10 ways to decrease your blood pressure and feel healthy.

A lot of people suffer from hypertension and feel lazy to walk, this may be due to disturbed health aspects in their life.

Hypertension is termed the silent killer, for some people they have no symptoms, but if we look to its bad site, it causes heart diseases and may lead to stroke, it may cause you to feel angry all the time and not enjoying your day.  A lot of people worldwide die every day due to hypertension. The United States is one of the countries that its people are prone to death due to hypertension.

The average blood pressure that everyone should have is 120/80 mmHg. Above 140 is considered high blood pressure, below 90 is considered low blood pressure.

* Systolic blood pressure: 120 refers to systolic blood pressure which is the pressure in your blood vessels when the heart contracts to pump the blood.

*Diastolic blood pressure: 80 refers to diastolic blood pressure which is the pressure in your blood when the heart rests.

It is actually about the heart and resistance in the blood vessels. Increasing resistance in the arteries makes the heart suffer to deliver blood. so it contracts stronger to deliver the blood so high blood pressure is obtained. Complications of high blood pressure are not favourable and may damage your body systems.

The good news is that you mostly don't need medications. Changing the lifestyle is a better choice and will help reduce your blood pressure.

1. Exercise daily and be more active

Studies have said that people who enjoyed aerobic training every day had the ability to decrease their blood pressure to nearly the normal as some medications would do. (1)

List of Aerobic training  :

A- Walking for 1-2 hours a day

B- Running in the morning for 30 minutes 

C- Using the stairs 

D- Doing household activities 

E- Playing a sport with your friends( Football, Basketball, Bike ride, )

People who are used to training half an hour a day had the ability to decrease their blood pressure compared to people who do not share in activities. 

2. If you are obese and suffer from being overweight. Then try to decrease your weight.

people who lose about 3-5 kilograms from their weight have a higher chance to reduce blood pressure and decrease obesity-related health problems. (2)

Put yourself on a healthy diet not containing fast food will help you reduce your blood pressure.

3. Smoking should be stopped

This could actually save your life, not only from increased blood pressure but also from other smoking-associated diseases in your body. Smoking increases blood levels of Nicotine which increases your heart rate and raises your blood pressure. Chemicals in cigarettes are carcinogenic and make your blood vessels to narrow and this, in turn, affects the heart to make it contract stronger to deliver blood. Smokers have a very high risk of developing heart diseases and increased blood pressure compared to non-smokers. (3)

4. Try to reduce stress

If we consider the life we are living in now, it is totally bringing us stress. and body deals with stress as to increase the levels of epinephrine which causes acceleration of the heart and increased blood pressure. (4)

Methods to reduce stress: 

A-sleep for 6-8 hours a day

B-Studies showed that yoga makes you relax and feel quiet

C-eat healthy foods

D-listening to music you love may decrease your stress 

E-Excercise daily 

5. Remove alcohol from your list

Alcohol is bad for your health, it causes liver and kidney problems, it makes you angry and causes cardiovascular problems. (5)

Alcohol is one of the causes that increase blood pressure even if you are healthy! try to get rid of it by drinking natural juice, drink plenty of water like 8 cups a day. 

6. Reduce caffeine consumption 

Caffeine has been associated with increased blood pressure and heart acceleration. this would happen if you're addicted to caffeine. Try to drink caffeine once or twice a day maximum. and it will be better if you remove it all from your list.(6)

7. Avoid salty food 

Try to reduce sodium in your food, as it makes blood vessels endothelium to contract and so increases your blood pressure, it also saves water in your body so your weight also increases!. Reduce sodium and increase potassium but within limits, because a high potassium diet may affect your kidney and heart if you have problems with them. so talk to the doctor about using potassium. (7)

Foods that are high in potassium : 

A- bananas, oranges

B- Fish 

C- Low-fat milk 

D- spinach 

8. Remove fast food from your list

Fast and processed food may have a high salt number in your food which makes you prone to be hypertensive. Foods like pizza and canned food and chips should be removed from your list.(8) 

Always try to eat homemade food, they are safe for your health and for your blood pressure.

9. Dark chocolate  

Eat dark chocolate but with small amounts, this may help to reduce your blood pressure due to its contents '' Flavonoids '' and more cocoa solids. (9)

10. Take blood pressure medications

Always keep on track with your doctor about your health, talk to the doctor about medications and what is the best way to decrease blood pressure. Try to move correctly with the medications given to you. If you get them wrong, the hypertension you have may get worse than before. If you feel one of the side effects talk to the doctor immediately to make things come rights. 

Always measure your blood pressure, so you know if the medications work or not.