As you get older there’s a good chance that you’ll have to deal with the problem of high or fluctuating blood pressure, since more than one out of every four adults suffers from hypertension. The chances are even better that you’ll experience the condition if you’re overweight, if you smoke, if it runs in your family, or if you’re black.

 

            While most people have heard of high blood pressure, poorly-controlled pressure which fluctuates throughout the day is less well-known but basically the same problem. Their causes are identical; the reasons that some people’s pressure may vary include stress, food sensitivities, drug use, alcohol, heat and exercise. In any event, the effects of high blood pressure can be serious, including heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, sexual dysfunction and blindness. Doctors normally treat fluctuating blood pressure in the same ways they treat high pressure, since both are forms of hypertension. For more information to lower your blood pressure naturally click here.

 

            Some of the most-prescribed medications in the Western world are used as treatment for hypertension: Chlorthaladine (a diuretic), Vasotec, Prinivil, Lotensin or Zestril (ACE inhibitors), Cozaar or Atacand (ARBs), Verelan, Norvasc or Cardizem (calcium channel blockers), and the list goes on. Many of those drugs, in addition to beta blockers, vasodilators and categories of meds, are prescribed in combination.

 

            But there are many lifestyle changes which can lower blood pressure naturally without the risk of side effects or drug interactions. Doctors often suggest several of them in addition to medications. However many patients have found that they’re able to avoid drugs completely just by making some basic, relatively easy-to-handle changes in their lives.

 

The best idea is to lose weight, since hypertension usually correlates directly with how much someone weighs. That’s easier said than done, of course, without the two most important items on the list: exercise and diet.

 

Blood Pressure And Exercise

 

            Experts at the Mayo Clinic say that exercising for half-an-hour to an hour a day (with a few days off here and there) is often the best approach for lowering blood pressure quickly, sometimes even within a few weeks. If that’s not possible because of other health issues or a tight schedule, even exercising ten minutes at a time by taking brisk walks can still help. The real key is doing it regularly; trying to cram a lot of exercise into the weekend won’t do that much good, and could actually hurt.

 

            The most important type of activity for lowering blood pressure is aerobic; that is, it increases your breathing and heart rates. In addition to walking or running, you can also consider swimming, biking, active sports or even vigorous household activity like washing the floor or mowing the lawn. It might seem that weight training would be a bad idea because it can lead to a short-term increase in blood pressure, but it can really be beneficial in the long-term if you don’t hold your breath while lifting, stay with lighter weights (while doing more reps), and use proper form.

 

Blood Pressure And Food

 

            Most Western diets (particularly if they’re heavily reliant on fast food) are not beneficial for good health, and they’re definitely not good for people with hypertension. Ordinarily they include way too much saturated fat, salt and cholesterol, and not enough whole grains, vegetables and fruits. Changing your diet isn’t easy, but it’s one of the best ways to lower high or fluctuating blood pressure.

 

            One of the most helpful tools for modifying the way you eat is a food diary. Keep track of everything you eat for a week or two (and when you eat it), and then take a closer look. You may be surprised to learn that you’re eating much more unhealthily than you realized, and are eating poorly at specific times of the day as a response to stress or depression.

 

            Once you have a good handle on what you’re eating, it’s time to make changes. The best guide to use is called the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, which is recommended by such groups as the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology. It’s heavy on healthy food for high blood pressure including:

 

• vegetables, fruits and nuts

• non- and low-fat dairy products

• whole grains

• fish, poultry and lean meat

• so-called “healthy” fats

 

The DASH diet is not only proven to fight high and fluctuating blood pressure, but also helps to lower cholesterol and prevent diabetes, stroke, heart attack, kidney disease and some types of cancer.

 

            At first that type of diet may sound restrictive, but there are actually thousands of healthy, delicious menus you can find online or put together by yourself with the basic DASH guidelines. The best recipes for high blood pressure include foods which are rich in potassium (dairy, fruits and vegetables fall into that category) and low in salt. Cutting the amount of salt in your diet is important to fight hypertension, and potassium helps further lower the effects of salt on blood pressure.

 

            One other consideration in cooking: there are some herbs that lower blood pressure which can easily be added to recipes. Think about using basil, garlic, cardamom, cinnamon and celery seed when you cook to make your hypertension-friendly foods even more friendly.

 

Making A Plan

 

            Starting (or stepping up) an exercise program and changing a diet can seem quite intimidating at first, and fear of change often stops people from lowering their blood pressure before they even get started. A good first step is to find an “all-in-one” guide to fighting hypertension like “The Blood Pressure Solution.” It has many great suggestions for lifestyle changes, and goes into detail on some of the best foods to eat (and best ones to avoid), provides shopping lists and recipes for blood-pressure diets, and teaches you how to look closely at supermarket labels so you don’t accidentally buying packaged foods which could end up increasing your blood pressure.

 

            Accomplishing anything that’s difficult requires a roadmap. A construction crew wouldn’t start building a house without a plan, and you shouldn’t start making major lifestyle changes without one either. A good aerobic exercise schedule and a “new” diet are big steps to take, so don’t take them without help. Aids like the DASH diet and “The Blood Pressure Solution” have helped millions with high or fluctuating blood pressure, and they’re a good place to start. For more information on lowering your blood pressure naturally click here.