Why Leg Bloodpressure Readings
Adding a leg blood pressure reading into the mix can offer you a much broader handle on the true health of your arteries.
“Blood pressure can be measured in the arm, leg or even the foot,” says Michael J. Blaha, MD, MPH, director of clinical research at the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease, in Baltimore. “This can be accomplished with a routine automated blood pressure cuff, and a comparison of the blood pressure in the leg or foot to the blood pressure in the arm can uncover circulation problems in the peripheral circulation.”
According to experts at the Mayo Clinic, such circulation problems may be of particular concern to people who experience leg pain while walking. That could be a sign of peripheral arterial disease .
According to experts at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, PAD can develop when artery-clogging plaque builds up in the legs. Just like clogged heart arteries, PAD significantly raises the risk for a heart attack or stroke. The Mayo Clinic warns that about 10 percent of people older than 55 have it. When symptoms arise, getting an accurate PAD diagnosis sooner rather than later can be critical.
That’s where a quick, noninvasive and painless leg-based blood pressure reading can come in handy. Your doctor would first take an ankle-based blood pressure reading and then compare it with a standard arm blood pressure reading. The result is the so-called “ankle-brachial pressure index.”
What Are The Symptoms
High blood pressure doesn’t usually cause symptoms. Most people don’t know they have it until they go to the doctor for some other reason.
Very high blood pressure can cause severe headaches and vision problems. These symptoms can also be caused by dangerously high blood pressure called malignant high blood pressure. It may also be called a hypertensive crisis or hypertensive emergency. Malignant high blood pressure is a medical emergency.
Eat More Foods High In Magnesium
A small study in the International Journal of Hypertension found magnesium supplementation can reduce blood pressure in small amountsNguyen H, Odelola OA, Rangaswami J, Amanullah A. A Review of Nutritional Factors in Hypertension Management. International Journal of Hypertension. 2013 698940. . Talk to your doctor before taking magnesium supplements, especially if you have kidney disease. You can also safely incorporate high-magnesium foods into your diet. Dr. Desai recommends foods like leafy green vegetables and unsalted almonds.
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Pounding In Your Ears
If you have a sensation of pulsing or pounding in your ears when you havent been exercising vigorously, this could indicate an elevated blood pressure. It could also be related to drinking too much caffeine, so try cutting back on the coffee and soda. Anxiety can have the same effect, so try meditation or a relaxing activity to see if the pounding sensation resolves.
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Home Blood Pressure Monitoring
Some people buy their own blood pressure monitor to use at home. This means you can measure your blood pressure on an ongoing basis.
The blood pressure readings you do at home are as good as those done by your doctor.
If you decide to buy one, it’s important to get the correct cuff size. If the cuff is too big or too small, it can give an inaccurate reading.
If you take your own blood pressure and get an unusually high reading, take it a second time after at least five minutes. If it’s still high and you’re worried, contact your nurse or GP.
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Relax In Savasana Posture
Savasana is a modified yoga pose that can help to reduce the heartbeat rate and reduce blood pressure naturally & significantly. This method doesnt require you to do too much.
Just lie on your back, close your eyes and try to relax each muscle on your body. Resting in this position for about ten to fifteen minutes will help you feel better. Besides reducing your blood pressure quickly, the Savasana posture will also help balance your nervous system. This yoga is regarded as one of the best ways to lower blood pressure naturally.
How To Bring High Blood Pressure Down Immediately In Case Of Emergency
The first step you should do is to measure the pressure. Remember that, for the person who has the symptoms of high or low blood pressure should be totally still and sitting, without speaking. If the systolic pressure exceeds 180 or the diastolic pressure is less than 120, you should be concerned. In case of not having a blood pressure monitor, you should wait for a specialist. In the meantime, you can help the person or yourself by doing the following.
Relax and breathe deeply: To help anyone with high blood pressure, help them to take a proper posture and maintain a good temperature. Also, make them breathe slowly and deeply. The nitric oxide we breathe in opens up blood vessels and lowers blood pressure. Another positive effect of this oxide is that in this way you reduce the hormones that cause stress.
Transfer to a hospital: Even if you manage to control blood pressure, you must go to a hospital as soon as possible. After an increase in pressure, other problems are likely to occur. In any case, it is always better to prevent them.
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Wait For A Few Minutes
Waiting for a few minutes after getting in the proper position lets you rest and relax before taking your blood pressure. Lark has tips on the correct position, such as placing your arm on a flat surface with the upper arm at heart level, keeping your legs uncrossed, and sitting upright on a chair with a back.
Having A Support System Can Make A Difference
When times get stressful, tapping into a support network may be just what you need to stay on track with your heart health.
If you’re in need of extra motivation or just want to connect with someone with a health concern similar to you, consider joining an online support network.
In addition, virtual telemedicine platforms have provided a new array of opportunity for facilitating quick and frequent visits with your health care provider, which can help you keep up with and reinforce the effective strategies that can help control your blood pressure.
