Hypertension or high blood pressure is a very common disease that can become a serious threat to health if not treated. And although it has been dubbed a “silent killer,” it mostly appears with no symptoms until it is too late. If left untreated, high blood pressure can cause heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure. Fortunately, knowing the risks and taking blood pressure-reducing measures can significantly lower these life-threatening conditions.

What is High Blood Pressure?

Blood pressure is the term used to refer to the amount of pressure that blood exerts on your artery walls. The two measurements are:

• Systolic pressure: the push when your heart is pounding (the upper index).
• Diastolic pressure: blood pressure measured when your heart is at rest (the bottom number).

The regular pressure is approximately 120/80 mm Hg. Hypertension is when blood pressure stays fatter than 130/80 mm Hg more clearly than three times.

The Risks of High Blood Pressure

Heart Disease: High blood pressure is a condition that makes the heart work harder and as a consequence heart failure, heart attacks, and other cardiovascular conditions are common among blood pressure patients.

Stroke: Increased arterial pressure can lead to blood vessel impairments in the brain, thereby drastically increasing the danger of a stroke.

Kidney Damage: It can really make the connecting blood vessels of the kidneys weaker thus, it causes kidney disease or kidney failure.

Vision Problems: Hypertension is a condition which can lead to the eye blisters in the veins of the eyes that can lead to vision loss.

Aneurysms: Through time, hypertension has the ability to produce vulnerable regions in the blood vessels and thus the rarefying dangerous bulging (aneurysms) which can then rupture.

How to Lower Your Blood Pressure
Fortunately, hypertension can be managed not only through medications but also with lifestyle changes. The best effective ways are lowering your BP and protecting your health.

1. Eat a Healthy Diet
A healthy eating regimen packed with apples, green beans, sticks of chicken, and quinoa can promote blood pressure regulation. The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet is an excellent choice. Make the majority of your diet potassium and fiber rich food and reduce your consumption of sodium, saturated fats, and sugars.

2. Reduce Sodium Intake
A high excessive intake of salt leads to an increase in fluid retention which causes an elevation in blood pressure. To lower sodium:

• Stay away from processed foods and canned products.
• Either use less salt while cooking or at the table.
• Prefer low-sodium substitutes whenever you can.
  
  

3. Exercise Regularly
Engaging in physical activities is of utmost importance for the heart, as through them it gets stronger and thus more effective in pumping blood. Maintain a moderate exercise routine like brisk walking for 30 minutes most days. Consistent workouts can bring down the systolic blood pressure level by as much as 9 mm Hg.

4. Limit Alcohol Consumption
Excessive drinking of alcohol might raise your blood pressure. Moderate drinking can help reduce this risk, with one drink daily for women and two for men being the recommended upper limit, but too much has the opposite effect.

5. Manage Stress
Chronic stress can contribute to high blood pressure. Stress relief techniques like these breathing exercises, meditation, and yoga can calm the mind. Carve out space in your schedule for relaxation and sleep.

6. Maintain a Healthy Weight
Overweight people are more prone to have high hypertension. However, If you lose a small amount of weight–5 to 10% of your total body weight–then you can make a huge difference in your blood pressure level.

7. Quit Smoking
Nicotine stimulates blood pressure and injures the blood vessels. Ceasing smoking will not only increase your heart health but also will less BP as well as the related complications.