What is blood pressure and how to control it ?
The first thing doctors check when you go to see them is your blood pressure, so keeping it under control is obviously very important. But what is it and what can I do about it. Imagine that your veins and arteries are a faucet and that water is your blood. Your blood pressure can be described as the force that the ‘water’ comes out of the faucet; so if you have high blood pressure, you would feel a strong force and with low blood pressure, a weak one. There are a few things that contribute to the variations of pressure; for example, imagine that you narrowed or widened the exit or lip of that faucet. The water would have a greater or lesser force accordingly, even though the same amount of liquid was coming through.
This can happen to your blood vessels through cholesterol lining them or from lost elasticity. But that’s not the only thing that causes a drop or rise in the tension experienced by the flow of blood through your body. Other than lowering your cholesterol through diet, here are other ways of keeping the flow just right.
How to reduce high blood pressure:-
1. Reduce your alcohol consumption- Have you notices that heavy drinkers often have very red faces – that’s the high blood pressure doing that. Therefore, it’s only logical; limit it to no more than two.
2. Stop smoking- That’s all, just stop. The thousands of chemicals in tobacco have adverse effects on the body that they are still cataloging. Give them up.
3. Eat balanced diet- A diet that’s rich in fiber will keep your blood running smoothly and reducing fatty foods will keep the cholesterol down.
4. Take potassium- This element has a calming effect on the heart and helps to lower the pulse rate. It can be found in any health food store.
5. Reduce your sodium intake- Salt is notoriously bad for raising your heart-rate so cut it out as a condiment and always read the labels of processed foods as they can contain a lot of salt that’s not very obvious in the taste. Many products advertise themselves as low sodium so buy those instead.
6. Learn how to relax- Stress is an automatic pressure builder, so you must learn how to relax. Do yoga, go walking, deep-breathe. Make the effort to slow down.
7. Exercise more- Workout for at least 30 minutes a day, which can bring down your high blood pressure level drastically.
How to control low blood pressure:-
1. Increase sodium intake- Eat more salt as in the opposite of high pressure, eating more will have the opposite effect and raise our heart rate.
2. Keep yourself hydrated- Drinking more water is always a good idea, it will add more volume and slow down the rate.
3. Move more carefully- When changing position, move more slowly and carefully to avoid a head rush and dizziness.
4. Take cayenne pepper- The capsicum in this magical plant increases your blood flow and metabolism and is good for losing weight also.
5. Don’t strain physically- Avoid picking up heavy objects and ‘pushing’ when on the toilet.
6. Avoid going in heat – Avoid taking hot baths, showers, steam-rooms and saunas as long periods in hot water can exacerbate the condition and cause dizziness or even fainting.
7. Reduce the size of your meals- If you eat more frequently and smaller portions, you are being easier on your system in general and your blood appreciates it.
There is also a huge selection of medication out there for raising or lowering your blood pressure and a good doctor will prescribe an appropriate one. However, controlling it yourself is more favorable and the fewer chemicals you put in your body, the better.
Finally, your heart and blood are too important to mess around with and if you think you have a problem, consult the professionals always.
-Written by Maureen Stevens
