Routine lifestyle changes that reduce blood pressure

High blood pressure is a condition that affects many women now, irrespective of age and for people suffering from this condition, medication alone may not be sufficient for wellness and healthy living.

Experts advocate small changes in routine as one effective way of bringing down high blood pressure. Indeed, there is a lot that can be done daily to control it; healthier eating habits, exercising more as well as rearranging schedule to refuce stress and keep your readings in check.

For some, these healthy habits keep medications away while those that still use medication also feel healthier with the right habit.

Eating lots of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy can lower blood pressure; foods that don’t have much fat or cholesterol. This is called the Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet.

Also, shed extra weight especially around the waist and midsection as these can affect blood pressure and engage in physical activities for at least 150 minutes weekly. Aerobic workout is a healthy activity as it makes the  lungs and heart work a little harder.

Watch your salt intake and get more potassium through food like banana, baked potato with the skin, spinach, beans, tomatoes, oranges, yogurt, and sweet potatoes. But if you have other health challenges like kidney disease, potassium intake must be monitored.

Avoid any situation that puts you under pressure. Limit junk food, alcohol and avoid smoking. It is also important to create stress coping mechanisms e.g. deep breathing, meditation, yoga, or soft music.

Watch caffeine intake especially if you love coffee or soda drinks as it may cause a short spike in your blood pressure when you drink it. Then, get enough sleep as sleeping automatically brings down blood pressure.

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