5 Things We Now Know About Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
How To Lower Blood Pressure Quickly And Safely
Exercise is one way to lower your blood pressure naturally. Adults should get about 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week. (Photo Credit: iStock/Getty Images)
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, happens when it takes too much force to push your blood through your arteries, making your heart work too hard. More than 1.2 billion adults worldwide have high blood pressure and almost half don't know they have the condition.
High blood pressure raises your chances of having heart attacks and strokes. It's important to know your numbers, because if you have high blood pressure, you'll want to bring those numbers down. You can take your blood pressure at home with a blood pressure cuff, or get it taken at your doctor's office. Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). The American Heart Association ranks high blood pressure in four categories:
Normal: Lower than 120/80 mm Hg
Elevated: The top number (systolic – how much force is put on your blood vessels when your heart beats) is 120-129 mm Hg and the bottom number (diastolic – the force on blood vessels between beats) is less than 80 mm Hg
Stage 1 hypertension: The top number is 130-139 mm Hg and the bottom number is 80-89 mm Hg.
Stage 2 hypertension: The top number is 140-179 mm Hg and the bottom number is 90-119 mm Hg.
If you blood pressure is ever greater than 180/120 mm Hg, it is considered a medical emergency, and you should get care right away.
How long does it take to lower blood pressure?
It can take 1-3 months of regular exercise to see your blood pressure start to go down. If you change your diet (for instance, eat less sodium and try the DASH diet), you might see your numbers drop in a couple of weeks. Taking medication will help you lower your blood pressure in about 4-6 weeks.
How to lower blood pressure with medication
Lifestyle changes may be enough to get and keep your blood pressure under control. If it's not, you might need medication, too. It's important to take it exactly as your doctor prescribes, so don't cut doses or skip days. If you have trouble remembering, get help with electronic reminders or daily pillboxes. Medications used to treat blood pressure include:
Diuretics,like chlorthalidone (Hygroton), help your body get rid of salt (sodium) and water.
Beta-blockers, includingmetoprolol tartrate (Lopressor), lower your heart rate and the amount of blood the heart pumps.
Alpha-blockers, likedoxazosin (Cardura), relax the walls of small veins and arteries.
Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors,includingbenazepril (Lotensin), help the body make less angiotensin (a chemical that narrows blood vessels).
Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs),like irbesartan (Avapro), reduce the effects of angiotensin.
Vasodilators,includingminoxidil (Loniten), relax the blood vessel walls, letting them open more easily.
Calcium channel-blockers,likeamlodipine (Lotrel), keep calcium from getting into the heart and artery muscle cells.
Alpha-2 receptor agonists,includingclonidine (Catapres), reduce the activity of the part of the nervous system that produces adrenaline.
Combined alpha- and beta-blockers are typically only used if you are in a hypertensive emergency (given as an IV) or are at high risk of a heart attack.
If you don't want to take medication, or your blood pressure is just slightly high and you'd like to bring it down, there are a number of things you can eat, and drink, to lower it naturally.
Foods to reduce blood pressure
Your doctor may suggest you try a program called DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension). It is a well-known, flexible eating plan meant to help you manage and lower blood pressure. Following DASH may help you lower your blood pressure by 8-14 points.
Instead of prescribing exactly what to eat, the plan recommends eating plenty of foods packed with vitamins like potassium and magnesium, like leafy greens or beans. It also suggests having:
You should have no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day on DASH, but you may see better results if you have no more than 1,500 milligrams daily.
The DASH diet suggests staying away from or cutting back on:
The DASH diet is a healthy option for most people wanting to lower blood pressure, but talk to your doctor before starting it if you have chronic kidney disease, chronic liver disease, or are taking hypertension medications including ACE inhibitors, ARBs, and beta-blockers. You may also need to modify the diet plan if you have heart failure, diabetes that isn't well-controlled, celiac disease, or are lactose intolerant.
Reduce your sodium intake
It's a prime offender in raising blood pressure. The American Heart Association recommends that people with hypertension keep it under 1,500 milligrams a day. Check your food labels to see how much you're getting. If you cut back gradually, you're less likely to notice the difference. Limiting sodium to just 2,400 milligrams daily can lower your number 2-8 points.
One way to cut back is to prepare your food at home. Seventy-five percent of your sodium intake comes from eating out and packaged foods. Use more spices for flavor instead of salt. Eating more potassium (found in foods like bananas, raisins, tuna, and milk) helps move sodium out of your body.
