Are you one of the millions of people that suffer from higher than normal blood pressure? Or after a recent visit to your physician, you were told there was an increased chance of having a heart attack or stroke due to elevated blood pressure. This is a possibility if high blood pressure or hypertension continues to be elevated and uncontrolled. There are natural ways to lower blood pressure and control hypertension, as we will discover, but we must first understand exactly what is high blood pressure.
What Is High Blood Pressure?
Simply put, blood pressure is the amount of pressure put on the walls of arteries as it flows through the circulatory system. The more constricted the blood vessels, the more pressure is placed on the arterial walls in the vascular system. The less constricted and wider the vessels, lower the pressure placed against the vessel walls.
Hypertension Medications and Blood Pressure Drugs
People use differing methods for lowering their hypertension with high blood pressure medication being the number one method. This type of medications are pharmaceuticals, prescribed by doctors. Of course we know there really isn’t a great deal a doctor can do for you unless he prescribes drugs. Although these high blood pressure drugs can eliminate or control hypertension, almost if not all have side effects with prolonged use.
Because of these side-effects, many people search out natural remedies for lowering blood pressure and naturally control hypertension. Unfortunatley, when most people first learn they have hypertension, they immediately begin taking high blood pressure pills since we have all been taught to follow our doctor’s recommendations when it comes to our health. However, will a little research and self-education, we can become better at maintaining good health using natural remedies which are readily available.
Hypertension medications have been prescribed for years to control blood pressure and reduce the symptoms of hypertension, usually in four differing combinations in separate pairs, or classes. Calcium channel blockers, beta blockers, diuretics and ACE inhibitors.
Side effects are common with these medications that can have far reaching effects throughout the body with long term use and is the main reason people seek out alternative natural remedies for high blood pressure. Thirst and frequent urination is a common side effect of diuretics. A dry, hacking cough is often associated with ACE inhibitors use and constipation is a frequent side-effect of calcium channel blockers.
High Blood Pressure Diet
One of the largest factors associated with hypertension that can have a direct result in helping to reduce high blood pressure is diet. Watching what you eat (you already knew this, didn’t you?) can have a major impact on reducing hypertension and symptoms of high blood pressure. Going on a high blood pressure diet does not mean you will be eating rabbit food and starving yourself, but it does mean if you are committed to a natural remedy for controlling hypertension, you must pay attention to what you are putting I your body.
People often associate eating correctly with weight loss. This is not to say eating right will not result in weight loss (most of us could benefit from losing a few pounds), but we need to focus on eating correctly to help reduce blood pressure and not weight loss. Weight loss is by-product of eating correctly. It is possible to reduce your blood pressure ten to twelve points just by eliminating one food from your diet. Diet is a very important factor in controlling hypertension, especially as we age.
Exercise And Hypertension
After diet, yes the dreaded E-word, exercise! The word that every coach potato is loathe to hear. Health officials have been telling us for years we should be exercising and they are correct. Exercising causes our vessels to widen and expand which in turn helps blood flow easier, reducing the pressure placed on vessels and internal organs. Fortunately you don’t need to run down to the gym and start pumping iron or join an aerobics class but you do need to learn to enjoy walking. Walking has been shown to be one of the best exercises we can do to help lower hypertension. Guess what? It’s free! Walking will not cost you a cent and can be done anytime anywhere, so there is no excuse.
Stress And High Blood Pressure
Another added benefit is, walking can greatly reduce stress levels. Stress and high blood pressure are synonymous with each other and walking can kill two birds with one stone: Help lower your blood pressure and reduce your stress levels. Many people struggle with stress every waking moment either from financial strains, family problems, work related issues or any number of things, all having a direct result on blood pressure levels. Learning to control stress is one of the healing attributes of naturally lowering hypertension to healthy levels.
Understanding stress and what it is should be your first priority. Stress simply put is the human body’s natural response to anxiety placed on the body reacting from an external source such as the problems mentioned above. If you are having financial difficulty, this will cause you to become concerned and increase your anxiety, which in turn can result in higher than normal levels of blood pressure. When we are anxious, the body naturally takes a defensive posture with increased heart rate, adrenaline rush and elevated perspiration. The body’s reaction to anxiety and external sources is a defense mechanism which prepares us for action. This in itself is not a bad thing, in fact, it’s helpful in certain situations.
It becomes unhealthy when we have these high levels of anxiety for a prolonged period of time when we should ordinarily be is a normal state, anxiety free. When we are anxious continually, hormones are associated with dealing with stress remain in the cardiovascular system which can lead to elevated blood pressure levels and chronic hypertension. Learning to control your emotions and how you react to everyday life can have far reaching effects on maintaining healthy blood pressure.
Hypertension Symptoms
Hypertension symptoms can be difficult to recognize even if there are any symptoms at all present. High blood pressure is called the silent killer for this very reason. People who suffer from this disease all too often have no idea they have hypertension and are at risk of sudden death as a result of heart attacks or strokes. Blood pressure levels should be monitored by all adults, especially those with a history of hypertension in their family. By vigilantly monitoring our blood pressure, even when we have normal levels, we increase our chances of avoiding sudden death or living longer than we would have if we had monitored our blood pressure.
Headaches and blurred vision are often hypertension symptoms experienced by those with severe cases. The important thing to remember about uncontrolled hypertension is it can effect the organs such as the eyes. If you discover you have hypertension and blurred vision it is important to see your doctor before damage is caused to your retina. Nausea and fatigue are other hypertension symptoms that people often write off to lack of sleep and poor diet. Although these symptoms are less common, it is important to note, they could be an indication of hypertension and raised blood pressure levels.
More often than not, most people are not aware they have high blood pressure and why it is important to check you blood pressure levels frequently. If however, you do realize you have hypertension it does not mean you are given a death sentence. On the contrary, healthy levels can be obtain by using drugs and medications prescribed by a doctor or alternative methods can be used through diet, exercise and other lifestyle changes associated with natural remedies to control blood pressure as outlined above.