Monday, October 7, 2013

Quick Ways to Lower Blood Pressure

By Nora M. Greenway


People who have high blood pressure are at risk of developing heart disease in the future. If you have it you are probably looking for quick ways to lower it. There are simple things that you can do at home to help your blood pressure return to normal. Speak to your doctor about how these various ways can help you.

Watch Your Caffeine Intake

A cup of coffee in the morning or a coca-cola beverage with your dinner isn't the end of the world. But many people can't stop at one cup of coffee. In fact many people are drinking up to 8 cups a day. If you have high blood pressure and drink a lot of caffeine you could be sensitive to caffeine. To figure out if you are, pick up a small measuring device from your local drugstore and test yourself at home. Test your pressure 10 minutes before having your first cup of coffee and 20 minutes after it. If your pressure has risen you should really consider making some changes to how much caffeine you drink.

Increase Aerobic Exercise

Anyone dealing with health issues understands the importance of exercise. Exercise does not need to be strenuous. In fact if you have high blood pressure you will probably want to start with something that is not too intense. A daily 30 minute walk is good for everyone. Other forms of exercise that are not too strenuous are ice skating or yoga.

Before beginning this step, it's especially important to check with your doctor. While exercise is good for your blood pressure, some people with extremely high blood pressure need other steps before they can exercise, since exercise in itself raises your heart rate for a while. Ask your doctor specifically which exercises you can do, based on your current blood pressure. Also ask about signs that you need to stop exercising.

Reduce Your Salt Intake

It is a known fact that people with high blood pressure should avoid salt as much as possible. Avoid fast foods and processed foods as they are usually high in sodium. If you go out for dinner to a fine restaurant always taste your food before you consider adding salt to it. Many people have a bad habit of shaking salt all over their meal without tasting it first. If you cook at home, it is easy to cut back on how much salt you use. There are many spices available at the grocery store which are a great alternative when you are looking for something to add more flavor to the food that you are preparing.

Limit Your Alcohol Consumption

Cutting out drinking entirely is usually not necessary. In fact, many studies suggest that a light amount of drinking is actually good for your blood pressure! However, if you often have several drinks in quick succession, you should stop. This type of drinking can raise your blood pressure. Experts agree that a safe and healthy number of drinks per day is one for women and two for men. As always, ask your doctor if these numbers are safe for you, and be sure to ask about potential interactions with any medications you're taking.

As you can see, lowering your blood pressure quickly isn't as hard as it might seem. With a few healthy lifestyle choices, you can start seeing results almost immediately. Even better, these changes are healthy for your entire body!




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A Quick Guide To Blood Pressure

By Greg Tilley


When it comes to determining a normal blood pressure, there is generally no right or wrong answer. You may not believe it but even the most experienced and knowledgeable doctors do not have an exact, common figure as to what would be the ideal blood pressure for a healthy adult.

Speaking in general terms, though, doctors and other experts would consider 110/70 to 125/80 as a happy medium of sorts, a reasonable blood pressure range for the average adult person, although somebody who has naturally low blood pressure may hover around 100/60.

As for adults with a blood pressure of 140/90, this would be acceptable as the individual grows older, but for people in their 20s to 30s, this is often considered to be high.

Blood is not, as usually thought, like a flowing river as it circulates throughout the body - it circulates by means of spurts. Therefore the pressure peaks in the blood vessels just after a heart beat and then ebbs until the next one. This would be considered normal.

The two blood pressure figures would then correspond to the pressures at the peak and ebb points respectively. The stronger the arteries are, the more they resist the force of the blood and the lower the blood pressure.

As people mature, their arteries become less flexible and elastic, thus the higher blood pressure which would be considered acceptable. However the lower figure should still be under 90 until that person at least reaches their sixties.

Many studies looking at blood pressure in both black and white people have found there is a higher prevalence of hypertension (High blood pressure) in black people than there is in white. This has led to further research in determining whether this is racially determined or just based on socioeconomic and dietary factors.

It is common for individuals who suffer from high blood pressure to be befuddled as to why they suffer from such a condition. Their blood pressure may be high on a regular basis even if they do all the right things to stay healthy, including eating a balanced diet and staying away from vices. These people have essential, or Primary high blood pressure. But it is far more common for people to suffer from Secondary High Blood Pressure, which is an increased blood pressure that has an underlying health reason.

Nearly one in four people in the Western world have high blood pressure. Leaving this condition untreated can lead to catastrophic results, as many people have found out too late - such complications include heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure. Yet there are thousands of people unaware they have high blood pressure who are walking around with a lethal time bomb ticking away inside them.




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What Causes High Blood Pressure?

By Jewel Chesson


Lots of people have high blood pressure, and this can be a deadly problem. People who have undiagnosed high blood pressure often end up suffering from serious illnesses because they allowed the problem to get worse without addressing it. The purpose of this article is to identify some of the known causes of high blood pressure.

While people of any age can have high blood pressure, the risk increases as you age. Men are more at risk for high blood pressure around their mid-forties, and with women it's closer to fifty. The fact is, however, that anyone can develop high blood pressure at any age, and this is increasingly true as more younger people become overweight. So everyone should have their blood pressure measured regularly, but it's especially important if you are forty or above. Aside from your age, there are many other elements that can be risk factors for hypertension.

Unfortunately, there are many instances when the cause of high blood pressure cannot be identified. High blood pressure with no known cause is called essential hypertension, and the majority of cases actually fit into this category. While many factors, such as age, diet, smoking and stress can contribute to it, even experts have not identified a specific cause in the majority of cases. Since the causes are hard to pinpoint, you have to have your blood pressure checked to know if it's high. There are many changes you can make to lower your risk, and ways to treat it when it's been diagnosed, but doctors are still doing research on the exact cause of high blood pressure.

High cholesterol is usually something that accompanies hypertension, so controlling your cholesterol is one way to approach high blood pressure. When it comes to controlling your cholesterol, you have to know the difference between "good" and "bad" cholesterol. LDL is the harmful type of cholesterol, and this causes blockages in the arteries which is bad for the heart. On the other hand, HDL is the good kind of cholesterol, and this actually reverses the damage done by bad cholesterol. Good cholesterol levels are maintained by exercising regularly and eating fruits, vegetables and healthy fats. The main way to reduce bad cholesterol is to avoid unhealthy fats, processed foods, sugar and junk food. If you focus on lowering your cholesterol, you will probably lower your blood pressure as well, and both are factors you have to watch for the sake of your health.

No matter what is causing hypertension, you should not underestimate how dangerous it can be. As long as you watch your blood pressure and listen to your doctor's recommendations, you should be able to keep it under control. The above causes of high blood pressure are only some of the factors that can be responsible for this condition. When you know you have high blood pressure, there are many methods to reduce it, but you have to be willing to make some changes.




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