Here are ways to cut down on salt and add healthy flavor:
Drinks that lower blood pressure
Some juices – like beet juice (which has nitrates that relax blood vessels) and ones that are high in potassium (which help you get rid of sodium) like prune, carrot, and pomegranate – can help lower blood pressure. Just be sure to limit how much you drink because most juice (even 100% juice) is high in calories.
Skim milk has a lot of nutrients, including potassium, which helps you get rid of sodium.
Tea has healthy compounds that are thought to reduce inflammation, relax and reduce oxidative stress in the blood vessels, and help your body use nitric oxide.
You can bring down your systolic blood pressure 2-4 points when you limit yourself to one alcoholic drink a day – for women or people assigned female at birth (AFAB) – or two drinks daily – for men or people assigned male at birth (AMAB). One drink is 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor.
It's also a good idea to limit caffeine intake (no more than one cup of coffee or soda a day if you have high blood pressure), sugar-filled drinks, and energy drinks (which are often high in both sugar and caffeine).
Supplements to lower blood pressure
Research shows that some vitamins and minerals may help lower blood pressure. Before taking anything, talk to your doctor and be sure they know about all of the medications and supplements you take to avoid any interactions.
Supplements
Vitamins
Lower blood pressure with exercise
When you exercise, you strengthen your heart. The stronger your heart is, the less force it requires to pump blood, reducing the pressure on your arteries.
Aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week, or 150 total hours of moderate physical activity weekly. And you don't have to hit the gym to see benefits. Your activities can include gardening, washing your car, or housework. Aerobic activities like walking, dancing, jogging, riding your bike, and swimming are particularly good for your heart. Regular physical activity may lower your blood pressure 6-12 systolic points and 3-7 diastolic points.
Exercise can also help you lose weight, which can benefit your blood pressure. Research shows you may be able to lower your systolic blood pressure by 5 to 20 points for every 20 pounds you lose. If you're overweight, losing as little as 10 pounds can help lower blood pressure. One goal may be to get your body mass index (BMI) between 18.5 and 24.9.
Weight loss can also help with sleep apnea – when your breathing briefly stops multiple times while you sleep. Sleep apnea may raise your blood pressure and make your heartbeat irregular.
Plan to shed pounds slowly with a steady mix of healthy eating and exercise. If you aim to lose 1-2 pounds a week, you are more likely to have long-term success keeping weight off than if you lose weight too quickly.
Ease stress
Lowering your stress helps keep your blood pressure normal. Try mind-body exercises like yoga and tai chi. Meditation can also help with stress, as can listening to calming music, or making music. Sitting in the sun can boost feel-good chemicals called endorphins and lower your blood pressure. And don't forget about your support network. Visiting with friends and family may help lighten your mood.
Other things you might try to get a handle on stress include:
Setting realistic daily goals: Determine your priorities and don't put pressure on yourself to try to do too much.
Controlling what you can: See if you can do something about the things that cause you the most stress. It can sometimes help to bounce ideas off a co-worker or a family member to find a solution. Also, be aware when things are not in your control and try not to worry about them, if possible.
Staying clear of stressors: If you know that something or someone causes you stress, do your best to avoid them.
Finding some "me" time: Take a break during the day to do something you like. Take a walk or find a quiet place to meditate or do some deep breathing.
Seeking therapy: A therapist or counselor may help you come up with tips to reduce your stress levels. Sometimes, just talking about things can be good for mental health.
Stop smoking
Swearing off cigarettes is probably the single best thing you can do for your heart. It's good for your health in general, too. Not only does smoking hurt you over the long term, but your blood pressure goes up every time you have a cigarette. Lower your blood pressure and prolong your life by quitting. If you need help getting started, talk to your doctor.
Get quality sleep
When you are sleeping, your heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure usually go down. If you don't get enough sleep, that means your blood pressure stays higher, longer, and doesn't give your body that break. Lack of sleep may also affect your body's ability to control stress hormones, which can raise your blood pressure.
To get a good night's sleep, it's best to stick to a regular schedule, exercise early in the day, don't eat or drink too close to bedtime, and avoid caffeine late in the day.
As many as 16% of pregnant women or people AFAB have hypertension during pregnancy. You are considered to have high blood pressure if you're pregnant and have two blood pressure readings that are 140/90 mm Hg or higher. High blood pressure during pregnancy can cause complications including:
Types of pregnancy high blood pressure
You can have different types of high blood pressure during pregnancy. Some come with a higher risk of complications than others. They include:
Chronic hypertension is when you have high blood pressure before pregnancy or it comes on during the first 5 months of pregnancy.
Gestational hypertension is when you have it after the first 5 months of pregnancy.
