Lowering Your High Blood Pressure Can Help Your Marriage

November 27, 2009 by Kathy Forcey
Filed under Lose Weight

There are many different options available when looking at lowering high blood pressure. Normal high blood pressure is less than 120/80 and if you have high blood pressure then your arteries are experiencing more pressure then is good for your body.

The top number in your blood pressure is associated with the pressure of the blood inside of your arteries when your heart is beating or contracting and is called systolic pressure. The pressure of the blood in your arteries during the period your heart rests in between beats is called the diastolic pressure.

High blood pressure can be quite serious as its long term symptoms are very dangerous and life threatening. High blood pressure can lead to eye damage, brain damage, stroke, hardening of the arteries, kidney damage and heart disease. Any organ damage is considered an end result as this occurs after many years of high blood pressure and death can soon follow.

Once diagnosed, there are several options available to for lowering high blood pressure. As a first step you can make some lifestyle changes which include eating a healthy diet. The types of food you eat will affect your blood pressure and switching your diet to high in fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts and low in fatty foods, red meat and dairy products is recommended. Consuming too much salt can lead to high blood pressure so cutting out sodium can also help.

If you are overweight then you have a greater chance of developing high blood pressure. For this reason, getting back to a healthy weight is very important. Other factors that can increase your blood pressure and which should be avoided include smoking and drinking alcohol excessively.

You can use medically-prescribed drugs for lowering high blood pressure as most medications are very effective. Beta-blockers lower blood pressure by causing your heart to relax and beat slower. Diuretics work on the kidneys instead of the heart and flush out excess water and salt that may be causing your high blood pressure. Sometimes high blood pressure can be caused by hormones and if this is the cause then a hormone inhibitor called angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor can be used.

Calcium channel blockers stop calcium from entering muscle cells in the heart which causes the heart and blood vessels to relax. Alpha blockers reduce nerve control of the blood vessels so blood can easily flow through the vessels. Alpha-beta-blockers work just like alpha blockers but they also slow down your heart so less blood is pumped through the blood vessels.

Amongst the easiest ways to help your elevated blood pressure is to reduce weight. Doing some of the south beach diet exercise routines may be the easiest way to reduce those extra pounds.