Some alternative medicines and herbs can interact with other medicines and be harmful. Eating healthily and being active are both natural ways to lower your blood pressure which can make a big difference, alongside medications if you need them.
Click to print FAQ answer. RESPeRATE is a small battery-powered device that uses musical sounds to help you slow down your breathing to lower your blood pressure. There is some evidence showing it can reduce blood pressure in the short term but how well it works in the long term is less well known. Because it is a supplementary therapy, it should be used alongside any other prescribed treatments but not as a replacement.
Although limited, there is some evidence that yoga and meditation could help to lower blood pressure. Yoga is a gentle form of exercise which can help keep you physically fit, helping to control your weight. A healthy weight can help lower your blood pressure and risk of heart disease. For example, helping with stress and depression. It is not true.
The lower your blood pressure, the lower your risk of heart attack, heart failure, stroke, kidney disease and vascular dementia will be. Learn more about what your blood pressure numbers should be with our blood pressure chart. Over a number of years, the raised blood pressure can damage the blood vessels, leading to a heart attack, stroke, heart failure or kidney disease.
In reality, the higher your blood pressure, the higher your risk of illness later on. If you have any unusual symptoms as well such as blurred vision or headaches then see them straight away. Our blood pressure chart shows how your blood pressure numbers relate to your risk of illness. In general, the lower your blood pressure the lower your risk of heart disease, stroke and many other illnesses in the future.
See how you can look after your blood pressure and see where your numbers are on our blood pressure chart. The top number of your blood pressure reading is your systolic blood pressure.
This is the highest level your blood pressure reaches as your heart pumps blood around your body. The top number is more important because it gives a better idea of your risk of having a stroke or heart attack. Having a raised systolic blood pressure but normal or low diastolic blood pressure is called Isolated Systolic Hypertension ISH. Even though only the top number is raised, it still carries a higher risk of developing heart attacks or strokes and should be treated.
There are some circumstances where diastolic blood pressure may be more important than systolic. Some studies suggest that in people aged under 40, diastolic blood pressure gives a better idea of the risk of health problems, but as heart attacks and strokes are less common in younger people, there is less information available about blood pressure numbers and the risk of these problems.
It could be that diastolic blood pressure becomes more important when it is very high. Find out more about what the numbers mean. This is called isolated systolic hypertension ISH. See how the numbers relate to the risk of health problems. The short answer is yes. Blood pressure does tend to rise with age, but the levels to aim for with treatment are the same for all ages. If you have diabetes, kidney disease or have already had a heart attack or stroke, your doctor may want to bring your blood pressure down lower.
But with the right treatment and lifestyle changes, most people should be able to get down to these levels. If you have diabetes this raises your risk of heart disease and stroke.
High blood pressure can lead to these health problems as well, and having diabetes and high blood pressure at the same time dramatically raises the risk.
This is why your doctor will want to keep your blood pressure below the usual target. Eating a range of foods that are high in potassium, especially fruit and vegetables, helps to lower your blood pressure.
Potassium plays a role in how much fluid is stored in the body and how much is released in your urine. It can lower blood pressure in part by counteracting the effects of sodium, the part of salt that puts up blood pressure by making the body hold onto water. Too much potassium can be harmful, especially if you have kidney problems or you are taking certain medicines that raise the amount of potassium in your body.
If you have kidney problems you might also need to avoid potassium-based salt substitutes — known as low salts, less sodium salts, and reduced salts — as these contain high levels of potassium instead of sodium.
Your doctor will be able to tell you if these are suitable for you. Read more about potassium and your blood pressure. Being overweight raises your blood pressure because it affects the ways your body controls blood pressure.
Your blood pressure is controlled by a number of systems, including how hard and fast your heart beats, the release of different hormones, and how much fluid your kidneys remove from your body.
Carrying too much fat appears to affect some of the hormones involved, known as the renin-angiotensin system. All these effects can raise your blood pressure. See the simple changes you can make to lose weight. Oily fish, for example sardines, trout, salmon and mackerel, are rich in a type of fat called omega 3 fatty acids. Some studies have shown that taking fish oil supplements lead to a small reduction in blood pressure.
Ideally, you should also aim to get your nutrients from whole foods rather than supplements as they contain far more nutrients such as vitamin D and calcium.
Eating oily fish can help to balance the different types of cholesterol in your blood, helping to lower your risk of a heart attack or stroke.
Find out more about fats and your blood pressure. Try to eat fish at least twice a week, including one portion of oily fish. Because oily fish can contain low levels of pollutants, particularly mercury, there are recommendations for maximum amounts of oily fish to eat.
Salt is totally unnecessary for making bread. Its main use in bread is to slow down the fermentation of the yeast so, without it, the bread rises quicker.
Once you are used to the taste, it is fantastic — the only problem is you will want to eat too much of it. For many people, there is no single specific cause of their high blood pressure. You can lower your risk of high blood pressure by leading a healthy lifestyle. If you have high blood pressure, medicines and a healthy lifteyle will help to lower it. Lifestyle changes such as eating less salt and more fruit and veg, exercising more, losing weight and stopping smoking might be all you need to lower your blood pressure to a healthy level.