Preeclampsia also happens after the first 5 months of pregnancy. Many times, tests will show that you have protein in your urine, which means that your kidneys aren't working the way they should. Preeclampsia can be serious and often requires you to deliver your baby early.
HELLP syndrome is a very rare type of preeclampsia where you also have hemolysis (where red blood cells are destroyed), elevated enzyme levels of the liver, and your platelets (blood cells that help blood clot) are low. If you have this, you will probably need an early delivery.
Eclampsia requires medical help right away and happens when preeclampsia is untreated or not treated well. This is rare and causes seizures that can be life-threatening.
How to reduce hypertension during pregnancy
If your doctor thinks you might have high blood pressure during pregnancy, they will usually take a urine sample and may order blood tests. If you have slightly high blood pressure, or you have chronic hypertension, your doctor may just monitor you to make sure it doesn't get worse. There are a number of safe ways to lower your blood pressure during pregnancy.
Don't skip prenatal visits. Make sure to see your doctor regularly while you are pregnant.
Stay physically active. Most people can remain physically active during pregnancy. Make sure to talk to your doctor – especially if you weren't exercising regularly before your pregnancy – to find out what is safe for you.
Eat a heart-healthy diet. Talk to your doctor to see if the DASH diet is right for you. There is some evidence showing it may reduce blood pressure (but not necessarily hypertension disorders) in pregnant women. If DASH isn't for you, try to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein each day. Also, cut back on sodium and processed foods.
Take aspirin. Your doctor may recommend taking low-dose aspirin (81 milligrams) starting in your second trimester. This could help prevent preeclampsia later in your pregnancy.
Take blood pressure medications. Your doctor may prescribe medications that lower blood pressure. Not all hypertension medications are safe to take during pregnancy. If you were taking them before you got pregnant, let your doctor know and they will move you to a different one, like labetalol or thiazide diuretics.
Having high blood pressure, or hypertension, increases your risk of having a heart attack or stroke. But you can reduce your blood pressure by getting regular exercise and eating a diet full of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. If your blood pressure is consistently high, talk to your doctor. They may recommend medications to keep it in check.
Natural Remedies For High Blood Pressure
Herbs, supplements, a healthy eating pattern, and a few yoga exercises constitute the natural remedies for lowering high blood pressure.
Natural remedies are sometimes sufficient to prevent and control high blood pressure in people with family history of the condition or in people who have the risk factors. Here are some natural remedies for high blood pressure.Advertisement
Nutritional changes to lower high blood pressure1. DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet - Researches have shown that DASH diet can reduce the risk of developing as well as lowering an already elevated blood pressure. DASH diet plan emphasizes fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy foods and includes whole grains, poultry, fish and nuts too. This diet plan advises low intake of fats, red meats, sweets and sugared beverages.
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DASH diet is particularly effective if you are overweight or obese. A Medical University of South Carolina study found that obesity may raise blood pressure through oxidative stress and DASH diet is effective in decreasing blood pressure by enhancing antioxidant capacity in obese people with hypertension. The researchers also found that blood pressure did not change significantly in lean people with normal blood pressure.Advertisement
Another study from Australia suggested that the best diet to delay the onset of high blood pressure and high blood glucose related to age is one low in calories and saturated fats, and high in whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables.2. Reduce Salt/ Sodium Intake. Choose foods that are lower in salt and sodium content. The National Institute of Health recommends consumption of less that 2.4 g (2,400 mg) of sodium per day. It is equivalent to one teaspoon of table salt per day. Reducing sodium intake will work better if you increase consumption of potassium. Avoid processed foods, junk foods and fried foods.
3. Drink plenty of fluids daily. Drink water equivalent to 50 percent of your body weight in ounce. For example, if you weigh 140 pounds, drink 70 ounce of water every day.
4. Go easy on alcohol. Drinking too much alcohol can raise blood pressure. Limit your alcohol intake to one drink if you are a woman and two drinks if you are a man.
Supplements to lower high blood pressure
Some supplements may help decrease hypertension. Although supplements can be taken in the form of pills or capsules, its best you take them in your diet as foods. Always consult your doctor before adding any supplements to your blood pressure treatment.
Supplements that help control high blood pressure include:
Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) – ALA can be obtained from foods such as flaxseeds, walnuts, soybean, and dark green leafy vegetables.
Omega-3 fatty acids – Food sources for omega-3 fatty acids are salmon, sardines, cod (14 ounces of fish per week), cod liver oil (3 teaspoons per day), walnut, and tofu.
