High Blood Pressure

by: Sharon Hopkins

Poor diet, lack of exercise, intense weight training and some simple activities like public speaking can make your blood pressure jump. The cause for concern arises if it goes up and remains up. It is one of the most important indicator of cardiovascular problems after the age of 65 and hence, it needs to be treated. So if you are suffering from high blood pressure, it is vital that you should be under constant medical supervision. But there is no need to worry. You can take care of this problem without using drugs by making simple diet and lifestyle changes. Go for regular exercise, stop smoking, manage stress and change your diet to reduce alcohol, fat and salt intake.

You can also follow the following home remedies to treat your blood pressure problems:

• Eat celery: Since centuries, people have used celery and its oil to cure blood pressure. It contains a compound which lowers blood pressure by relaxing the muscles lining the arteries. This allows the muscles that regulate the blood pressure to dilate. Just by eating 4 celery stalks a day, you can enjoy the potent benefits of this vegetable.

• Consume garlic: You can easily lower blood pressure by eating just one clove of garlic a day. You can eat the clove either raw or in capsule form. Besides it also helps to lower cholesterol and triglycerides.

• Talk softly: It has been shown that talking loudly and rapidly, increases your blood pressure during a normal conversation. But if you do this during angry conversations -- when you are at your emotional best, the pressure can shoot up still higher. This spikes the blood pressure and if chronic, puts you at the risk of coronary heart disease. However, speaking softly and slowly even when you are angry will eliminate the stress on your cardiovascular system.

• Speak the truth: Always speak the truth. Lying has been shown to spike blood pressure since it takes a lot of brain-effort to lie. The more you lie, the more you are stressed and the higher your blood pressure shoots.

• Go for aerobic not isometric exercise: Though exercise has been shown to lower the blood pressure, it is important for you to choose the right one. In isometric exercises, where you clench and hold like weight training, should be avoided. This is because holding your breath while lifting causes your blood pressure to go up temporarily. Choose aerobic exercises in place of isometric exercises.

• Laughter is the best medicine: To relax yourself completely, choose laughter. When you laugh, your adrenaline and cortisone levels go down, since these are the main compounds which have an adverse reaction on the blood pressure. It is the cheapest therapy that has benefited everyone greatly but more so, the people who are angry, frustrated or unhappy.

About The Author Sharon Hopkins has been managing a number of natural remedies websites, such as http://www.home-remedies-for-you.com, which can be your guide to all the questions you have about high blood pressure. Natural Cure for high blood pressure includes eating celery, garlic, speaking truth softly, laughing etc.

Lifestyle Changes That Can Lower Your Blood Pressure

by: Robert Thatcher

High blood pressure or what is medically known as hypertension affect millions of Americans. In fact, about 80 million people in the US have high blood pressure and what is more terrifying is the fact that some of these people are not even aware that they have high blood pressures. This is why hypertension has become known as the silent killer because unless you have your blood pressures checked regularly, you have no way of knowing that you already have it until it is already much too high up the scale.

High blood pressure will often manifests itself through headaches, dizziness and nose bleeds. Some people will also feel pain at the back of their necks when they wake up in the morning. Hypertension is not really life-threatening per se as it is not a disease. The level of blood pressure, however, is a risk factor to heart disease and will increase one’s predisposition to heart attacks. This is especially true with people who are over 35 years old and those who are much much older.

Because it is a condition and not a disease, people can do a lot to prevent hypertension from settling in. Most doctors recommend a change in the diet and a major lifestyle change.

Diet is perhaps the primary lifestyle change that people should look into when dealing with high blood pressure. Excessive eating of fatty foods that cannot be easily digested can cause a lot of problems. Obese individuals are also more likely to develop hypertension not only because of the fat content in their bodies but also the constriction that these fats produce in the body. This constriction can affect blood circulation and heart function, which may lead to a full-blown heart attack.

Another advice that doctors give to individuals concerned with their blood pressure is to have regular exercise regimen that would help lower their blood pressure. Activities such as running and jogging, cycling and swimming as well as other sports can decrease blood pressure. Doctors recommend that people exercise and do these sports activities for about 30 to 45 minutes a day and they will find their blood pressures significantly lowered.

Alcohol, for instance, increase the prevalence of hypertension when it is taken in excess. The term excess here will refer to over two drinks per day. Studies have actually shown a direct relationship between these two factors when the drinking exceeds five glasses each day. A drink here refers to a can of beer, a glass of wine or a jigger of liquor. There are people however who have low tolerance with alcohol. It is best to stop drinking if you find your blood pressure going up or if you feel nauseous already.

Smoking is also one of the things that a person should avoid when trying to either lower blood pressure or to prevent it from going up. Besides the complications that it poses to the lungs and the vascular system, smoking also increases the risk for heart disease. This is because the nicotine in cigarettes and tobaccos can constrict one’s blood vessels, causing the heart to beat faster.

Elderly people are also asked to avoid excessive coffee drinking. In a study conducted, it was found that five cups of coffee per day can mildly increase the blood pressure. The combination of coffee drinking with smoking increases the risk all the more.

About The Author

Robert Thatcher is a freelance publisher based in Cupertino, California. He publishes articles and reports in various ezines and provides blood pressure information on http://www.blood-pressure-facts.info.