Often the silent killer, high blood pressure affects you when you least know it. Symptoms such as dizziness, anxiety, restlessness and sometimes headaches are the most common symptoms. However, we often tend to ignore these symptoms as just any normal tiredness and fail to diagnose it. Caused due to several factors, high blood pressure has become increasingly common in this modern hectic life. Hereditary, diet and lifestyle changes majorly play a role in causing high blood pressure. While we are affected by this silent killer there are also several ways to reduce and control high blood pressure. Home remedies for high blood pressure are the most natural and harmless ways to control and reduce blood pressure.
What is High Blood Pressure?
Blood pressure is nothing but the force with which the heart pumps the blood into the arteries. The normal blood pressure is any average adult is about 120/80 mmHg. Blood pressure is generally recorded as the Systolic over the Diastolic pressure. Blood pressure is considered high when the blood forcibly exerts pressure into the arteries. This increases pressure damages the blood vessels in the arteries. High Blood Pressure is often termed as Hypertension and usually don’t show up too many symptoms until it has done sufficient damage. A blood pressure reading of 140/90 mmHg and above is considered to be High Blood Pressure. In this article, we will see the amazing home remedies for high blood pressure.
Causes and Symptoms
Several factors like diet, lifestyle and hereditary are main factors that cause high blood pressure. The common causes are as listed below.
- Genetic factors and hereditary
- Pain killers
- Excessive alcohol
- Lifestyle factors
- Abnormal blood vessels
- Pre-eclampisa in pregnant women
- Thyroid disorders
- Kidney diseases
- Adrenal disorders
- High salt intake
- Mental and physical stress
While the underlying causes are mentioned above, they lead to hypertension which exhibit the following symptoms in most people.
- Chest Pain
- Blurred vision
- Shortness of breath
Precautions of High Blood Pressure
People with high blood pressure should undertake changes in their lifestyle so as to control and lower blood pressure. Some of the obvious precautions include dietary precautions like reducing red meat consumption, less fats, limiting salt intake and replacing with them more fruits and vegetables. Exercising is also a regular routine and precaution to follow. Quit smoking and alcohol immediately as these can precipitate and cause hardening of arteries.
Certain medications prescribed for high blood pressure may have certain side effects like dizziness, headache and shortness of breath. People taking medication for high blood pressure may also have reverse symptoms such as very low blood pressure. Informing your physician about these symptoms and taking medications on time & home remedies for high blood pressure is very critical to control blood pressure.
Medication for High Blood Pressure
Based on the diagnosis, doctors provide treatment plants that include medications, lifestyle changes, exercise and diet control. High Blood Pressure medicines have different mechanisms to stop the body’s function that is responsible for causing blood pressure.
Some of the Medication for High Blood Pressure are-
1. Beta Blockers
These medicines makes your heart beat slower with less force. This results in the heart pumping less blood through the vessels thereby lowering blood pressure.
2. Alpha Blockers
These reduce nerve impulses that cause tightening of blood vessels. This allows blood to flow smoothly and reduces blood pressure.
3. Alpha-Beta Blockers
This is a combination action of Alpha and Beta Blockers. It slows down the heart beat as well as reduce nerve impulses which lowers high blood pressure.
Diuretics flush out the excess sodium which reduces the body fluid and lower blood pressure.
5. Calcium Channel Blockers
These medications prevent calcium from entering the muscle cells of heart making the blood vessels relax and reducing high blood pressure.
6. Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors (ACE)
Angiotensin II, a hormone that is responsible for narrowing of blood vessels increases pressure. ACE is responsible for coverting Angiotensin I to Angiotensin II. ACE inhibitors block this process which stops the synthesis of Angiotensin II and reduces blood pressure.
7. Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers (ARBs)
These medications prevent the hormone Angiotensin II from binding to its receptors, which does not allow the blood vessels to narrow. This helps in reducing your high blood pressure.
Vasodilators help relax the muscles in the blood vessel walls thereby reducing high blood pressure.
9. Central Acting Agents
These agents reduce nerve signals transmitted by the brain that causes narrowing of blood vessels and reduces blood pressure.
To reduce high blood pressure many take a combination of more than 2 drugs. If you experience any side effects due to these medicines, do not stop them immediately. Instead talk to your doctor if you experience any adverse symptoms and see if he can change your dose or prescribe a different medicine.
Home Remedies For High Blood Pressure
Apart from medications, you can also control high blood pressure with some simple home remedies. Following are some natural home remedies for high blood pressure.
1. Lemon Juice
Lemons are rich in Vitamin C which acts as anti-oxidants and helps reduce the harmful effects of free radicals. Lemon keeps the blood vessels pliable and soft by removing rigidity thereby reducing blood pressure.
How To Prepare?
- Squeeze out the juice from one lemon into the warm water.
- Add 1 teaspoon of honey and mix well.
- Consume it on an empty stomach every morning.
- Do not add any salt or sugar.
2. Watermelon Seeds
The tasty and favorite fruit watermelon has great benefits to reduce blood pressure. Watermelon seeds are rich in a compound called “cucurbocitrin” that widens the blood capillaries. This, in turn, lowers blood pressure.
How To Prepare?
- Grind equal quantity of poppy seeds and dried watermelon seeds.
- Take this powder on an empty stomach in the morning and evening.
- You can add crushed watermelon seeds to boiled water. Stir well and strain it.
- Take about 5 teaspoons of this strained water every day.
Garlic known for its cholesterol reducing properties are good for the heart too. Garlic makes the blood vessels relax by triggering the production of hydrogen sulphide and nitric oxide. This, in turn, reduces high blood pressure. Hydrogen sulphide promotes blood flow, reduces gas and blood pressure in the heart.
