Dhaka, June 28 (UNB) - High blood pressure is quite common in India. It is a condition which poses risks of heart disease and stroke. High blood pressure occurs when the force of your blood pushing against artery walls is too high. In case you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, the doctor will prescribe some medicines at first to bring your numbers down. But by and large, you need to work on improving your lifestyle, maintaining a healthy weight and being physically active in order to avoid high blood pressure risks. A healthy lifestyle may even help you get off medications for hypertension. In this article, we talk about some natural remedies that can help in keeping your blood pressure under control, reports NDTV. 

Natural remedies to keep high blood pressure under control

1. Maintain a healthy weight and watch your waistline to prevent hypertension

Blood pressure is often found to increase with an increase in weight. Being overweight can also disrupt your sleep cycle, which can further elevate blood pressure. An effective lifestyle measure to keep your weight under control is to lose weight. According to MayoClinic, your blood pressure is likely to come down by 1 mm Hg with each kg of weight loss. Also keep an eye on your waistline as carrying too much weight around your waist can increase risk of high blood pressure.

2. Exercise regularly and keep yourself physically active
People with high blood pressure should make sure they do 150 minutes of medium intensity exercise and 90 minutes of high intensity exercise every week. Exercising regularly can help in preventing hypertension and keeping high blood pressure under control. It is also important to keep yourself physically active for the rest of the day. Do not sit on the same place for long hours. Keep moving whenever possible. Include walking, jogging, swimming and dancing in your fitness routine to prevent high blood pressure.

3. Eat healthy

Diet plays a huge role in terms of determining high blood pressure. Reduce consumption of salt to a bare minimum. Avoid consumption of processed, packaged and junk foods. They are packed with sodium and other preservatives that can contribute to elevated levels of blood pressure. Also include potassium rich foods in your diet as they can negate effects of sodium on blood pressure. Banana, avocado, oranges, apricots, dried fruits, prunes and raisins are all examples of high potassium foods that can keep blood pressure under control.

4. Cut down on alcohol and quit smoking

Poor lifestyle habits like regularly drinking alcohol and regular smoking is extremely risky for high blood pressure patients. Alcohol not only increases blood pressure, but also nullifies effects of hypertension medicines. Smoking can increase your blood pressure after several minutes of smoking a cigarette. Smoking causes cancer and you must quit smoking as soon as you can.

5. Take less stress

Being chronically stressed can be harmful for high blood pressure patients. Change your attitude towards stress causing problems. Lifestyle coach Luke Coutinho says that it is not important to react to every stressful situation that you come across in your life. Learn to ignore them and take things lightly. Have a positive outlook and engage in activities of your choice to feel less stressed and prevent hypertension.

6. Consume lesser caffeine

Caffeine can contribute to high blood pressure. Tea, coffee, aerated drinks and energy drinks are all examples of high caffeine beverages that you must avoid in case you have high blood pressure.

Check your blood pressure regularly, maybe once every day. Healthy lifestyle is the key to manage it.