Hypertension is commonly known as high blood pressure, and affects about 1 out of every 3 people in the United States to varying degrees. There is not one known cause, although the factors of increasing age, family history, weight and stress are factors. As a rule, hypertension has no symptoms, although some people have headaches, dizziness, redness or bleeding from the nose. Despite the fact that hypertension is often not manifested, it can be a precursor of a number of serious health problems in the long term if not treated. Fortunately, there are a number of relatively simple things you can do to lower your blood pressure.
First, a little about what hypertension is. Blood pressure is measured in two digits. Let's say you have a blood pressure reading of 135/90. 135 is your systolic blood pressure and indicates the highest pressure in the blood vessels that occurs when your heart contracts and sheds blood through your bloodstream. 90 is your diastolic pressure, which is the lowest pressure in the blood vessels when the heart relaxes.
Normal blood pressure is considered 120/80, prehypertension is 120/80 to 140/90, and something above 140/90 is considered the diagnosis of hypertension. While everyone has fluctuations in their blood pressure from time to time and as the case may be, the diagnosis of hypertension suggests that your blood pressure is 140/90 or higher in most cases.
Untreated hypertension leaves you more vulnerable to a number of health problems, including heart attack or heart failure, stroke, poor circulation, chronic kidney disease, eye problems, and headaches. For this reason, it is ideal to catch the problem when it is too early, and start changing your lifestyle and / or taking natural or prescription drugs to lower blood pressure.
There are a number of drugs used for hypertension.
- Diuretics: Used for mild hypertension, helps get rid of excess fluid and sodium in the body.
- ACE inhibitors (inhibitors of the angiotensin-converting enzyme): angiotensin is a hormone that constricts blood vessels. ACE inhibitors reduce the production of angiotensin to lower blood pressure.
- Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers: These drugs directly block the binding of angiotensin to their receptors, reducing the narrowing of blood vessels.
- Beta blockers: they block a certain nervous system and hormonal transmission of the heart and blood vessels, relax muscles and reduce blood pressure.
- Calcium channel blockers: block calcium from entering the cells of the heart and blood vessels, which causes the muscles to relax.
- Renin Inhibitors: Renin is a hormone released by the kidney that causes an increase in blood pressure. Renin inhibitors slow down the production of renin.
Side effects are common in the treatment of hypertension. They vary depending on which medication or medicine you are taking, but include headaches, dyspepsia, impotence, constipation, swelling, fatigue, dizziness, headaches, or drowsiness.
Because of the side effects of drugs for hypertension, many people would prefer to deal with hypertension in a natural way. There are a number of natural ways to improve your blood pressure, however, if your hypertension is serious, it is recommended to start with prescription drugs, as they will give the most immediate results. Then you can work on reducing your blood pressure by changing your lifestyle habits and, ultimately, get off the medication. There are also a number of natural remedies that can help with hypertension.
Natural lifestyle changes that can reduce hypertension:
- Limit sodium intake to 1500 mg per day or less.
- Limit alcohol intake, one or two drinks maximum per day
- Limit caffeine intake as this can cause stress to the cardiovascular system.
- If you are using nicotine, do your best to reduce your use or even better, stop completely.
- Maintaining a healthy body weight is helpful. Weight loss (reference to weight loss) if you are overweight or gaining weight, if you are underweight. When losing or gaining weight, it is important to be patient - expecting results overnight will usually lead to discouragement and failure
- Regular exercise, about 30 minutes, at least 5 times a week, helps reduce hypertension
- In addition to reducing sodium, a healthy diet for blood pressure avoids too many foods with saturated fats, hydrogenated oils, or simple carbohydrates, such as white flour and sugar. Useful fresh foods with soluble fiber and protein proteins, as well as products containing magnesium, calcium and potassium. The DASH Diet is a diet specifically formulated to lower hypertension and / or cholesterol, and is easy to follow with a series of tasty recipes.
- Reduce stress and anxiety in your life.
- To drink a lot of water
Natural medicines to help reduce hypertension:
- Garlic: included in the diet or taken as a supplement, garlic has a positive effect on the cardiovascular system, reducing blood pressure and cholesterol. This leads to thinning of the blood, so do not take blood prescription diluents, such as warfarin or coumadin.
- Fish Oil: Fish oil contains EPA, DHA and Omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to have a moderate lowering effect on blood pressure, as well as a beneficial effect on cholesterol and the cardiovascular system as a whole. In addition, fish oil helps reduce inflammation and benefits the immune system and the nervous system.
- CoQ10: Acting as a cofactor in many processes in the body, CoQ10 is involved in the production of energy. By improving energy production in the heart muscle, CoQ10 can help lower blood pressure with regular use. It has other benefits also for the cardiovascular system, such as lowering cholesterol.
- Hawthorn: Herbal medicine, which helps improve heart function and lowers blood pressure without side effects.
Connection of Mind and Body in Hypertension
The connection between the mind and body is also important in hypertension. Studies show that increased stress and anxiety are factors affecting hypertension, so solving these factors in your life is important for lowering blood pressure.
It is not by chance that people who feel under great pressure usually have high blood pressure in their lives. Increased energy production, heart rate and stress hormones are part of the feeling of chronic pressure and stress and can cause physiological changes in your body that increase blood pressure. By exploring areas in your life where you feel pressure — perhaps in work, relationships, or personal expectations, you can begin to determine how much pressure you have on an unnecessary amount of stress.
It is not always easy to give up pressure on yourself, because the mind tends to think that increased pressure will lead to better results. This can sometimes be true, although in fact we are often able to do more and work better when we relax and experience less stress. Despite this, excessive pressure in life can harm your health in the long run, and you decide priorities, and sometimes choose your health, to live up to these unreasonable pressures.
Hypertension has been called the “silent killer,” and there are many fears in the general public associated with this condition. But if you suffer from high blood pressure, remember that this is a relatively simple condition to treat with time. Medications, changes in your lifestyle, natural medicines, and the elimination of sources of pressure and stress can be used to lower blood pressure and improve your health.