You may also find these additional resources helpful:
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Comparison Of Sodium In Foods
Meats, poultry, fish, and shellfish
Food: Milligrams sodium
Fresh meat, 3 oz. cooked: Less than 90 mg
Shellfish, 3 oz: 100 to 325 mg
Tuna, canned, 3 oz: 300 mg
Lean ham, 3 oz.: 1,025 mg
Dairy products
*Whole milk, 1 cup: 120 mg
Skim or 1% milk, 1 cup: 125 mg
*Buttermilk , 1 cup: 260 mg
*Swiss cheese, 1 oz: 75 mg
*Cheddar cheese, 1 oz : 175 mg
Low-fat cheese, 1 oz.: 150 mg
*Cottage cheese , 1/2 cup: 455 mg
Vegetables
Food: Milligrams sodium
Fresh or frozen vegetables, and no-salt-added canned , 1/2 cup: Less than 70 mg
Vegetables canned or frozen , 1/2 cup: 55-470 mg
Tomato juice, canned, 3/4 cup: 660 mg
Breads, cereals, rice and pasta
Food: Milligrams sodium
Bread, 1 slice: 110-175 mg
English muffin : 130 mg
Ready-to-eat, shredded wheat, 3/4 cup: Less than 5 mg
Cooked cereal , 1/2 cup: Less than 5 mg
Instant cooked cereal, 1 packet: 180 mg
Canned soups, 1 cup: 600-1,300 mg
Convenience foods
Food: Milligrams sodium
Canned and frozen main dishes, 8 oz: 500-1,570 mg
*These can also be high in saturated fat, unless low-fat or reduced fat options are purchased.
*High in saturated fat.
Make Sure You Are Taking Steps To Manage Your Blood Pressure
“Even if you’re taking medication to help lower your blood pressure, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a critical piece of managing your blood pressure,” says Dr. Chebrolu.
It can be hard to keep up with healthy habits during a stressful event like a pandemic, but it’s important to remain committed to the lifestyle behaviors that help keep your blood pressure in a healthy range, including:
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Drink Milk Coconut Water And Cranberry Juice
Milk is a superfood. It consists of potassium, calcium, and Vitamin D. These nutrients are directly proven to lower blood pressure immediately.
Coconut water is highly rich in potassium, electrolytes, and minerals. These nutrients are an immediate solution to hypertension.
Not only that, at times, deficiency of these minerals can cause hypertension.
A study in West Indian Medical Journal proved that coconut water drops the pressure by margins.
Cranberry juice is rich in proanthocyanidins. This helps in reducing high BP by dilating blood vessels and increasing blood flow.
Articles published in Nature, 2016 proves that berry juice lowers systolic blood pressure.
However, milk is not suitable for everyone as people have lactose intolerance.
Thus, consultation with a doctor before the change in diet is advisable.
What Increases Your Risk
Things that increase your risk for high blood pressure include:
- A family history of high blood pressure.
- Aging.
- Eating a lot of sodium .
- Drinking more than 2 alcoholic drinks a day or more than 14 drinks a week for men or 9 drinks a week for women.
- Being overweight or obese.
- Lack of exercise or physical activity.
- Race. People of African, South Asian, First Nations, Inuit or Metis descent are more likely to get high blood pressure, often have more severe high blood pressure, and are more likely to get the condition at an earlier age than others. Why they are at greater risk is not known.
Other possible risk factors include:
- Low intake of potassium.
- Sleep apnea and sleep-disordered breathing.
- Long-term use of pain medicines like NSAIDsfor example, naproxen or ibuprofen or COX-2 inhibitors, such as celecoxib . Aspirin does not increase your risk for getting high blood pressure.
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How To Raise Blood Pressure Quickly
Low blood pressure can turn into a dangerous condition because it can cause damage to the vital organs of the body. It therefore become imperative to raise low blood pressure to the normal levels. The following article will take you through some of the ways by which this can be accomplished.
Low blood pressure can turn into a dangerous condition because it can cause damage to the vital organs of the body. It therefore become imperative to raise low blood pressure to the normal levels. The following article will take you through some of the ways by which this can be accomplished.
Low blood pressure is caused when there is inadequate flow of blood to the varied organs of the body, especially the heart and brain. Blood is responsible for supplying the body with oxygen and other essential nutrients, thus when the pressure of the blood flow drops, it causes a lot of adverse effects that include, in its severe form, a damage to your vital organs. Low blood pressure will lead to symptoms of nausea, dizziness and fainting, among others. Though this condition is not usually considered dangerous, if there is a sudden drop in the pressure and it leads to fainting or dizziness, it can lead to complications . This is especially true in the case of old people.
How To Lower Blood Pressure In Minutes
Disclaimer: Results are not guaranteed*** and may vary from person to person***.
High blood pressure can hit at any time, and the results can be devastating. When an acute jump occurs, knowing how to lower blood pressure in minutes can be the difference between life and death.
This is especially true if youre one of the 75 million American adults suffering from hypertension , or one of the other 75 million with prehypertension. When a boost hits, its good to know how to make blood pressure go down quickly.
Your blood pressure rises and falls throughout the day, and this is completely normal. Stress, anxiety, exercise, and activity can all lead to increases, while relaxation, getting ready for bed, and sleep can all bring it back down.
