One in every three men and women have high blood pressure in the United States. High blood pressure can be caused by several risk factors, including being overweight, genetics, stress, and eating too much salty food.
High blood pressure can also be dangerous to one’s health as it makes the heart work even harder to pump blood out, according to WebMD. In return, it can cause high blood pressure can lead to blurred vision, dizziness, headaches, and shortness of breath.
Taking steps toward a healthy lifestyle can not only help reduce high blood pressure but also lower the risk of heart disease and stroke. Here are six ways to lower high blood pressure.
Physical activity can not only help maintain a healthy weight, but reduce the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
Adults looking to reduce high blood pressure should get at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity such as cycling, dancing, playing basketball, running, as well as walking.
Health experts recommend eating five servings of fruit and vegetables a day. Bananas are packed with potassium, so eating one banana a day can lower high blood pressure.
Other fruits and vegetables that are good to eat are peaches, kiwis, kale, red peppers, and sweet potatoes.
More than 71 percent of men and women get their daily intake of sodium from eating fast food, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The daily sodium intake should be at least 1,500 milligrams per day with a maximum of 2,400 milligrams, says the American Heart Association.
Eating less fast food should help reduce high blood pressure.
Smoking cigarettes is the quickest way to increase high blood pressure and the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Looking to quit smoking? Try chewing on a toothpick, chewing gum, or exercise daily to get distracted from wanting to smoke.
Enjoying a cold beer or a glass of wine is a good way to relax on the weekend, however, drinking heavily can increase the risk of causing damage to the heart. Even drinking more than two drinks per day can raise blood pressure.
Excessive drinking can also lead to other health problems such as cancer, liver disease, and violence, says the CDC.
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