Best Ways To Get Rid Of High Blood Pressure

Those who suffer from hypertension, otherwise known as high blood pressure, have a higher risk for heart disease in their future. This makes it important for everyone to manage their blood pressure and ensure that should they ever suffer from hypertension, to get rid of it in a healthy way in partnership with their own health care provider.

For reference, the generally accepted “ideal” blood pressure is around 120/80. Your blood pressure does not need to match this exactly, but if it is significantly higher than 120/80 such as 150/90, there is some cause for concern. In this article, we offer several suggestions on how to prevent and get rid of high blood pressure.

1. Check with your Health Care Provider

The best thing that you can do for yourself when trying to get rid of high blood pressure is to get a check-up with your doctor. It is recommended that you visit with them at least once a year, or more frequently if you are starting or changing medications intended to lower your blood pressure.

Blood pressure readings are more accurate when they are taken over a period of time as it is possible to have either spikes or drops in blood pressure at one moment but not the next. Your doctor may recommend that you buy your own home monitoring blood pressure kit.

Overall, there are two things that your doctor might recommend for you in order to get rid of your high blood pressure. Depending on the severity of the issue, along with factors such as your age and weight, your doctor may recommend one or more treatments.

2. Exercise Regularly

Exercising on a regular basis will maintain your overall fitness and health by providing benefits such as losing weight or maintaining a healthy weight. People classified as overweight or obese are at a higher risk for high blood pressure and the complications that may arise because of it.

Eating a diet full of things like soda pop, chips, buttery popcorn, fast food, not enough water, and high quantities of salt can often be a contributing cause to high blood pressure problems. Simply changing your eating and drinking habits can have a significant impact on getting rid of your high blood pressure, and it doesn’t have to be boring either.

Here are some recommended tips on how to eat a healthy diet that will help you get rid of your high blood pressure while also allowing you to continue to enjoy what you eat!

3. Reduce Sodium

Sodium, which many people simply call salt, is one of the main diet factors that cause high blood pressure. Thus, reducing your intake of sodium is very important. At first, it may seem like this will also reduce your enjoyment of your food since most people love salt, but this does not have to be the case. Often companies have low sodium or “reduced salt” options for their regular products where they take care not to sacrifice the taste. This is common in most brands of soup.

In addition, if you are someone who likes to eat a burgers from fast food restaurants, consider finding a recipe online. For the most part these are automatically healthier, but you can also control exactly what goes into the burger patties (as well as your toppings) and make sure you pack in less sodium.

4. Limit Alcohol

Excessively drinking alcohol can often lead to high blood pressure problems. Limiting your intake is an important option to consider when you are trying to maintain a healthy diet. Many doctors will recommend that men drink at most two standard drinks a day and women drink only one.

5. Power Foods

If you are trying to get rid of high blood pressure, it is recommended that you follow a balanced diet that focuses on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, and lean meats such as chicken.

One effective choice would be regularly eating bananas as they are high in potassium, low in sodium, and actually free from cholesterol. In addition, some of your other popular options are drinking orange juice, or eating baked sweet potatoes and dried apricots.

6. Quit Smoking

Smokers are one of the highest risk groups for high blood pressure. The actual nicotine and tobacco content in cigarettes can cause spikes in blood pressure, and continuing this habit often leads to long-term high blood pressure. Consult with your doctor for a plan to quit smoking that works for you. Not only will it help to reduce your blood pressure, but there are countless other health benefits.

7. Reduce Stress

Your blood pressure tends to be higher when you are stressed out about something. Since going to the doctor’s is sometimes a stressful experience, you can get more accurate readings at home. Being occasionally stressed about life events is not a bad thing. Long-term stress however, something that contributes to high blood pressure issues, is known to increase blood pressure.

While stress management techniques will vary from person to person, a few good starting points include practicing yoga, meditation, and simply taking a breather each day to calm yourself down.

8. Medication

If nothing else has worked for you, your doctor might prescribe some medication to lower your blood pressure if the problem is serious enough.

Once again, you should follow your health care provider’s specific instructions, especially in this case as taking the wrong type or dose of medication can have severe side effects. Some of the medications that your health care provider may prescribe to you include beta-blockers, diuretics (water pills), calcium blockers, enzymes, and Omega 3.

Symptoms

High blood pressure can be quite scary because many people who suffer from it never actually experience symptoms and therefore are not aware that they have a serious health issue. That is why it is extremely important to have regular check-ups with your doctor so that any unusual changes in your blood pressure can be identified.

Symptoms that people often experience if they have high blood pressure include severe headaches, chest pain, an irregular heartbeat, trouble with their vision, problems breathing, or blood in their urine.

As many people who suffer from high blood pressure never experience symptoms such as the ones mentioned in the above list, it is extremely important that you should contact your doctor as soon as possible should you experience any of these symptoms.

Note that the information in this article should not be considered as a substitute for medical advice from a licensed physician. It is important to speak with your health care provider to receive a plan to get rid of your high blood pressure that is specifically tailored to your needs.