High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is a heart disease cause because it increased the workload of the heart, which, in turn causes the heart to weaken and enlarge over time.

As the heart is forced to work harder, it thickens and becomes stiffer. High blood pressure also increases the risk for heart attack, kidney failure, stroke and congestive heart failure.

High blood pressure

If you’ve ever had your blood pressure taken, you will know that it’s expressed as two numbers separated by a slash – such as 117/76. It can also be expressed as “117 over 76.”

The first number is called your systolic blood pressure. This is your peak blood pressure when your heart is pushing out blood. The other number is your diastolic blood pressure. This is the pressure when your heart is filling with blood and sort of relaxing between beats.

A normal blood pressure

If your blood pressure is less than 120/80, you are said to have a normal blood pressure. If your blood pressure is between 120/80 and 140/90 you have what is called “prehypertension.” This means that if you don’t take steps, your blood pressure can become high blood pressure.

What you can do to lower your blood pressure

If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, you need to find ways to lower it – and reduce the chances of heart disease.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to reduce your high blood pressure and without medication. Here are five of them.

Lose those extra pounds and reduce your waistline

As your weight increases, so often does your blood pressure. If you can lose just 10 lbs., you can reduce your blood pressure significantly. For that matter, the more you lower your weight, the more you will lower your blood pressure.

You should also watch your waistline, as carrying too much weight around your waist can put you at an increased risk for high blood pressure. If you are a man and your waist 40” or greater, you are at risk for heart disease. The same is true for women with a waist of 35” or larger.

Regular exercise

Regular exercise of 30 to 60 minutes per day most days of the week can your lower your blood pressure 4 to 9 millimeters of mercury.

Lower the sodium in your diet

If you reduce the sodium in your diet by just a modest amount, you can reduce your blood pressure by two to eight millimeters of mercury.

Even a modest reduction in the sodium in your diet can reduce blood pressure by 2 to 8 millimeters of mercury

Avoid tobacco and secondhand smoke

The nicotine content in tobacco products can raise your blood pressure by 10 millimeters of mercury millimeters of mercury for as long as an hour after you smoke. If you smoke throughout the day, you blood pressure will remain constantly high. Plus, the chemicals in tobacco can damage your arteries and cause your body to retain fluids both of which can raise your blood pressure.

Reduce the stress in your life

The first thing you need to do to reduce stress in your life is to determine what’s causing it. Take a time out, sit somewhere quiet, and think about what causes you to feel stress. It could be problems at work, your family, finances or health issues. Once you figure out what’s causing your stress, you can think about the things you need to do to reduce it.

For example, you could try deep breathing exercises, doing yoga, getting a massage or trying meditation. If none of this works, you should find a professional counsel who could help. You could also ask your doctor about buying a machine that helps tech slow deep breathing.

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Heart Disease Causes - Stress - Heart Disease Causes - Congenital Heart Defects -Heart Disease Causes - Smoking - Heart disease causes - Coronary Artery Disease
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