But not all high blood pressure is safe, and the longer it stays at a high rate, the more health risks you assume. Risks include acute responses like sweating, fainting or shortness of breath, and more severe issues like heart disease and heart attack can arise. So when stress hits, knowing how to lower blood pressure quickly can be a great health benefit.
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What Changes Do You Need To Make
Make these lifestyle changes to help lower your blood pressure:
- Lose extra weight. If you are overweight, losing as little as 4.5 kg may lower your blood pressure. It may also allow you to take less blood pressure medicine. Losing weight may also lower your cholesterol.
Treating High Blood Pressure With Lifestyle Changes
Your doctor may suggest that you make one or more of the following changes:
- Lose weight. If you’re overweight, losing extra kilograms may bring your blood pressure down.
- Get more active. Regular aerobic exercise can help lower blood pressure.
- Stop smoking. Smoking increases your risk for heart attack and stroke.
- Cut back on drinking. Limit alcohol to 2 drinks a day and no more than 14 drinks a week for men and 9 drinks a week for women.
- Eat less sodium. To help lower blood pressure, try to eat less than 2,000 mg a day.footnote 2
- Follow theDASH diet. The DASH eating plan can help you lower your blood pressure.
For tips on how to do these things, see the Living With High Blood Pressure section of this topic.
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One Woman’s Story: Izzy, 60 “I could never have imagined I could get down so low by losing weight. I feel sure it was the WAY I lost weight, with DASH.”Izzy |
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Meditate And Practice Om Chanting
Meditation, deep breaths and yoga have more profound effects than you can imagine.
Consider it a personal experience, but deep breaths and chanting om is a solution. It is a way to control high BP immediately.
High blood pressure increases heart rate and causes erratic breathing.
At the time of panic, all you need to focus on is your breathing.
Many times, situations go out of hand due to less oxygen supply in the body.
So, focus more on internal strength even at those critical seconds. Try to listen to calm music.
You need to stay calm for those brief moments and not give up on yourself.
Making The Exercise Habit Stick
Despite our best intentions, many of us struggle ditching our sedentary lifestyle. But there are steps you can take to make exercise less intimidating and more fun.
Start small and build momentum. If exercising for 30 minutes a day, 5 times a week sounds overwhelming, set a smaller goal and gradually build up as you gain self-confidence and momentum.
Reward yourself. Once it becomes a regular habit, exercise will reward you with more energy, better sleep, a greater sense of well-being, and improved cardiovascular health. When youre starting out, though, give yourself a simple reward for successfully completing a workout, such as having a hot bath or a favorite cup of coffee.
Choose activities you enjoy. Youre more likely to stick with a workout you find pleasurable. If you hate running but like yoga or dancing, for example, dont force yourself onto the treadmill every day. Pick activities that fit your lifestyle, abilities, and taste.
See How to Start Exercising and Stick to It to learn more.
The effects on your blood pressure
- 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise, such as walking, for five days of the week can reduce your reading by 4 to 11 mm Hg.
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Do I Have High Blood Pressure
One reason to visit your doctor regularly is to have your blood pressure checked. Routine checks of your blood pressure will help pick up an early rise in blood pressure, even though you might feel fine. If there’s an indication that your blood pressure is high at two or more checkups, the doctor may ask you to check your blood pressure at home at different times of the day. If the pressure stays high, even when you are relaxed, the doctor may suggest exercise, changes in your diet, and, most likely, medications.
Your Blood Pressure Medications Are Safe
At the start of the pandemic, there were concerns that two common classes of blood pressure medications, ACE inhibitors and ARBs , may increase a person’s risk of developing a more severe case of COVID-19.
“The initial concern was that these drugs cause a person to produce higher amounts of ACE2, the molecule the virus uses to gain entry into and survive in the body,” Dr. Chebrolu explains. “This, in turn, could result in a person becoming more seriously ill.”
However, the validity of these initial concerns hasn’t quite panned out.
“Data from peer-reviewed research studies are actually showing us that ACE inhibitors and ARBs don’t increase a person’s risk of a more severe illness. In fact, these medications may actually be associated with lower risk, likely since these medications help lower high blood pressure,” Dr. Chebrolu says.
This means that people with high blood pressure should continue to take their medications as prescribed by their doctor.
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What To Think About
- The medicine your doctor chooses may be based on other health problems you have. For example, doctors often prescribe ACE inhibitors for people who have diabetes or heart failure.
- Some people who get a cough while taking ACE inhibitors do well with ARBs, which usually don’t cause a cough.
- You may need to avoid some over-the-counter medicines. For example, check with your doctor before you take any non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as naproxen and ibuprofenwith high blood pressure medicines. NSAIDs may raise blood pressure and keep your blood pressure medicines from working well. NSAIDs may also interact with your blood pressure medicine and cause kidney problems.
- Don’t take any other prescription medicines, over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, or other natural health products unless you talk to your doctor first. Medicines can interact with each other and keep blood pressure medicines from working right or cause a bad reaction.