Blood Pressure: Lower Naturally
Written by Steve Brodie   
Wednesday, 07 October 2009 10:39
Those diagnosed with high blood pressure or who have had hypertension for some time understand the anxiety of living with the company of this silent killer. Suffering from hypertension is no small thing " high blood pressure is a leading cause of chronic renal failure, heart attack and stroke.
by SteveBrodie


Being diagnosed with high blood pressure or having hypertension in your life is like living in the shadow of a silent killer " those who suffer from it know this all too well. Being a leading cause of stroke, heart attack and chronic renal failure high blood pressure is no small thing to deal with.

Doing nothing is just about the worst thing you can do for high blood pressure, continuing on as normal and hoping of the best is a great way to shorten your lifespan. The second worst option is to just pop down a pill and continue life as before because this is just suppressing the symptom not dealing with the cause. First things first when looking at how to lower blood pressure, you need to take a good look at your lifestyle and make changes to those aspects which are leading to hypertension.

Curing and preventing high blood pressure depend on a number of factors which include the current blood pressure level when a patient is diagnosed, any changes in organs like the heart and kidneys the age of the presenting person and their risk of cardiovascular disease. Unless there is very severe high blood pressure present, then the sufferer should try to use lifestyle changes and non-pharmaceutical options before and drugs are administered.

Changes in lifestyle are the beginning of managing hypertension and pre-hypertension. Bad lifestyle choices are oftentimes at the root of hypertension, so lifestyle changes are the best way to turn the disorder around. Because most blood pressure patients who are on medication are on it for life natural options and lifestyle changes should be explored by all hypertensive patients before becoming medicated.

Weight should be your first place to start. Weight reduction is a key issue in blood pressure and coupled with regular light exercise like walking is the first step to treating hypertension. Regular exercise improves blood flow and helps to reduce your resting heart rate and lowers your blood pressure. Low intensity exercise is generally held to be more effective than high intensity exercise when dealing with hypertension.

Reducing your dietary intake of salt and sugar is also very important for your blood pressure. Salt is of particular importance to blood pressure and reducing intake is quite effective at lowering pressure levels. Most of the recommended changes to diet are very common sense changes for general healthy living " eat lots of fruit and vegetable and dairy products that are low in fat. Offsetting the effects of salt on the kidneys by increasing calcium and potassium intake will also help to reduce blood pressure.

Stopping smoking and drinking is also another important factor. Blood pressure increases following alcohol and nicotine consumption, and over use may lead to a more severe hypertensive state. Aside from the obvious health risks of smoking, sufferers of high blood pressure are especially warned to stop smoking because of the increased risk of stroke and heart attack. Cutting out caffeine is also recommended as its consumption increases blood pressure " it doesn't produce hypertension but it will aggravate an existing condition.

The other important factor is to reduce stress. Stress is a key factor in increasing blood pressure so learning how to relax using breathing and meditation techniques can help to ameliorate high blood pressure. It is also important to recognise and reduce environmental stresses like high level noise and over lit living areas.

What is important to remember is that medication should be a last resort, and only if there are serious risks otherwise. You can deal with high blood pressure naturally and keep control of your life. There are many more natural remedies and cures which, combined with the lifestyle changes above, can see you say goodbye to hypertension for good.

About the Author:

If you enjoyed this information on how to lower blood pressure take a peek at my website How To Lower Blood Pressure Naturally for plenty of invaluable tips for you!