Sometimes tablets are needed and these are usually very effective. By lowering your blood pressure, with lifestyle changes or medication, your risk of having a stroke or heart attack will be much lower. Occasionally, high blood pressure is caused by an underlying health problem, and treating the cause can bring the raised blood pressure back down to normal. There is usually an underlying cause if the blood pressure is very high, resistant to treatment, or if you have kidney disease.
See how you can lower your blood pressure. Your doctor might ask you to either measure your own blood pressure at home, or wear a small device to monitor your blood pressure over hours.
Your doctor will ask you about any health problems you have or have had in the past, and illnesses in your family. You might have:. You may need more detailed investigations, your doctor will discuss these with you. Find out more about the tests that can be used if you have high blood pressure. High blood pressure can lead to heart disease and stroke. A raised blood cholesterol level can also lead to heart disease and stroke. If you have both at the same time, the risks are higher.
If you have high blood pressure you may be referred to a specialist. There are a number of reasons why you might need to see a specialist:. It is unusual to have symptoms from high blood pressure, most people have no symptoms which is why the only way to know if you have high blood pressure is to get a blood pressure check.
Some people do say that they can tell when their blood pressure is raised. If you have very high blood pressure, you may have some symptoms, and headaches can be one of them, along with blood shot eyes, or feeling sick or generally unwell.
When you first start using a home monitor, measure your blood pressure in the morning and evening every day for a week. This will give you a representative picture of your blood pressure during your normal daily life, as blood pressure can vary throughout the day.
Because there is some evidence that we are more likely to have a stroke or heart attack in the morning when we first wake up, this is a good time to take readings. Get helpful tips and guidance for everything from fighting inflammation to finding the best diets for weight loss Stay on top of latest health news from Harvard Medical School. Recent Blog Articles.
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Is a common pain reliever safe during pregnancy? Staying Healthy Which blood pressure number is important? They are measured by using a cuff with an attached gauge so that the numbers can be read by a machine, or by a person hearing the pressure rise and fall through a stethoscope. Both numbers are important but not always for the same reasons.
This article looks at how blood pressure is taken, what levels are normal, and what some of the results can mean. When the heart beats, blood pulses through the arteries to travel throughout the body. It is not the steady stream you might see from a garden hose or water faucet. The pulse of the the blood flow and the pressure it exerts change from moment to moment.
It's highest during the heartbeat this is the systolic pressure and lowest between beats diastolic. A blood pressure reading includes both these measurements. Doctors measure blood pressure in these numbers so that there is a standard way of describing the force of the pulsing blood. Both the systolic and diastolic pressures are important. If the readings are too high, it may mean a person has high blood pressure. If the readings are too low, there may not be enough blood flowing to the brain and other critical organs.
If there are changes in the difference between the two numbers, it's a clue that there may be a heart condition or other problem. During a heartbeat, the heart is pushing blood out into the arteries. Doctors call this "systole," and that's why it's called the systolic blood pressure. It's the pressure during a heartbeat and the highest pressure measured.
When the reading is mmHg or a little below while a person is sitting quietly at rest, the systolic blood pressure is considered normal. The heart muscle pushes out blood with higher pressure when a person is exercising , under stress, or at similar times when the heart rate is increased.
The systolic pressure goes up with it. In these cases, the increased pressure is normal. However, when the pressure is high while a person is resting, that's considered high blood pressure. That's why it is so important to take your blood pressure during periods of quiet rest to diagnose hypertension , or high blood pressure. High systolic blood pressure is usually caused by narrowing of the arteries, which makes the heart have to work harder to push blood through.
If the systolic blood pressure is lower than normal, it's called hypotension. If this low blood pressure is serious enough, it can cause lightheadedness , dizziness , or fainting.
If it lasts long enough and it isn't treated, it may cause organs like your kidneys to start shutting down. Systolic hypotension can occur if the amount of blood in your body becomes too low. This can happen if you are severely dehydrated or you have major bleeding; there just isn't enough blood to push through the body.
It also may happen if the heart muscle is too weak to push blood normally, as in cases of cardiomyopathy damaged heart muscle or if the arteries suddenly widen too much, as in vasovagal syncope a reflex that causes fainting. Sometimes this low blood pressure happens when you change positions suddenly. You may feel dizzy when you stand up because gravity is pulling blood down toward your feet. This is a common condition called orthostatic hypotension.
Your systolic blood pressure is the higher and first number in a blood pressure reading. If it's too high while you are at rest, you may need to have it treated. But pressure that's too low may be a serious problem too, so be sure to discuss your situation with your doctor. The heart rests between beats so it can refill with blood. Doctors call this pause between beats "diastole.
A normal diastolic blood pressure during quiet rest is 80 mmHg or a little below. If you have high blood pressure, the diastolic number is often higher even during quiet rest.
Low diastolic pressure may be seen with dehydration or with severe bleeding. It also may happen if the arteries relax and widen.
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