How To Prepare?
- Crush garlic with your hands and mix them with milk to avoid the pungent raw odour.
- Consume this milk everyday morning.
- Alternatively, you can also mix garlic juice with water and take it twice in a day.
4. Mashed Banana With Fruit Salads
For those who love to eat bananas, there is good news for you. People who have high blood pressure can consume this yummy fruit daily. They are rich in potassium that reduces the effects of sodium in the body. This automatically reduces blood pressure.
Eating a banana every day will have a long term positive effect on high blood pressure. You can mash bananas along with raisins, apricots, orange juice, and spinach.
Celery is rich in phytochemical Phthalides that is known to control blood pressure. These Phthalides are known to help relax muscles in the arterial walls and creates more space for the blood to move freely without any difficulty. It also reduces the stress hormone levels in the body that narrow the blood vessels causing increased blood pressure. Having one stalk of celery with a glass of water every day gives best results.
Hawthorn is a healthy herb that is heart healthy. Hawthorn is rich in flavonoids “oligomeric procyandins” and “quercetin”. Hawthorn is known to reduce arrhythemia, palpitations, improve capillary function, reduce arterial blood pressure and hypertension. The mechanism by which the flavonoids work is that they widen the blood vessels thereby reducing the blood pressure.
How To Prepare?
- Mix 1 tablespoon of cinnamon powder along 4 tablespoons of powdered hawthorn berry.
- Add honey and little water to this mixture to form a paste.
- Thicken the mixture by cocoa powder until you can form a dough.
- Roll this dough into small balls and place them on a cookie sheet.
- Dry in an oven at a low temperature.
- Consume 1 or 2 balls every day.
- You can store them in an air-tight glass jar for long durations.
Many communities across the world are known to consume hibiscus for high blood pressure. Hibiscus acts as a diuretic that removes sodium from the blood stream and reduces pressure on the arterial walls. Hibiscus also mimics the action and mechanism of Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. As a result, blood volume reduces, blood vessels relax and reduces blood pressure.
How To Prepare?
- To boiling water, add 1-2 teaspoon of dried hibiscus and cinnamon sticks
- Allow it to steep for a couple of minutes
- To this mixture, you can add lemon or honey for better taste
- Drink this solution 2-3 times a day.
8. Cayenne Pepper
If you are suffering from hypertension, this spice will surely help you. Cayenne pepper enables the blood to flow smoothly and prevents the platelets clumping in the blood. Since cayenne pepper is spicy, you can add them to soups, veggies or fruits to spice up the taste.
9. Onion Extracts
Onion extracts are rich in flavonoids “quercitin” that help lower blood pressure if consumed regularly.
How To Prepare?
- Eat one small sized raw onion daily along with every meal.
- You can also mix onion juice with honey and drink this mixture two to three for about a month.
10. Fenugreek Seeds
Also known as methi seeds, they are effective in reducing blood pressure mainly due to its high dietary fiber and potassium content.
How to Prepare?
- Boil 2-3 teaspoons of fenugreek seeds in water and strain the solution.
- Now put the seeds into a blender and blend to make a paste.
- Eat this paste twice a day on an empty stomach.
- Follow this remedy regularly for about 3 months and see a significant reduction in blood pressure.
Thus, we have seen here the home remedies for high blood pressure. Further we will move towards some lifestyle changes.
Lifestyle Changes To Lower High Blood Pressure
Lifestyle plays an important role in reducing high blood pressure. If you successfully manage a good lifestyle and healthy habits, you can reduce the need for medicines. Apart from home remedies for high blood pressure, following are some simple lifestyle changes you can make to easy blood pressure.
1. Lose Weight
High blood pressure may be often due to increasing in weight. Furthermore, overweight can cause breathing problems and sleep apnea that further increase blood pressure. Weight loss is one effective change you can make to control blood pressure.
Being physically active and fit is the key solution to reducing blood pressure. Exercising about 30 minutes every day can significantly control and reduce high blood pressure. Easy exercises that can reduce blood pressure include walking, cycling, swimming and jogging. Talk to your doctor to chalk out an exercise program as per your age.
3. Balanced Diet
Eating a healthy and balanced diet keeps away all health problems at bay. A diet rich in whole grains, fruits, veggies, saturated fat, low-fat dairy products can lower blood pressure of up to 14 mm Hg. Changing your diet is not possible overnight, but a consistent effort to modify to a healthy diet will keep your heart healthy in the longer run.
4. Reduce Sodium Intake
A high sodium diet directly contributes to high blood pressure. Limit your sodium intake to less than 2000mg a day. Even the slightest reduction of sodium in your diet can lower the blood pressure by up to 8 mm Hg.
5. Limit Alcohol and Quit Smoking
Drinking more alcohol and smoking continuously can cause precipitation in the blood vessels making them narrow and increasing pressure. Reducing your consumption of alcohol and quitting smoking can significantly help lower blood pressure.
Apart from these Home Remedies For High Blood Pressure and lifestyle changes, regular visits to your doctor and monitoring your blood pressure is also very important. Always alert your doctor about any complications you face. A regular visit of once in 3 months is ideal to check and control high blood pressure in a systematic manner. Reach out to family and friends for support. Moral support and motivation can help improve your health. You can also join support groups that give you a morale boost and make you feel good about yourself. They also provide you with practical tips to cope with the situation. Connecting with other patients who have high blood pressure will also help you regulate what you are doing right and wrong. After all a healthy mind and a healthy body gives rise to a healthy heart!