Co-enzyme Q10 – Food sources for co-enzyme Q10 are not well documented. However, it is available from foods such as fish, organ meats viz. Liver, kidney and heart, and whole grain germs.
Herbs and home remedies for lowering high blood pressure
Apart from herbs such as arjuna bark, olive leaf extract, and hawthorn, the following natural remedies also help lower high blood pressure.
1. Cocoa
Surprisingly, hot cocoa has been found to prevent and control high blood pressure. A study from Institute of Human Nutrition and Food Science, Christian Albrechts University, Germany, found that polyphenols in cocoa exhibit anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-atherogenic activity. But they also indicated that bio-availability of cocoa polyphenols from dietary intake is very low. [6] So if you plan to get these polyphenols from chocolate, take into account its high energy content.
Alternatively, if you go by a Harvard research, drinking 5 cups of cocoa every day can help you control high blood pressure. This is because flavanols in cocoa stimulate your body's production of nitric oxide that boosts blood flow to heart, brain and other organs.
2. Garlic
Garlic, best known for its anti-cholesterol properties, also helps lower high blood pressure if taken over time. The recommended dose is 1-2 capsules to be taken twice a day, if you can't take raw garlic cloves because of its pungent taste and smell. Garlic eases the spasm in the arteries, slows the pulse and modifies heart rhythm besides relieving the symptoms of dizziness, shortness of breath and flatulence. Consult your doctor before using garlic as blood pressure treatment.
3. Rauwolfia
Rauwolfia serpentina, also called Indian snakeroot or sarpagandha, contains alkaloids that are used to treat high blood pressure. Rauwolfia alkaloids work by controlling nerve impulses along certain nerve pathways. They act on the heart and blood vessels and thus lower high blood pressure.
Oral dosage for adults is 50-100 mg of Rauwolfia tablets per day. However, rauwolfia will not cure your high blood pressure but it does help control it. Pregnant women and breastfeeding women should avoid using rauwolfia to control their blood pressure.
4. Yoga and breathing exercises to control high blood pressure
Relaxation techniques such as yoga with breathing exercises can help you relax and reduce your stress levels and consequently lower high blood pressure. Consult your doctor before beginning on any yoga or breathing techniques.Shavasana (the corpse pose) and sukhasana (the easy pose) are two yogasanas that help control high blood pressure.
Shavasana:
Lie down face up on the yoga mat in a warm room.
Place your feet about 20 inches apart and loosen (relax) the ankles and toes so that they point outwards.
Place the hands palm up about 10 inches away from the body.
Ensure that your shoulder blades are pulled down and the small of your back is relaxed into the floor.
Completely relax the body so that eventually you'll forget its there.
Focus on your breath. Breathe normally. Notice the subtle movements of breathing.
Feel yourself in tune with the rhythms of the body. Detach yourself from your thoughts. Let go.
Come out of shavasana very slowly so as to keep base with the tranquil and relaxed feelings inside of you.
Sukhasana:
It is a classic seated posture that will help you relax.
Sit on the yoga mat, fold the legs in toward your body, crossing the shins and placing each foot beneath the opposite knee.
Leave a comfortable gap between the feet and the pelvis.
Place your hands in your lap palm up. You may also lay your hands on your knees palm down.
Firm your shoulders but don't overarch your lower back.
Sit in this position for as long as you are comfortable.
Breathe normally. Focus on your breathing till you relax.
Remember to alternate the cross of the legs.
Reach out to people. Nurture love and affection. Laugh as much as you can. Laughter is the best medicine. It is a good relaxation therapy. All these natural remedies can help you reduce stress and lower your high blood pressure.
How Can I Cure High Blood Pressure?
The fact that your doctor does not want to put you on medication suggests to me that your blood pressure is only slightly raised. This is good news, as some simple lifestyle changes may be all that are required to return it to normal.
Start with your diet - cut out salt as much as possible, which means you should only use the bare mimimum when you are cooking, and try not to add it to your food on the plate. You should also avoid salty foods, such as peanuts, smoked meats, and many processed foods (which contain a lot of added salt.)
Instead, make a real effort to eat more fresh foods, especially fruit and vegetables. Lose excess weight - which can often have a dramatic effect on high blood pressure - and take more exercise. If you can't make it to a gym, try to become generally more active during the day, such as walking upstairs instead of taking the lift, and not using the car for short journeys.
If your blood pressure is onlt slightly raised however, it is unlikely that it is to blame for your headaches - normally blood pressure has to be significantly raised to cause symptoms.
It may be that worrying about your blood pressure is more to blame for your headaches than the blood pressure itself. So if your headaches persist, see your doctor, who can help find the real cause!
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