1. Go for power walks
Hypertensive patients who went for fitness walks at a brisk pace
lowered pressure by almost 8 mmhg over
6 mmhg. Exercise helps the heart
use oxygen more efficiently, so it doesn’t work as hard to pump blood.
Get a vigorous cardio workout of at least 30 minutes on most days of the
week. Try increasing speed or distance so you keep challenging your
ticker.2. Breathe deeply
Slow breathing and meditative practices such as qigong, yoga, and tai
chi decrease stress hormones, which elevate renin, a kidney enzyme that
raises blood pressure. Try 5 minutes in the morning and at night.
Inhale deeply and expand your belly. Exhale and release all of your
tension. (Try these stress-busting yoga poses to relieve tension.)
3. Pick potatoes
Loading up on potassium-rich fruits and vegetables is an important
part of any blood pressure-lowering program, says Linda Van Horn, PhD,
RD, professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg
School of Medical. Aim for potassium levels of 2,000 to 4,000 mg a day,
she says. Top sources of potassium-rich produce include sweet potatoes,
tomatoes, orange juice, potatoes, bananas, kidney beans, peas,
cantaloupe, honeydew melon, and dried fruits such as prunes and raisins.
4. Be salt smart
Certain groups of people—the elderly, African Americans, and those
with a family history of high blood pressure—are more likely than others
to have blood pressure that’s particularly salt (or sodium) sensitive.
But because there’s no way to tell whether any one individual is sodium
sensitive, everyone should lower his sodium intake, says Eva Obarzanek,
PhD, a research nutritionist at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood
Institute. How far? To 1,500 mg daily, about half the average American
intake, she says. (Half a teaspoon of salt contains about 1,200 mg of
sodium.) Cutting sodium means more than going easy on the saltshaker,
which contributes just 15% of the sodium in the typical American diet.
Watch for sodium in processed foods, Obarzanek warns. That’s where most
of the sodium in your diet comes from, she says. Season foods with
spices, herbs, lemon, and salt-free seasoning blends. (For more ways to
reduce your sodium, see Pass (On) The Salt.)
5. Indulge in dark chocolate
Dark chocolate varieties contain flavanols that make blood vessels
more elastic. In one study, 18% of patients who ate it every day saw
blood pressure decrease. Have 1/2 ounce daily (make sure it contains at
least 70% cocoa).
6. Take a supplement
In a review of 12 studies, researchers found that coenzyme Q10
reduced blood pressure by up to 17 mmhg over 10 mmhg. The antioxidant,
required for energy production, dilates blood vessels. Ask your doctor
about taking a 60 to 100 mg supplement up to 3 times a day.
7. Drink (a little) alcohol
According to a review of 15 studies, the less you drink, the lower
your blood pressure will drop—to a point. A study of women at Boston’s
Brigham and Women’s Hospital, for example, found that light drinking
(defined as one-quarter to one-half a drink per day for a woman) may
actually reduce blood pressure more than no drinks per day. One “drink”
is 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of spirits. Other
studies have also found that moderate drinking—up to one drink a day for
a woman, two for a man—can lower risks of heart disease. “High levels
of alcohol are clearly detrimental,” says Obarzanek. “But moderate
alcohol is protective of the heart. If you are going to drink, drink
moderately.”
8. Switch to decaf coffee
Scientists have long debated the effects of caffeine on blood
pressure. Some studies have shown no effect, but one from Duke
University Medical Center found that caffeine consumption of 500
mg—roughly three 8-ounce cups of coffee—increased blood pressure by 4
mmhg, and that effect lasted until bedtime. For reference, 8 ounces of
drip coffee contain 100 to 125 mg; the same amount of tea, 50 mg; an
equal quantity of cola, about 40 mg. Caffeine can raise blood pressure
by tightening blood vessels and by magnifying the effects of stress,
says Jim Lane, PhD, associate research professor at Duke and the lead
author of the study. “When you’re under stress, your heart starts
pumping a lot more blood, boosting blood pressure,” he says. “And
caffeine exaggerates that effect.” If you drink a lot of joe, pour more
decaf to protect your ticker.
9. Take up tea
Lowering high blood pressure is as easy as one, two, tea: Study
participants who sipped 3 cups of a hibiscus tea daily lowered systolic
blood pressure by 7 points in 6 weeks on average, say researchers from
Tufts University—results on par with many prescription medications.
Those who received a placebo drink improved their reading by only 1
point. The phytochemicals in hibiscus are probably responsible for the
large reduction in high blood pressure, say the study authors. Many
herbal teas contain hibiscus; look for blends that list it near the top
of the chart of ingredients—this often indicates a higher concentration
per serving.
10. Work (a bit) less
Putting in more than 41 hours per week at the office raises your risk
of hypertension by 15%, according to a University of California,
Irvine, study of 24,205 California residents. Overtime makes it hard to
exercise and eat healthy, says Haiou Yang, PhD, the lead researcher. It
may be difficult to clock out super early in today’s tough economic
times, but try to leave at a decent hour—so you can go to the gym or
cook a healthy meal—as often as possible. Set an end-of-day message on
your computer as a reminder to turn it off and go home. Follow these
tips to make your weekends stress-free.
11. Relax with music
Need to bring down your blood pressure a bit more than medication or
lifestyle changes can do alone? The right tunes can help, according to
researchers at the University of Florence in Italy. They asked 28 adults
who were already taking hypertension pills to listen to soothing
classical, Celtic, or Indian music for 30 minutes daily while breathing
slowly. After a week, the listeners had lowered their average systolic
reading by 3.2 points; a month later, readings were down 4.4 points.
12. Seek help for snoring
It’s time to heed your partner’s complaints and get that snoring
checked out. Loud, incessant snores are one of the main symptoms of
obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). University of Alabama researchers found
that many sleep apnea sufferers also had high levels of aldosterone, a
hormone that can boost blood pressure. In fact, it’s estimated that half
of all people with sleep apnea have high blood pressure. If you have
sleep apnea, you may experience many brief yet potentially
life-threatening interruptions in your breathing while you sleep. In
addition to loud snoring, excessive daytime tiredness and early morning
headaches are also good clues. If you have high blood pressure, ask your
doctor if OSA could be behind it; treating sleep apnea may lower
aldosterone levels and improve BP.
13. Jump for soy
A study from Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association
found for the first time that replacing some of the refined
carbohydrates in your diet with foods high in soy or milk protein, such
as low-fat dairy, can bring down systolic blood pressure if you have
hypertension or prehypertension.
0 التعليقات :
Post a Comment