Hypertension how can you prevent

Blood pressure is the force of your blood pushing against the walls of your arteries. Each time your heart beats, it pumps blood into the arteries. Your blood pressure is highest when your heart beats, pumping the blood. This is called systolic pressure.

When your heart is at rest, between beats, your blood pressure falls. This is called diastolic pressure. Your blood pressure reading uses these two numbers. Usually the systolic number comes before or above the diastolic number. High blood pressure usually has no symptoms. So the only way to find out if you have it is to get regular blood pressure checks from your health care provider.

Your provider will use a gauge, a stethoscope or electronic sensor, and a blood pressure cuff. He or she will take two or more readings at separate appointments before making a diagnosis. For children and teens, the health care provider compares the blood pressure reading to what is normal for other kids who are the same age, height, and gender.

Anyone can develop high blood pressure, but there are certain factors that can increase your risk:. If you already have high blood pressure, it is important to prevent it from getting worse or causing complications.

You should get regular medical care and follow your prescribed treatment plan. Your plan will include healthy lifestyle habit recommendations and possibly medicines. Practice deep breathing , take a walk, read a book, or watch a comedy. Listening to music daily has also been shown to reduce systolic blood pressure A year study showed that regular sauna use reduced death from heart-related events And one small study has shown that acupuncture can lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure Mindfulness and meditation , including transcendental meditation, have long been used — and studied — as methods to reduce stress.

Yoga , which commonly involves breathing control, posture, and meditation techniques, can also be effective in reducing stress and blood pressure. A review on yoga and blood pressure found an average blood pressure decrease of 3.

Yes, chocolate lovers: Dark chocolate has been shown to lower blood pressure. But the dark chocolate should be 60 to 70 percent cacao.

A review of studies on dark chocolate has found that eating one to two squares of dark chocolate per day may help lower the risk of heart disease by lowering blood pressure and inflammation. The benefits are thought to come from the flavonoids present in chocolate with more cocoa solids. The flavonoids help dilate, or widen, your blood vessels Herbal medicines have long been used in many cultures to treat a variety of ailments.

Some herbs have even been shown to possibly lower blood pressure. However, more research is needed to identify the doses and components in the herbs that are most useful. Always check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking herbal supplements. They may interfere with your prescription medications.

People who experience sleep deprivation , especially those who are middle-aged, have an increased risk of high blood pressure These are some of the many ways to help you get restful sleep 28 :.

The national Sleep Heart Health Study found that regularly sleeping fewer than 7 hours a night and more than 9 hours a night was associated with an increased rate of high blood pressure.

Regularly sleeping fewer than 5 hours a night was linked to a significant risk of high blood pressure long term Fresh garlic or garlic extract are both widely used to lower blood pressure.

A meta-analysis found that for people with high blood pressure, garlic supplements reduced their systolic blood pressure by up to about 5 mm Hg and reduced their diastolic blood pressure as much as 2. According to a clinical study, a time-release garlic extract preparation may have a greater effect on blood pressure than regular garlic powder tablets A long-term study concluded in found that people who ate more protein had a lower risk of high blood pressure.

For those who ate an average of grams of protein per day, there was a 40 percent lower risk of having high blood pressure than those on a low protein diet Those who also added regular fiber into their diet saw up to a 60 percent reduction of risk. However, a high protein diet may not be for everyone. Those with kidney disease may need to use caution. High protein foods include:.

With regard to vegetarian options, a half-cup serving of most types of beans contains 7 to 10 grams of protein. Two tablespoons of peanut butter would provide 8 grams These supplements are readily available and have demonstrated promise for lowering blood pressure:. Adding omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids or fish oil to your diet can have many benefits.

A meta-analysis of fish oil and blood pressure found a mean blood pressure reduction in those with high blood pressure of 4. This protein complex derived from milk may have several health benefits in addition to possibly lowering blood pressure Foods to limit include red meat, sodium, and sweets. Cut back on salt. For many people, a low-sodium diet can help keep blood pressure normal. You can cut back on your total salt intake by avoiding high-sodium packaged and processed foods and not adding salt to your meals.

A study published in in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology of more than adults with prehypertension found that the combination of reduced sodium intake and the DASH diet substantially lowered systolic blood pressure. Exercise regularly. Get moving to prevent hypertension. The more exercise you get, the better, but even a little bit can help control blood pressure.

The AHA recommends minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week.

This should also be supplemented with muscle strengthening activity, such as free weights or resistance training , two days per week. Limit alcohol. Do you know your blood pressure target? How to prevent and treat hypertension Dr. El Accaoui recommends the following lifestyle changes to help prevent and treat hypertension: Eat healthy: Limiting sodium found in salt intake to less than 1, milligrams per day can reduce high blood pressure since sodium holds excess fluid in the body creating a burden on the heart.

Limit alcohol consumption: Heavy drinking causes an increase in blood pressure. Having less than two drinks per day for men and less than one drink per day for women is recommended. Exercise: Exercise strengthens the heart allowing it to pump blood with less effort.