Life changes for High Blood Pressure

To lower high blood pressure without the use of prescription drugs, lifestyle changes may be necessary. Studies show that the following changes will lower hypertension and increase overall health.

Moderate Exercise
Exercise can help in many ways. It aids in weight loss, reduces stress and lowers blood pressure levels. Swimming, aerobics, jogging and lifting light weights are forms of comfortable, low impact exercise to use, especially if you have been inactive for some time. People on blood pressure medications should consult with their health practitioner before starting an exercise program.

Dietary Considerations
Your diet should be converted to one that is low in fat (especially animal fats), low in sodium and high in fiber. Your diet should contain foods that are high in potassium, magnesium and calcium.
Emphasis should be placed on vegetables from the starch group, as well as large amounts of fresh, raw fruits and vegetables. Garlic and onions lower high blood pressure.
Fish can be beneficial since it contains omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids work to expand blood vessels. Mackerel, salmon, herring, cod and sardines are recommended. Refined sugar should be avoided since it can raise blood pressure.
Sources of Potassium: bananas, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, oranges, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, potatoes and squash.
Sources of Calcium: nuts, leafy green vegetables. Dairy products can be a source of calcium if they are low in fat, although other negative factors may mean that other calcium sources should receive preference.
Sources of Magnesium: Nuts (almonds, cashews, pecans), brown rice, bananas, potatoes, wheat germ, kidney and lima beans, soy products and molasses.

Stress Reduction Techniques
There are many ways to help reduce stress. Yoga, meditation, tai chi, massage therapy, biofeedback and hypnotherapy have all been shown to effectively reduce stress in hypertension people. Many of these can be done at home, at work, or in the car, with very little effort. A few minutes a day of meditation, or a massage by a licensed massage therapist once a month, can lower your stress levels and subsequently help hypertension.

Quit Smoking
Since tobacco is extremely high in nicotine and sodium, it can be an influencing factor in high blood pressure. Heartbeats quicken with the intake of nicotine. Carbon monoxide cuts the blood's ability to carry oxygen. Also, smokers are more prone to consume sugar, caffeine and alcohol (items that lead to hypertension) than nonsmokers.

No Caffeine
A recent study in France shows a direct correlation between the amount of coffee consumed and blood pressure levels. Comparing groups of non coffee drinkers to coffee drinkers, blood pressure levels would rise when coffee was consumed. The more coffee consumed, the more the blood pressure levels would rise. When less coffee was consumed, blood pressure levels would go back down.

Weight Loss
Since excess weight contributes to high blood pressure, dropping a few unwanted pounds would help get those levels down. This should be the primary goal of those people with high blood pressure who are overweight.

A page you need to check if you have an issue with blood pressure.

Meditation
Meditation is a legitimate way of inducing relaxation and ridding yourself of stress. The National Institute of Health announced that meditation is the preferred “treatment” over prescription drugs for mild hypertension. Meditation leads to relaxation, reduction in stress levels and lower blood pressure. Here are a few suggestions for having a pleasant experience with meditation:
1. Choose a quiet place: This should be a place where you won’t be interrupted during the time you are meditating, like the basement, your office (after your co-workers have left for the day), etc. Many people find it helpful to play some music that helps them relax.
2. Get comfortable: Although lying down may be the most comfortable thing to do, it is not the best position for meditation since it’s easy to fall asleep in this position, and falling asleep is not the purpose of this relaxive meditation. Sit on the floor or in a chair. Use pillows, cushions, back supports, whatever it takes.
3. Focus on something: You can think of a specific thought (a favorite place or memory), you can focus on a specific word or on a fixed object, or think of nothing at all. Breathing is important to meditation and relaxation, so many people like to focus on their breathing, keeping it steady and deep. Experiment with this to find what works best for you.
4. Meditate regularly: To see the positive effects of meditation, you should set aside time every day. It may be 5 minutes, it may be 20. It may be both morning and evening. Take a good, honest look at your daily routine and find time for a pleasant, relaxing moment. There are many good essays and books on meditation, both traditional and modern. Check with your local libraries or bookstores for more information.


Mayo Clinic Article (below)
How important is pulse pressure to your overall health?

"Blood pressure readings are given in two numbers. The top number is the maximum pressure your heart exerts while beating (systolic pressure), and the bottom number is the amount of pressure in your arteries between beats (diastolic pressure). The numeric difference between your systolic and diastolic blood pressure is called your pulse pressure. For example, if your resting blood pressure is 120/80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg), your pulse pressure is 40.

For adults older than age 60, a pulse pressure greater than 60 can be a useful predictor of heart attacks or other cardiovascular disease; this is especially true for men.

In some cases a low pulse pressure (less than 40) may indicate poor heart function. A higher pulse pressure (greater than 60) may reflect leaky heart valves (valve regurgitation), often due to age-related losses in aortic elasticity.

However, systolic and diastolic pressure should also be considered alongside pulse pressure values. Higher systolic and diastolic pairs imply higher risk than lower pairs with the same pulse pressure: 160/120 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) indicates a higher risk than 110/70 mm Hg even though the pulse pressure in each pair is 40.

The most important cause of elevated pulse pressure is stiffness of the aorta, the largest artery in the body. The stiffness may be due to high blood pressure or fatty deposits damaging the walls of the arteries, leaving them less elastic (atherosclerosis). The greater your pulse pressure, the stiffer and more damaged the vessels are thought to be.

Other conditions - including severe iron deficiency (anemia) and an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) - can increase pulse pressure as well.

Treating high blood pressure often reduces pulse pressure, although different medications may have varying impacts."