressure Diagnosed
Blood pressure is measured with a pressure cuff . The cuff is placed around the upper arm and then manually or electronically inflated. When it is inflated the cuff compresses the brachial artery, the major blood vessel of the upper arm, briefly stopping blood flow. The air in the cuff is then released slowly while the person performing the measurement listens with a stethoscope or monitors an electronic readout.
Blood pressure is expressed in two numbers:;
- Systolic blood pressure : measures the pressure in the blood vessels when the heart beats
- Diastolic blood pressure : measures the pressure in the blood vessels when the heart is at rest between beats
These measurements can tell if your blood pressure is normal, high, or low.;
- High blood pressure is 140/90 mmHg or more
- Elevated blood pressure levels between 120/80 and 139/89 are considered prehypertension and mean a person is at higher risk for developing high blood pressure
- Normal blood pressure is less than 120/80 mmHg;
Adults 20 years of age and older should have their blood pressure checked during regular doctor visits.
Immediate Treatment For High Blood Pressure At Home Until You Get Help
These Tips will help you in lowering down the blood pressure in emergency before the medical help arrives.
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The patient should stay calm and composed. This might be difficult for the patient but staying calm can actually lower down the blood pressure. It is advised to the patient to sit down in a relaxed position and take a few deep breaths, hold them for few seconds and then release them.
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A small cup of chamomile or hibiscus tea is found effective in lowering down the elevated blood pressure quickly. Although, strictly avoid coffee and black tea.
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If the patient has already been prescribed any antihypertensive medicine by his/ her doctor, it should be taken immediately.
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A piece of dark chocolate can help in lowering the blood pressure by making the patient calm as it triggers the release of the endorphin hormone.
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Berries help improve the blood pressure as they are loaded with polyphenols which are great for the heart.
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Lying down on the bed also helps in lowering down the blood pressure because when a person lies down, his heart and head becomes aligned, so the heart does not have to exert excessive pressure to make the blood reach his head. This reduces the load on the heart and thereby decreases the blood pressure.;;
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A minimum of six hours of uninterrupted sleep is required by an individual for the normal functioning of the body. Sleep also helps in regulating the stress hormone, hence lowering down the blood pressure naturally.;
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Try Cutting Back On The Salt
Reducing your sodium intake can play an important role in lowering your systolic blood pressure. The average American consumes more than 3,500 milligrams of sodium daily, which is well above the American Heart Association‘s recommendation of less than 2,300 milligrams per day.
“I think we all know that adding salt to your food is bad for your blood pressure,” Dr. Berger says. “But what we don’t always know is that when you eat food from a can or a box, it is filled with sodium.”
Dr. Berger recommends following a reduced-sodium diet called DASH , developed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, which also emphasizes a reduction in trans fats and refined sugar, as well as a sufficient intake of magnesium, potassium and calcium.
Because everyone responds differently to dietary changes, it may take some fine-tuning to find the right diet for your specific heart health.
“Everyone’s sodium responsiveness is a bit different,” says Howard Weintraub, MD, the clinical director of the Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, at NYU Langone Health in New York City. “So if you’re going to take the time to modify your nutrition, you shouldn’t only reduce how much salt you use, but also make it more healthy in general.”
In other words, Dr. Weintraub says, leaving the salt off but continuing to eat French fries probably isn’t going to help.
Read more:10 Effortless Ways to Finally Cut Down on Salt
Immediate Medical Therapy To Lower The Blood Pressure
Immediate medical intervention is needed for the patients suffering from a hypertensive emergency to prevent organ damage. In such situations, the first and foremost medical treatment is to provide the drug labetol through intravenous injections or oral ingestion. This drug helps in decreasing the blood pressure by causing dilation of the blood vessels and does not compromise with the cerebral blood flow. Other vasodilators such as nitroglycerin and nitroprusside are also used to manage hypertensive emergencies.;
Always consult with your Healthcare Provider or Doctor before consuming any medicine.
However, it should be noted that a slow and steady approach is required to lower down the blood pressure. Lowering blood pressure too quickly is dangerous as the blood vessels carry blood to all the vital organs of the body including the brain. A sudden drop of blood pressure may stop the blood flow up to the brain, thereby disrupting the continuous flow of nutrients and oxygen to the brain. This can lead to a stroke or even permanent brain damage.
