Natural Ways to Lower Your Blood Pressure

If you have blood pressure that is higher than it should be, not only do you feel bad physically but you also risk some major complications like heart attack and stroke. The sooner you get it under control, the better.

Of course, the best thing to do when you’re having any heart related issues is to seek the care of a medical doctor. However, with his or her approval, there are also things that you can do on your own that may help lower it effectively and naturally. These include:

Relieving stress. When you’re chronically anxious, your body doesn’t fare so well. Its immune system gets lower while its blood pressure usually goes higher. You absolutely have to find a way to let go of the things that plague you so that they don’t harm your health. Some great stress relieving options include exercise, talking with friends or other trusted people and engaging in a hobby that brings you joy.

Eat a diet that lowers your blood pressure. Some foods work naturally to lower your heart rate and keep your blood pressure under control. Choose options that are lower in saturated fat and focus on eating healthy foods such as fruits, veggies and whole grains.

Watch your salt intake. Your body reacts to excessive salt intake by raising your blood pressure. Therefore, you’re going to want to watch the amount of salt that you consume and try to stay below 2,300 mg per day. Of course, the best way is to take it easy on the salt shaker, but you’ll also want to read labels because salt is in a lot of processed foods (it improves taste and acts as a preservative).

Stop smoking. Although people normally think of smoking as something that relaxes the body, it actually raises your blood pressure. So, if you smoke all day long, you’re keeping your blood pressure at high levels throughout the day.

Try these four things and see if you can get your blood pressure to normal levels. Again, you should always seek medical care but engaging in healthy behaviors can only help the process.