Lower Your High Blood Pressure Or Die

By Kathy Forcey

There are many ways of lowering high blood pressure if you should suffer from hypertension. High blood pressure means that the pressure in your arteries is higher then normal, normal blood pressure is 120/80 or lower and high blood pressure is anything above--0/90.

The top number in your blood pressure is associated with the pressure of the blood inside of your arteries when your heart is beating or contracting and is called systolic pressure. The pressure of the blood in your arteries during the period your heart rests in between beats is called the diastolic pressure.

It is important to lower your blood pressure because it can cause an increase in the chances of developing or having a stroke, eye damage, brain damage, heart disease, kidney disease and/or a hardening of arteries. You need to keep track of your blood pressure because many people do not experience symptoms and organ failure is a very real possibility which occurs as a result of prolonged and untreated high blood pressure.

Once diagnosed, there are several options available to for lowering high blood pressure. As a first step you can make some lifestyle changes which include eating a healthy diet. The types of food you eat will affect your blood pressure and switching your diet to high in fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts and low in fatty foods, red meat and dairy products is recommended. Consuming too much salt can lead to high blood pressure so cutting out sodium can also help.

Being overweight will also increase your blood pressure so maintaining a healthy weight or losing weight can help your blood pressure. Drinking too much alcohol and smoking have also been known to increase your blood pressure thus stopping smoking and reducing your alcohol consumption can decrease your high blood pressure.

You can use medically-prescribed drugs for lowering high blood pressure as most medications are very effective. Beta-blockers lower blood pressure by causing your heart to relax and beat slower. Diuretics work on the kidneys instead of the heart and flush out excess water and salt that may be causing your high blood pressure. Sometimes high blood pressure can be caused by hormones and if this is the cause then a hormone inhibitor called angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor can be used.

Having too much calcium in the heart can cause the heart to become tense. A calcium channel blocker can be used to relax blood vessels and the heart. Alpha blockers will affect your nervous system so that it allows for better blood flow by stopping some nerve messages. Alpha-beta-blockers are a combination of alpha blockers and beta blockers so this medication slows downs the heart and causes blood flow to be smoother. - 31820

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