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Blood Pressure And The Heart
Theres a reason why your blood pressure is taken every time you visit a doctors office or hospital, regardless of the complaint that brought you there. High blood pressure is rightly known as the silent killer. It often carries no symptoms or warning signs but can drastically increase your risk of having a heart attack or stroke. The higher the number, the harder your heart is having to work to pump blood around your body and the more likely it is that damage is being done to the heart muscle. Since all parts of your body rely on circulation, though, its not just your heart that high blood pressure can impact. If blood doesnt flow easily, it can harm your arteries as well as vital organs such as the kidneys, eyes, and brain.
High blood pressure has been shown to damage the tiny blood vessels in the parts of your brain responsible for cognition and memory, greatly increasing your risk of developing Alzheimers disease or another dementia. Being diagnosed with cardiovascular disease can also take an emotional toll, affecting your outlook and making you more susceptible to anxiety and depression. And just as blood pressure may have an impact your mood, the reverse can also be true:
Avoid Heavy Alcohol Drinking
Drinking too much alcohol has been associated with high blood pressure. Heavy drinking also contributes to stroke. The CDC recommends that men drink two or fewer drinks per day. Women are recommended to drink one or fewer alcoholic beverages per day.
Alcoholism is a disease that is difficult to treat on your own. If you find it difficult to control your drinking, many people have successfully limited or quit drinking through counseling and drug treatment. You can reach the national substance abuse hotline anytime at: 1-800-662-HELP .
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Reducing Your Salt Intake
The American Heart Association recommends no more than a teaspoon of salt a day for adults. That may sound alarmingly small, but there are many painless ways to reduce your sodium intake.
Reduce canned and processed foods.;Much of the salt you eat comes from canned or processed foods like soups, convenience meals, and fast food.
Cook more meals at home. Preparing your own meals gives you more control over your sodium intake. Use fresh ingredients whenever possible and cook without salt.
Use spices as alternatives to salt. Try fresh herbs like basil, thyme, or chives, or dried spices such as allspice, bay leaves, or cumin to flavor your meal without sodium.
Substitute reduced sodium versions.;Choose your condiments and packaged foods carefully, looking for foods labeled sodium free, low sodium, or unsalted.
See Heart-Healthy Diet Tips to learn more.
The effects on your blood pressure
- Adopting the DASH diet, eating plenty of fruit and vegetables, and reducing your consumption of unhealthy fats can lower your blood pressure by about 11 mm Hg.
- Cutting back on sodium by about 1,000 mg per day can reduce your blood pressure by 5 to 6 mm Hg.
- Increasing your potassium intake from food to 3,500-5,000 mg can knock 4 to 5 mm Hg off your reading.
- Limiting your alcohol intake to two drinks per day if youre male, or one drink per day if youre female can lower your reading by about 4 mm Hg.
Sudden Spike In Blood Pressure Can Be Serious
Blood pressure is a measurement of the force that blood applies to your arterial walls as it pumps from your heart throughout your body. It also represents how hard your heart is working to push the blood. When blood pressure is higher, it means the heart must work harder to push blood through your system. In turn, the risk of heart disease or heart attack increases.
According to 2014 data, high blood pressure accounts for roughly 1,100 deaths every day in the United States, and only about half of all people with high blood pressure have it under control.
Disturbingly, most people may not even be aware that they have the condition, or are at least on the verge of becoming hypertensive. Some risk factors for high blood pressure include:
- Prehypertension
- Eating a high sodium/low potassium diet
- Not getting enough exercise/physical activity
- Overactive thyroid
- Overactive adrenal glands
A normal blood pressure is in the range of 120 mmHg/80 mmHg . The higher number represents systolic blood pressure and the lower represents diastolic. Prehypertension arises when systolic and diastolic pressures exceed these numbers, and hypertensionor high blood pressurearises when blood pressure reaches 140 mmHg/90mmHg.
Sometimes, however, something causes blood pressure to spike unexpectedlyand the higher your resting blood pressure is, the greater your risk of suffering a severe cardiac event becomes. Therefore, knowing how to lower blood pressure fast is very important.
