People with high blood pressure often need several medications, but it turns out, lifestyle changes can ratchet it down too.
According to the Daily Express, here are four ways to naturally lower your blood pressure:
- Regular exercise: It could help lower your blood pressure. Exercise could range from intense sport, to simply going for a walk.
- Get more sleep: Not getting enough sleep has been linked to high blood pressure. People should aim to get at least six hours sleep every night. Sleep helps to regulate stress hormones and helps the nervous system to stay healthy.
- Lower the amount of sodium in your diet: Salt raises your blood pressure. Cutting back on sodium by just a little bit could lower your blood pressure by up to 8mmHg. Everyone should aim to eat less than 6g of salt a day - about the equivalent to a teaspoonful.
- Maintain a healthy weight: Losing weight can also help to lower your blood pressure. Being overweight forces your heart to work harder and faster to pump blood around the body.
Most people with high blood pressure will not experience any symptoms. It is often known as the "silent killer" for this reason.
However, once blood pressure reaches about 180/110 mmHg, it is considered a medical emergency is known as a hypertensive crisis.
If the hypertension is not treated or controlled, the excessive pressure on the artery walls can damage the blood vessels (cardiovascular disease), as well as vital organs.
