Blood Pressure has to be one of the most common medical terms that we keep on hearing since childhood. No wonder every physician takes out his sphygmomanometer as soon as you complain of any health problem; because blood pressure is one of the most important signs of life.

What is Blood Pressure?

The blood is pumped-up by the heart into the arteries to deliver oxygen and other precious nutrients to the body tissues. The pressure exerted by the blood on the walls of the arteries is called Blood Pressure. Higher our blood pressure, higher the risk of health problems in our lives.

A blood pressure that is too low also is a precursor of health problems. So it is important that the blood pressure is in the desired normal range to ward off the potential health problems.

Good news is that the blood pressure can be naturally controlled to hover in the normal range with the three simple lifestyle changes:

Tone down the amount of salt in your food:

By its natural function, salt makes the body retain the water. Eating more salt increases the water content in the body thus increasing the volume of blood. Now the heart has to work hard to pump the blood, thereby increasing the blood pressure in the process. Salt plays a significant role in increasing the B.P and toning it down is one of the quickest ways to control the blood pressure.

How to cut down the salt?

An adult’s salt consumption must not exceed more than 6 grams, but it often does. Almost 80% of the salt we take is hidden in the junk foods and processed foods like bread, cookies, sauces and even processed cereals. So the best way to cut down the salt is to minimize the junk and processed foods. In addition to this using a moderate salt in our daily meals and foods can help you successfully curb the extra salt and thus lower the blood pressure.

Increase your exercise activity:

Exercise is the second fastest way to decrease blood pressure after cutting down the salt. Regular exercise especially the Cardio makes the heart more efficient in pumping the blood thereby decreasing the blood pressure in the process. Exercise also helps in losing extra weight which puts an additional strain on the heart. Exercise not only helps your heart but also makes the arteries more flexible to withstand the demands resulting in health circulatory system.

How much exercise is needed?

A minimum of 30 minutes of moderate activity (walking) every day, at least 5 times a week is found to lower the blood pressure by strengthening the heart and the arteries.

 

Manage your stress effectively:

Stress is the third most important and also the common cause of high blood pressure. Chronical stress increases the heart rate and constricts your blood vessels increasing the blood pressure.

 But that is not all, this stress can also push you towards a harmful lifestyle of indulging in alcohol, smoking and junk food consumption which further increases the incidence of health problems. So it is important that you learn to lead a stress-free life by resorting to healthy activities like meditation and exercise.

Lowering the blood pressure is not a herculean task, all it need is making the above changes and sticking with them consistently. So lower salt intake, exercise, and bust the stress with meditation and you will surely see your blood pressure fall back to the normal healthy levels.