Do you need to know how to lower high blood pressure? Before we look at ways to lower our blood pressure, it might be helpful to know what causes high blood pressure in the first place. Some of the most common causes of high blood pressure are lack of exercise, stress, high cholesterol and poor dietary habits. If you leave high blood pressure untreated it can lead to heart attacks and strokes. Doesn’t that sound like a lot of fun? I don’t think so!
So now lets talk about how to lower high blood pressure:
· Cut down on or cut out sweets. High amounts of sugar in your diet can thicken your blood due to the high amounts of glucose. Thick blood is harder to circulate and this raises your blood pressure.
· Do you smoke or drink alcoholic beverages? Quitting or at least cutting down will help you to lower your blood pressure.
· Caffeine is another culprit in keeping your blood pressure high. Cutting back on the amount of caffeine you consume could help you with getting your blood pressure problem back in line.
· Exercise has also been shown to help reduce blood pressure. Please be sure to consult your health care provider before beginning an exercise program. Some activities such as weight lifting and intensive cardio workouts will actually increase your blood pressure.
· Moderate exercise will help get your blood pressure, your weight, and your cholesterol levels lowered over time. Be sure to include warm up and cool down exercises into your workout, as this will help you avoid those dangerous ‘spikes’ in your blood pressure.
· Garlic has been shown to help lower high blood pressure. When buying garlic tablets, choose the enteric, coated type and take them at night for best results.
· Eat a diet that is high in fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
· Reduce your intake of fats and salt.
· Explore ways to de-stress your life as much as possible. Discover what your stressors are and troubleshoot some ways to minimize the way they affect you. Some lifestyle changes may be necessary in order to get your stress back to a workable level.
Now that you have these tips on how to lower your blood pressure, what will you do?
Ignoring your high blood pressure will not fix it. Acting on these simple ways to lower your blood pressure could be the best thing you could ever do for yourself and your health.
