Why High Blood Pressure Is So Bad For Your Body and How To Lower Blood Pressure.
High blood pressure is known to be a major silent killer disease in the world today, because you may not feel that anything is wrong with you, but high blood pressure could be quietly causing damage that can threaten your health.
Many people don’t know exactly how it can seriously affect your body and cause death in the long run – or what to do to lower the blood pressure naturally.
What Is Hypertension?
The American Heart Association states that High blood pressure (HBP or hypertension) is when your blood pressure, the force of your blood pushing against the walls of your blood vessels, is consistently too high. This condition will eventually make your heart and blood vessels work way harder than they need to, increasing the workload of the heart and blood vessels. And over time, this can cause severe effects on your body.
Hypertension Effects On Your Body
1. Heart problems and heart failure
First and foremost, the heart takes a serious hit when your blood pressure is consistently beyond the normal numbers. According to AHA, High blood pressure damages the arteries that can become blocked and prevent blood flow to the heart muscle. Also the increased workload from high blood pressure can cause the heart to enlarge and fail to supply blood to the body.
2. Damage to the arteries
The arteries inner linings are likely to suffer when the pressure of the blood inside is high. They can become hard and less elastic over time, which limits how much blood can flow through them. Peripheral artery disease, which occurs when the arteries in the legs, arms, stomach, and head are narrowed, is a common complication of hypertension. And of course, if the arteries leading to the heart become very narrow and eventually blocked, this can lead to a heart attack. Also if this occurs in the arteries going to the brain, can cause stroke.
3. Stroke
Over 80% of people suffering from stroke today were once hypertensive and didn’t manage it, thereby leading the stroke. The brain needs a constant blood supply to continue working, and high blood pressure can damage or weaken the blood vessels in the brain. This then causes the vessels to narrow or rupture. Alternatively, hypertension can also cause blood clots to form in the arteries that supply blood to the brain, which then can result in a deadly stroke.
4. Vision loss
Ooh you knew the heart can be affected — but do you also know that your vision can also be affected when you’re dealing with hypertension? The blood vessels supplying blood to the eye can be block by blood cloth or ruptured, resulting in vision loss. Also fluid can build up under your retina because of a ruptured blood vessel in a layer of blood vessels located under the retina. This can result in distorted vision or in some cases scarring that impairs vision.
5. Kidney disease or failure
The kidney is a very useful organ in the body which filters out waste and fluid from the blood. High blood pressure can damage the arteries around the kidneys and interfere with their ability to filter blood effectively. The Mayo Clinic notes high blood pressure is actually one of the leading causes of kidney failure. And this health condition can also cause scarring on your kidneys or an aneurysm in an artery leading to the kidneys, thus causing internal bleeding or death.
6. Sexual dysfunction
The AHA notes that because Hypertension is about the blood and the blood vessels, it can lead to erectile dysfunction in men or lower libido in women. Arterial damage can mean less blood flow throughout your entire body, thus causing many men to deal with sexual dysfunction like weak erection.
How To Lower Blood Pressure
So far, you’ve known that High blood pressure raises your chances of having heart attack, kidney failure, stroke and many other health issues. It’s important to visit your doctor regularly to know your numbers. If you have high blood pressure, there are things you can do to bring it down, including taking medication.
1. Loss weight
Losing as little as 10 pounds weight if you are overweight can lower your blood pressure. According to WebMD Loss weight slowly with a steady mix of healthy diet and exercise will go a long way to reduce your blood pressure.
2. Diet
Total cut down on the following:
❌ Foods high in total and saturated fats.
❌ Processed foods, especially ones high in carbohydrates, sugar, fat, and salt.
❌ Alcohol. Little can lower blood pressure, but much will do the opposite.
❌ Caffeine. It can raise your blood pressure.
Eat more of the following:
✔️ Eat fresh fruits and vegetables, in as many colors as possible.
✔️ Go heavy on whole grains.
✔️ Drink lots of water.
3. Exercise
Exercise goes hand-in-hand with healthy eating. The effects of exercise can be dramatic: Blood pressure drops of 4 to 9 points. Experts recommendations at least half an hour of exercise most days of the week.
NOTE: Exercise doesn’t necessarily mean you going to the gym. It can be gardening, washing your car, or even housework. But aerobic exercises that get your heart rate up — like walking, dancing, jogging, riding your bike, and swimming are best for your heart.
4. Cut Down On Salt Intake
The common salt we use in cooking can really raise the blood pressure. American Heart Association recommends that people with hypertension keep it under 1,500 milligrams a day. But a total cut down is better and if you do it gradually, you’re less likely to notice the difference.
One way to cut down on salt intake is to prepare your food at home. 75% of your sodium intake comes from eating out and packaged foods. Eating foods rich in potassium will help remove sodium in your body. Experts not that this can bring blood pressure down as much as 2 to 8 points.
5. Relax
Stress lowering and relaxation helps keep your blood pressure normal. Meditation and body-mind exercise like yoga can help. With stress.
Sitting in the morning sun can boost feel-good chemicals in the body called endorphins and can lower your blood pressure.
6. Do Not Smoke
Smoking doesn’t only hurt you over the long term, your blood pressure goes up every time you have a cigarette. Quit smoking is one of the best thing you can do to your heart. Even on the cigarette pack, it is boldly written “Smokers are liable to die young”. Quit smoking to Lower your blood pressure and prolong your life.
7. Drink Tea That Lower Blood Pressure
Lowering blood pressure can be as easy as drinking one, two teas. Research from Tufts University on patients with hypertension finds out that those who sipped 3 cups of a hibiscus tea daily lowered the systolic blood pressure on average 7 points in 6 weeks. The study suggests that the phytochemicals in hibiscus tea are probably responsible for the large reduction in high blood pressure.
The following Tea can help reduce your Blood Pressure:
Drinking herbal tea regularly will go a long way in normalizing your blood pressure.
8. Don’t Skip Your Medication
If your blood pressure doesn’t improve with lifestyle changes, there are also natural and orthodox medication options you can try. Some people, keeping to the above mentions and lifestyle changes are just enough to get and keep blood pressure under control. But many people need medication, too. It is very important to take your medication as prescribed.
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