Achieving lower blood pressure is of vital importance, since a high level can trigger many consequences, some very serious health, such as kidney disease, cardiovascular problems, among other conditions. Learn how to reduce hypertension properly and without medication.
High blood pressure is one of the most common diseases. Most people diagnosed with hypertension are treated with drugs. This article will teach you some easy steps to lower your blood pressure without the need for medication, from helpful tips that you can put into practice, dietary recommendations, to changing habits that may be causing your blood pressure to rise.
Table of Contents
How to lower blood pressure without medication
Avoid salt (sodium, sodium chloride, NaCl). A small amount of salt (sodium or chloride) is needed in the diet. Sodium helps regulate electrical processes in nerves and muscles, but it can cause you to retain fluids and make your blood bulk. If the blood has more volume, the heart has to beat harder to move that excess volume through the body.
1. Cook your own food low in sodium or without salt, or buy it
Consuming salt makes your blood pressure go up. Remember, it is not only the salt you put in your food when you cook, or at the table, but the amount of sodium in the foods you buy prepared. (Whether the food is salty or not is not the point. Watering down a soup doesn’t help unless you get rid of half of that water or all of the water.) Remember that it’s not just about the salt you put in your food while cooking or at the table, it’s also about the amount of sodium in the prepared foods you buy. You must “keep the labels in mind” and buy foods “without salt” or “low in salt / sodium” and you must cook without salt.
Avoid canning
To lower your blood pressure, avoid common canned, canned, and bottled foods such as meats, pickles, soups, chili peppers, bacon, ham, sausages, baked goods and monosodium glutamate (MSG) products, and meats with added water (they have higher sodium content). You should also avoid seasonings like prepared mustard, salsa, hot sauce, soua sauce, ketchup, barbecue sauce, and other sauces.
The diet of the average person in the United States includes up to 5,000 milligrams (5g) of sodium per day, which almost all medical professionals consider extremely unhealthy. Try not to drink more than 2g (2,000mg) per day.
Doctors often prescribe ” low sodium diets,” containing between 1,100 and 1,500 milligrams per day. The American Heart Association explains that the human body can function on just 200 mg of sodium per day.
If you find it difficult to live without the “salty” taste, you can use one of the many seasoning brands that have herbs or fake salt on the market. Not only are they “low” salt products, they are salt substitutes, and these changes will help lower your blood pressure without medication.
2. Eat a moderate diet
Eat a moderate diet, low in fat, and avoid stimulants to lower blood pressure. You should avoid caffeine, white carbohydrates (although pasta doesn’t form sugar as quickly as bread and cakes), candy, sugary drinks, and excess dietary fats. Try to eat a diet with more vegetables, instead of meat, milk and eggs.
Consume less caffeine
If you stop consuming coffee and other caffeinated beverages, it will lower your blood pressure. But even a cup or two of coffee can raise blood pressure to hypertension level 1. If a person has level 1 hypertension, coffee usually further complicates the problem, because caffeine is a nervous system stimulant. Therefore, agitated nerves make the heart beat harder, which raises blood pressure. If you are a person who consumes a lot of caffeine (more than 4 caffeinated drinks per day), you may need to gradually reduce consumption to avoid withdrawal symptoms, such as headaches.
Increase fiber in your diet
Fiber cleanses your system and helps control your blood pressure by having regular digestion. Most vegetables are high in fiber, especially leafy greens. Many fruits, nuts, and legumes (beans and peas) are also rich in fiber, and are also whole grains.
3. Try some natural remedies
Consult your doctor if you think it may be a safe alternative for you. It has been scientifically proven that many natural remedies can lower blood pressure gradually, however it is necessary to carry out periodic checks to evaluate the physical conditions of the patient.
The best supplements for lowering blood pressure are coenzyme Q10, omega-3, fish oil, garlic, curcumin (from turmeric), ginger, cayenne, olive oil, walnuts, black cohosh , hawthorn, magnesium and chromium.
4. Take vitamin B
Vitamins B12, B6, and B9 can lower homocysteine levels in the blood that could cause heart problems. You can also find these nutrients in the foods you eat every day.
5.- Eat foods rich in Omega-3 and minerals such as potassium
The consumption of tomato juice, potatoes, beans, onions, oranges, fruits and nuts is important. Eat fish twice a week or more. Fish is high in protein, and many kinds of fish, including salmon, mackerel, and herring, are also high in omega-3 fatty acids, which lower fat cells called triglycerides and promote heart health in general, just pay attention that it is wild fish, not from hatcheries that are usually highly contaminated.
Healthy habits to incorporate
In addition to the new habits that it is recommended that you put into practice, you can also follow this series of tips that will help you normalize your blood pressure.
1. Stop smoking
Smoking raises blood pressure because of the stimulants in cigarette smoke. If you quit smoking, you not only lower your blood pressure, but you help your heart to be healthier, thus reducing your chances of contracting other diseases such as lung cancer.
2. Lose weight
Overweight makes your heart work more constantly, and this causes your blood pressure to rise. Imagine that you have 20 extra pounds (9 kg) on your body. It would be the same as carrying a 20-pound (9kg) bag of dog food. Try taking a walk around the block while you carry this bag of dog food. Soon, your heart will start to beat faster and stronger, you will be short of breath, and you will feel very tired. Over time, you’ll get to a point where you can’t wait to put that bag down.
Imagine how difficult it is for your body to carry that excess weight all the time! Unfortunately, most of us are much more than 20 pounds (9 kg) overweight. By losing the extra weight, your heart won’t have to beat as hard and your blood pressure will lower.