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What Is The Best Natural Supplement For High Blood Pressure
Three main minerals are used to naturally lower blood pressure. If you follow a heart-healthy diet, youre likely to get enough of these from your foodbut for people with poor eating habits, supplementing might be a good idea. Try these:
- Calcium
- Magnesium
- Potassium*
*Some may recommend taking a potassium supplement, but its especially important to get your current potassium levels tested before doing so. Too much potassium can have potentially fatal side effects.
Garlic Supplements For High Blood Pressure
You can use garlic as a natural medicine to treat hypertension and improve your cardiovascular health.
Regularly taking garlic as a supplement can help to turn prehypertensive conditions into safe conditions. For example, a meta-analysis of 20 trials found that garlic supplementation can lower systolic blood pressure by 9 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure by 7 mmHg.
Other studies have found that taking garlic supplements on a long-term basis could have a significant effect on blood pressure. Over a 12-week period taking 2 aged garlic capsules daily helped lower systolic blood pressure by around 12 mmHg.
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What Is Good Blood Pressure
A good, normal blood pressure readingtaken while seated, with a blood pressure cuffshould be 120/80. The first number is the systolic blood pressure , and the second is the diastolic blood pressure . Anything over that is either considered elevated or high.
Those numbers apply across the board for adults over the age of 18, Dr. Osborne says. He notes that decades ago, good blood pressure numbers varied based on age, limits some people still cling to today. But in actuality, its all standardized to 120/80.
The vast majority of hypertension out there is in adults, he says. Its independent of age. It doesnt matter whether youre 21 or 81. The numbers are the same.
For adults, that is. For kids, its a little different. Blood pressure numbers are based on population and age, and are generally lower than with adults. Theres not a standardized set of guidelines for children, but certainly if you come across a kid that repeatedly has blood pressures that would be high according to the adult category, its high, Dr. Osborne explains.
Small Changes Can Make A Big Difference In Your Blood Pressure Numbers
If you suddenly find yourself with high blood pressure under the new guidelines from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology, you might be wondering what to do. The guidelines lowered the definition for high blood pressure to 130/80 from 140/90 millimeters of mercury , meaning more people now meet the criteria for stage 1 hypertension.
While you shouldn’t shrug off the change, there’s also no need to panic. “Obviously, nothing happened overnight inside a woman’s body or to her health with the release of the guidelines,” says Dr. Naomi Fisher, director of hypertension service and hypertension innovation at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Hypertension, and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.
The change, however, should spur you to take your blood pressure seriously. “These guidelines have been long anticipated and are very welcome by most hypertension experts. They may seem drastic, but in putting the knowledge we’ve gained from large trials into clinical practice, they will help thousands of people,” says Dr. Fisher.
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What Is Blood Pressure
Blood pressure is the force applied by the blood to the inner walls of the arteries. It shows minor fluctuations throughout the daydeclining while relaxing and momentarily increasing while being excited or under stress. An increase in the resting blood pressure can scar, stiffen, or harden the arteries.
Vitamin C Is A Good Natural Remedy For High Blood Pressure
One of the best vitamins for treating hypertension is vitamin C because of its benefits to the health of your arteries.
A systematic review of 29 trials found that taking 500 mg of vitamin C a day helped to quickly treat high blood pressure problems. Over an 8-week period, vitamin C supplementation was effective in lowering both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
Find out more about the benefits of taking vitamin C to strengthen your immunity and prevent oxidative damage in your body.
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How To Lower Blood Pressure Without Medication
Its normal for your BP to fluctuate throughout the day. Excitement, being active, sleeping and waking up are all situations where blood pressure changes naturally. When your activity ends, your BP reading should return to a normal range.
A normal blood pressure is usually defined as systolic pressure below 120 mmHg and diastolic pressure below 80mmHg. Systolic pressure is the measurement of blood pressure from your heart beats. Diastolic pressure is when the heart is at rest between beats. Unfortunately there is no cure for high blood pressure currently, but you can take steps to manage it even without medication. Here are 7 ways to lower your blood pressure naturally:
Ways To Lower High Blood Pressure Immediately
The encouraging data on high blood pressure , is that you can lower your elevated levels through a number of simple everyday lifestyle changes. These adjustments can reduce your measurement numbers and cut risks without the need for medications. We’ll discuss nine effective measures on the following slides.
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