There is a diet specifically aimed at lowering blood pressure. It’s called the DASH diet, which stands for dietary approaches to stop hypertension. Talk to your doctor or make an appointment with a dietitian if you need help making changes to your diet. Blood flowing through the arteries puts pressure on the artery walls. The above number is called systolic blood pressure, and the number below is called diastolic blood pressure. While both measures are important, many doctors believe that systolic blood pressure is a better predictor of hypertension complications, such as heart disease or stroke.
You can buy individually wrapped pieces of chocolate that are the perfect size. Eat one or two a day and enjoy the delicious heart-protecting effects. Doctors recommend at least 150 minutes a week of exercise to lower blood pressure.
By the end of the study, the swimmers had lowered their systolic blood pressure by an average of nine points. Dark chocolate and cocoa powder are full of heart-healthy plant compounds called flavonoids. Flavonoids are good for you because they cause your blood vessels to dilate, which can help lower blood pressure. Just make sure your chocolate doesn’t contain too much sugar. Choose chocolate that is at least 70 percent dark for best results.
Find the answer and learn how medical treatments and lifestyle modifications combat this common problem. Both beta-blockers, or beta-adrenergic blockers, and angiotensin II receptor blockers cause blood vessels to dilate through various actions in the nervous system. Beta-blockers and ARBs are used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure. If you are dealing with complications of high blood pressure, such as a stroke or heart attack, contact your doctor immediately. If you have high blood pressure, without complications, the first thing you need to do is calm down and lie down.
Smoking cigarettes or using smokeless tobacco increases the risk of high blood pressure because nicotine causes blood vessels to constrict. Narrow blood vessels mean that your heart has to work harder to pump blood. Just 20 minutes after quitting smoking, blood pressure and heart rate drop dramatically, according to the American Heart Association. Within two weeks of quitting smoking, your circulation and lung function improve. Quitting smoking also improves your overall health and reduces your risk of heart disease. Medication is the main option for treating high blood pressure.
Along with weight loss, exercise is probably the best way to lower blood pressure without the possible side effects of medication, Bisognano said. It makes arteries more flexible and better able to dilate, which directly lowers systolic blood pressure, he said. Doctors have long known that systolic blood pressure below 120 was considered normal and meant a lower risk of heart disease and kidney problems. But they would often only treat patients if that top number exceeded 140, the threshold for officially having high blood pressure.
That means the same amount of blood has to go through a smaller space, like a crowd pushing down a hallway. These medications can also make blood pressure medications less effective. Your doctor or pharmacist can help you choose over-the-counter products for sinus problems and colds that are safer if you have high hoge bloeddruk verlagen blood pressure. Potassium can help regulate your heart rate and may reduce the effect of sodium on your blood pressure. Foods such as bananas, melons, oranges, apricots, avocados, dairy, green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, tuna, salmon, beans, nuts and seeds have a lot of potassium.