3. Avoid drugs and alcohol
Overuse of drugs and alcohol can damage many organs in the body, including the liver and kidneys. When these organs are damaged, they can cause fluids to build up in the body. As mentioned above, excess fluids make the heart beat stronger and this raises the blood pressure.
Many drugs are stimulants. This makes the heart beat faster. The faster the heart beats, the higher the pressure. By quitting drugs and alcohol, you will be able to lower your blood pressure. Remember also the sodium warning described above?
Some over-the-counter medications such as simple headache remedies, such as Ibuprofen, cause the body to retain sodium. Thus, people who are using these products that retain sodium in greater amounts than the body normally retains are putting even more pressure on their systems.
4. Relax
Many people experience a temporary increase in blood pressure when they are under stress. If you have high blood pressure because you are overweight or have a family history of hypertension, then stress drives it up much more. This is because the adrenal gland releases stress hormones, which cause the cardiovascular system to overwork.
If you have chronic stress and produce stress hormones every day, then your cardiovascular system will naturally go into a state of overload. This is due to the fact that stress hormones raise your pulse, respiration, and heart rate, as if preparing for a fight.
Your body thinks you need to fight or run and naturally prepares to do either. After prolonged stress, one can imagine what kind of stress is put on the heart. Try going for a walk to relax after a stressful day. Take time each day to relax.
5. Exercise
Walk every day for at least 20 to 30 minutes, at a moderate speed of about 3 miles per hour. All studies show that the simple act of walking lowers hypertension. Can’t you go for a walk? There are used electric treadmills that can be found on the internet at a very low price. The advantage: you walk even when it is raining or snowing. You can even walk around in your pajamas without being seen by the neighbors! But do yourself a favor. Walk every day, without fail. You only need 30 minutes, daily.
6. Meditate
Just paying attention to your breathing and lowering your breathing rate can significantly lower your blood pressure.
7. Breathe slowly and deeply
The breathing should be slower and deeper but not so slow that you feel bad, and listen to music if you want, while you relax to lower your blood pressure. Do this, for example, until you fall asleep, or in breaks of 5, 10 or 15 minutes throughout the day.
8. Take a hot bath
Take a hot bath or shower for 15 minutes, which can actually lower your blood pressure for several hours. Taking a hot bath before bed can help keep your body at a lower blood pressure level for hours, or even overnight.
9. Monitor your blood pressure
You can monitor your blood pressure using one of those electronic devices that they sell and that everyone can use. They are no longer exclusive to doctors and nurses. Some of these devices are worn on the wrist and you only have to press a button to get your blood pressure read.
How to catalog the different blood pressure levels
Know the different ranges to read your blood pressure. Normal varies for children and the elderly. This will guide you to lower your blood pressure according to the levels listed below:
- Normal blood pressure: 120/80 and less
- Pre-Hypertension Blood Pressure: 120-139 to 80-89
- Hypertension Level 1: 140-159 to 90-99
- Hypertension Level 2: 160/100 and higher
Best practices
Meditating can de-stress you and help lower high blood pressure.
The following list is not a description of “daily salt / sodium intake”, but rather what is found on the food labels of certain products. For example, an apple or other fresh fruit would be “low sodium,” containing less than 100 mg.
- Low sodium = 0 mg – 1400 mg (0 – 1.4 g)
- Moderate sodium = 1400 mg – 4000 mg (1.4 – 4 g) Note: the recommended daily is approximately 2500 mg.
- High in sodium = 4000 mg (4 g) or more
Individual servings of food are also called low, moderate, or high sodium. An apple or other fresh fruit would be “low sodium” with a content of less than 100 mg.
Exercising regularly, such as walking, helps lower your blood pressure.
- Eat well (low sodium, low cholesterol, less bad sugars), exercise and maintain your ideal weight. Take it easy, don’t let your temper get out of control, and learn to laugh and have fun.
- The broccoli and other green vegetables like Brussels sprouts can lower your blood pressure if you eat frequently.
- Taking fish oil tablets daily can lower your blood pressure, and this tip should be first on the list! The typical American diet is sadly deficient in Omega 3 (fish oil), and restoring this balance may be the single most important thing you can do to naturally lower your blood pressure. This will give you many other benefits as well.
- Getting 30 minutes of exercise daily can really help lower your blood pressure.
- Singing or hearing rhythmic chants stabilizes the breathing time, which in turn can be beneficial in lowering blood pressure.
Warnings
- Caution, you should also know what is considered low blood pressure(hypotension), below 60/40, and at this point, you should also seek immediate medical attention.
- If your blood pressureever reaches a reading of 180/110 or higher seek medical attention immediately. This is an indicator of a hypertensive crisis, which can cause many complications and even death, if not treated immediately.
- If taken in excess, garlic can thin the blood, as can aspirin, and can cause problems with blood clots and bruising.
- While all of these tips help lower blood pressure without medication, sometimes they are not enough. If your blood pressure stays at 140 mmHg over 90 mmHg (140/90) or exceeds these values, even by following these tips, then you should visit your doctor. The consequences of untreated or unchecked hypertension include elevated risks of thickening or hardening of the heart muscle, diabetes, nerve damage, and stroke, which can leave a person in a wheelchair for the rest of their life. lifetime. Stroke can alter a person’s brain function enough to permanently impair speech.
- Kidney failure is another consequence of high blood pressure that makes people dependent on dialysis their entire lives. If preventive tactics seem boring to you, write stroke and kidney failure on a piece of paper and post it on the refrigerator to remind you of what could happen if you don’t lower your blood pressure.