There are many ways of lowering high blood pressure if you should suffer from hypertension. High blood pressure means that the pressure in your arteries is higher then normal, normal blood pressure is 120/80 or lower and high blood pressure is anything above–0/90.
The top number in your blood pressure is associated with the pressure of the blood inside of your arteries when your heart is beating or contracting and is called systolic pressure. The pressure of the blood in your arteries during the period your heart rests in between beats is called the diastolic pressure.
High blood pressure can be quite serious as its long term symptoms are very dangerous and life threatening. High blood pressure can lead to eye damage, brain damage, stroke, hardening of the arteries, kidney damage and heart disease. Any organ damage is considered an end result as this occurs after many years of high blood pressure and death can soon follow.
If you are diagnosed with high blood pressure you need to begin treatment to lower your blood pressure back to normal ranges. There are some lifestyle changes you can make that help in lowering high blood pressure which include following a healthy diet. What you eat will affect your body and a diet that is high in fresh vegetables and fruits and low in fat is much better for a healthy body. Reducing the salt and sodium content in your diet is important as too much salt can exacerbate high blood pressure.
Being overweight will also increase your blood pressure so maintaining a healthy weight or losing weight can help your blood pressure. Drinking too much alcohol and smoking have also been known to increase your blood pressure thus stopping smoking and reducing your alcohol consumption can decrease your high blood pressure.
You can use medically-prescribed drugs for lowering high blood pressure as most medications are very effective. Beta-blockers lower blood pressure by causing your heart to relax and beat slower. Diuretics work on the kidneys instead of the heart and flush out excess water and salt that may be causing your high blood pressure. Sometimes high blood pressure can be caused by hormones and if this is the cause then a hormone inhibitor called angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor can be used.
Depending on your needs, your doctor may recommend a calcium channel blocker for lowering high blood pressure. This type of drug causes the heart to relax by blocking calcium from entering the heart muscle cells. Alpha blockers and alpha beta blockers can be used to ensure the blood is comfortably moving through your arteries as well as slowing down your heart beat.
One of the easiest ways to help your high blood pressure is to reduce weight. Using some of the south beach diet exercise routines may be the easiest way to reduce those surplus inches.
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