Did you know you can have high blood pressure for years and not be aware of it? This is because hypertension is a silent disease, so it doesn’t necessarily show symptoms. In this post, you will learn how to determine if you have high levels of blood pressure, what has caused that raise, and natural ways to reduce it.
Reading the Blood Pressure
Systolic pressure is indicated by the first or upper number in a blood pressure reading, while diastolic one is presented with the second or lower number. Normal blood pressure is considered to be below 120/80 mm Hg. Here are the three phases of hypertension:
1. Systolic pressure ranging from 120 and 139, or a diastolic pressure from 80 to 89 – Prehypertension;
2. Systolic pressure ranging from 140 and 159, or a diastolic pressure from 90 to 99 – Stage 1 Hypertension;
3. Systolic pressure of 160 or higher, or a diastolic pressure of 100 or higher – Stage 2 Hypertension.
Symptoms of Hypertension
Although in most cases hypertension doesn’t show any symptoms in the early stages, there are some symptoms that can appear occasionally. Some of the most common ones are the following 3 symptoms:
1. Nosebleeds;
2. Headache;
3. Dizziness or dizzy spells.
9 Causes of High Blood Pressure
There are more factors that lead to high blood pressure, as stated by the American Heart Association. Usually, they are:
1. Lack of physical activity. This raises your heart rate, which in turn forces your heart to work more with every contraction.
2. Increased weight. Your artery walls experience more pressure if you weigh more. The reason for this is that your body produces more blood to supply the tissues with oxygen and nutrients.
3. Tobacco Use. Your artery walls can be damaged by the chemicals found in cigarettes and tobacco.
4. High Intake of Sodium. If your diet consists of foods high in sodium, it can lead to the retention of fluid and hypertension, especially if you’re sensitive to sodium.
5. Low Potassium Intake. Since potassium and sodium balance one another, low levels of potassium can cause increases in sodium in cells.
6. Stress. This is another significant factor in raising blood pressure.
7. Excessive Alcohol Consumption. This unhealthy habit can raise your risk of heart disease.
8. Genetics. Hypertension often runs in families.
9. Age. That’s right. As you grow older, your chances of high blood pressure increase.
5 Underlying Issues
1. Hormonal disorders;
2. Kidney disease;
3. Adrenal gland disease;
4. Thyroid disease;
5. Use of certain drugs (herbs such as licorice or oral contraceptives).
This type of hypertension is known as secondary hypertension
How to Control High Blood Pressure
Natural remedies and lifestyle changes can help control your hypertension, but it is also important to consult with your doctor. If you leave your high blood pressure untreated, it can lead to organ damage and raise the risk of heart attack, brain hemorrhage, stroke, vision loss, and kidney disease.
13 Natural Methods to Help Reduce High Blood Pressure
1. Fish Oil. According to some preliminary studies, this oil affects high blood pressure. Fish oil supplements contain EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), DHA is the ingredient that reduces hypertension, as shown by certain research.
2. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). According to some Healthline, the supplement CoQ10 can help lower high blood pressure.
3. Hawthorn. Traditional herbal practitioners have long used this herb for treating hypertension.
4. Garlic. This vegetable can significantly lower your systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
5. Calcium. Calcium supplements seem to show a modest but still noticeable reduction in systolic blood pressure.
6. Folic Acid. These B vitamins are crucial for the formation of red blood cells. Folate can help reduce high blood pressure by lowering the raised homocysteine levels.
7. Magnesium. This mineral significantly lowers diastolic blood pressure.
8. Potassium. It can lower both, systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
9. Mind-Body Interventions. These interventions, especially yoga, autogenic training, and biofeedback can lower high blood pressure.
10. Autogenic Training. This is a stress-reduction and relaxation technique. It includes a series of sessions where you learn how to control your heart rate, breathing, body temperature, and blood pressure. There are 6 postures in which you have to concentrate without having a goal, or using imagination and verbal cues.
11. Biofeedback. With the help of this technique, you will learn how to control your internal body processes which normally happen against your will, like heart rate, blood pressure, skin temperature, and muscle tension. It is mostly used for treating migraines, high blood pressure, chronic pain, tension headache, and urinary incontinence. There are more types of biofeedback, but the one which measures skin temperature – thermal feedback, and the one which uses a probe that reacts to sweat – electrodermal activity feedback, are probably more effective than those which measure muscle tension –electromyography (EMG) and direct blood pressure feedback.
12. Yoga. Many studies have proved that some yoga postures can help reduce blood pressure.
13. Aerobic Exercise. One of the most common ways to treat high blood pressure. One meta-analysis which involved 6805 participants in a total of 105 trials discovered that aerobic exercise is linked to a mean reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
Make sure you consult your doctor before starting a new exercise program, or if you have any questions regarding high blood pressure. Make wise choices as your health is in your hands.
Via Cure Joy
