Great Guide on Controlling Blood Pressure Without Medication

There is always no need any prescribed medicines to lower your blood pressure. However, adopting the following natural lifestyle changes, you can not only lower your blood pressure but also can reduce your risk of heart disease.

Indeed, lifestyle plays an important role in treating your blood pressure. If you are able to control your blood pressure successfully with a healthy lifestyle, you can also avoid, delay or reduce the need for treatment of medication.

Here are some lifestyle changes you can take into account to lower your blood pressure and keep it down.

Lose extra weight

Blood pressure is much related to gain in weight. Losing just 10 pounds can help reduce your blood pressure. In fact, the more weight you lose, the lower your blood pressure. Losing weight can also make the medicines more effective if your taking them.

Besides losing pounds, you should also keep an eye on your waistline. Carrying too much weight around your waist can put you at stake of high blood pressure. In general:

• Men can put their life in danger if their waist measures greater than 40 inches (102 centimeters, or cm).

• Women can put their life in danger if their waist measures greater than 35 inches (88 cm).

• Asian men are considered to be at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 36 inches (90 cm).

• Asian women are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 32 inches (80 cm).

Exercise regularly

Regular physical activity for at least 30 to 40 minutes almost every second day of the week can lower your blood pressure by 4 to 9 millimeters of mercury and it doesn’t take long to notice a difference. If you have not been active, the time is now to increase your exercise level as it can lower your blood pressure in just a few weeks.

Eat a healthy diet

Eating a balanced diet containing the whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products and saturated fat and cholesterol can lower your blood pressure by up to 14 mm of mercury.

Reduce Sodium in your Diet

Need of sodium is very important for a good health and to maintain our body but excessive use can put a high blood pressure patient at stake. It is suggested to reduce the use of sodium after the age of 30 years. You can make your routine at home to minimize the use of salt.

If you reduce a small amount of sodium in your diet, it can reduce blood pressure by 2 to 8 mm Hg. Healthy persons need only between 1,500 and 2,400 milligrams (mg) of sodium a day but if you have high blood pressure, reduce the intake to less than 1,500 mg of sodium a day.

Limit the amount of alcohol

Alcohol can be both good and bad for your health. Intake in small amounts can potentially lower your blood pressure by 2 to 4 mm Hg but protective effect is lost when you drink too much alcohol. Generally more than one drink a day for women and more than two a day for men is more than enough. Also, if you do not normally drink alcohol, you don’t need to start drinking as a way to reducing your blood pressure. There is more potential harm than benefit to drinking alcohol.