You may not think of your blood pressure as something that can change. But in fact, it can.
Your blood pressure is directly related to the amount of sodium in your diet and how much you exercise. So, when you change those things, you can lower your blood pressure for good.
Here are some tips to lower your blood pressure this winter:
1) Drink plenty of water. Water helps keep your kidneys healthy and makes sure they’re filtering out the excess salt in your body.
2) Cut down on salt. Salt is a major cause of high blood pressure. Try cutting back on processed foods and canned goods like soups, which are often loaded with sodium. Instead, eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains like brown rice or quinoa that aren’t processed or preserved in any way (except maybe freezing).
3) Exercise more often. Exercise helps get rid of extra fluid from your body so it doesn’t build up around your organs — which raises blood pressure levels — and also helps strengthen muscles so they don’t have to work as hard to pump blood through veins and arteries (which also raises blood pressure levels).
4) Don’t stop taking any prescription medications without first consulting your doctor. If you stop taking a medication that lowers your blood pressure too much, you could end up with rebound hypertension — which occurs when the body overcompensates for a sudden loss in pressure by raising it even higher than before. This type of rebound hypertension is dangerous because it makes the heart work harder than normal while also increasing the risk of heart failure and stroke due
5) Smoking cigarettes increases your risk for heart disease and stroke — two leading causes of death in America — as well as high blood pressure. Quitting smoking lowers your risk for these conditions as well as lung cancer, emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
