How to Lower Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is unfortunately something that the majority of people this day and age battle. The busyness of our day to day lives paired with the standard diet are a recipe for your blood pressure to be on the rise. The question a lot of people have is, “after I am diagnosed with high blood pressure can I lower it without medication?” The answer to this question is YES! So let’s take a look into the issue further and how we can fix it.
What Is High Blood Pressure?
Your blood pressure is basically the force of your blood pumping through your heart beating against your artery walls. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is when that force is too strong, damaging your arteries.
Normal blood pressure is considered 120/80 and it is totally normal and healthy for your blood pressure to be lower than this, to a reasonable degree. What is scary is when your blood pressure starts to rise above 130/90…then things start to get worrisome.
Why Is High Blood Pressure Bad?
Hypertension can cause a number of health issues including
Stroke
Heart Attack
Dimensia
Heart Failure
Aneurysm
Heart Failure
Kidney Problems
Metabolic System
Issues With Your Eyes/Site
What Causes High Blood Pressure?
Some Causes Of High Blood Pressure Are:
-Plaque Build Up Over Time
-Adrenal Gland Tumors
-Thyroid Issues
-Sleep Apnea
-Kidney Disease
-Drugs Or Medications
-Blood Vessal Issues Or Heart Defects
-Poor Diet That is High In Sodium
-Stress
What Are The Risk Factors That Show I May Get High Blood Pressure?
Some of the common things we see that lead to hypertension are:
Smoking.
Smoking injures blood vessel walls and hardens arteries.
Age.
As we get older the risk of hypertension increases.
Race.
Higher blood pressure is seen more often and tends to develop earlier in the African American community.
Family History.
If high blood pressure runs in your family you are more likely to develop issues.
Too Little Exercise!
This one is HUGE. So many of my patients when I worked in Cardiac Rehab saw massive changes in their blood pressure when they started doing daily exercise. A sedentary lifestyle normally leads to hypertension.
A High Salt Diet.
Salt or Sodium makes your body retain fluid. When your body has too much fluid it increases your blood pressure.
Stress.
A stressful lifestyle spells disaster across the board for our health. Raising cortisol levels wreaks havoc on our body.
Pregnancy.
When you are pregnant you are pumping more blood through your body and your body works harder than normal to sustain both you and baby. This can cause you to have high blood pressure during your pregnancy, however, it most likely will return to normal after having baby.
What Are High Blood Pressure Symptoms?
Some people with high blood pressure never experience any symptoms. It is always best to monitor your blood pressure at home manually of with a blood pressure cuff. Some symptoms people with hypertension may experience are:
Headaches
Shortness of Breath
Nose Bleeds
Chest Pain
Dizziness
Anxiety
Nausea
Vomiting
Blurred Vision
Buzzing In Ears
Irregular Heart Beat
NOW TO THE GOOD STUFF! HOW TO TREAT HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE NATURALLY WITHOUT MEDICATION!
Blood pressure medications are no joke. I experienced first hand with my patients the effects of these medications are on a person…and let me tell you they are not fun! My patients would beg to get off their meds and that was where I came in, to help them do just that! So here are my favorite ways to naturally reduce high blood pressure:
Changing Your Diet
Changing you diet is the number one way to combat hypertension. You want to eat a diet that is rich in potassium, magnesium, protein, calcium, and fiber. A whole foods plant based diet is the number one aid in beating hypertension naturally. Now does this mean you can never eat meat..no it doesn’t mean that at all! Just try and limit your meat intake to once a day and 4oz or less. NO PROCESSED MEATS! You also want to lower your salt intake, eat at least 5 servings of fruits and/or veggies a day, healthy fats, and whole grains. Try to avoid all processed foods as they usually contain high amounts of sodium. Adding more potassium to your diet has been proven to lower blood sugar. Higher potassium foods are: bananas, melons, oranges, apricots, avocados, Greek yogurt, leafy green veggies, potatoes/sweet potatoes, tuna/salmon, and nuts and seeds.
Reduce Your Weight.
Studies have shown that carrying excess weight in your midsection increases your blood pressure. You want a mid section less than 35inches. It is also said that in general blood pressure is known to reduce by 1mm of mercury with every kilogram of weight lost.
Exercise Often and Regularly.
Exercise can lower blood pressure 5-8mm hg, that’s huge! 30min of exercise per day has been known to not only reduce hypertension, but to keep people from crossing over from borderline high blood pressure. Both aerobic exercise (swim, jogging, running, swimming, biking, etc..) and Resistance Training (Exercising under weight so dumbbells, kettlebells, medicine balls, etc.) have been known to reduce high blood pressure. For the best best results, try mixing these two styles of exercise during the week.
Say No To Stress.
Cortisol is the nasty little chemical your body releases when you are stressed. Too much cortisol over time can really damage your body. Try practicing stress relieving habit such as meditation, yoga, and deep breathing daily. You should also work on your mental health to help reduce your stress such as reading self help books on how to lower your stress levels, and how to prioriteze or say no to doing things that ccause stress in your day. Another type of stress we put on our body is the inflammatory response to the inside of our body caused by unhealthy eating. Remember sugary and processed foods cause inflammation in your body that stresses out the cells and organs inside you and cause your body to have to work much harder to do daily tasks.
Stop Smoking/Drinking.
Smoking is well-known for causing heart disease and high blood pressure. Drinking can do the same thing. Alcohol raises your blood sugar levels and causes inflammation in the body that can damage your organs and arteries.
Get More Than 6 Hours Of Sleep.
As a mother I get it..it can be hard to get more than 6 hours of sleep, however, numerous studies have shown that less than 6 hours of sleep a night can lead to many health issues, high blood pressure being one of them. Try moving your dinner time up to 5 or 6pm and turn off all electronics by 9pm. Sound machines can also help with turning your brain off at night so you can fall asleep quicker.
Eat Dark Chocolate.
Now I don’t mean go binge out on an entire chocolate bar every day, but a square of two of of dark chocolate daily can help your overall health. Dark chocolate is rich in flavonoids (plant compounds that help blood vessels dialate)
Use Blood Pressure Reducing Herbs.
As in anything you put in your body make sure you do the research or work with a holistic doctor before taking these herbs. Herbs have side effects as they are natures medicine so it is best to consult a healthcare professional before adding these. The following is a list of herbs that have been known to help lower blood pressure for many years:
-Cinnamon
-Basil
-Parsley
-Chinese Cat Claw
-Celery Seeds
-Bacopa Monnieri
-Ginger
-Cardamon
-Thyme
-Garlic
****Green Tea is also a great addition to any diet for its antioxidants and polyphenols. Green tea combats inflammation in the body which can help numerous health issues.
In Summary
In my work as a cardiac rehab specialist these are the things that I have witnessed to help reduce and/or prevent high blood pressure: A healthy plant focused diet (the leading foods in helping hypertension are bananas, berries, and leafy greens), daily exercise and weight reduction, stress reducing habits (yoga, meditation, deep breathing, prioritizing time wisely), quitting smoking and reducing alcohol intake, sleeping more, adding dark chocolate to your diet, and the use of hypertension reducing herbal supplements with help from a specialist.
If seen these these work even after my patients had cardiac procedure or surgeries. Even if you have had a heart attack or surgery it is not too late for you!! You can prevent further episodes and possibly get off your medications if you safely practice these healthy habits.
If you are reading this post I am assuming you are dealing with this issue and I wish you the best of luck with your journey back to health! Hopefully this information helps you get a start to becoming the happiest and healthiest version of you!
