When it comes to reducing your blood pressure, cutting down on your salt intake is the first step; as there are a number of other natural remedies that can be helpful.
Buy A Home Blood Pressure Kit
People who regularly check their blood pressure at home have lower overall blood pressure than those who only have it taken at a doctor’s office.
More so, a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that medical examiners failed to catch the 9 percent of people who had high blood pressure at home but not at the office.
That same study found that getting tested in the doctor’s office couldn’t identify the 13 percent of people who only had high blood pressure in the office and not at home, which is probably because of the anxiety of being in a doctor’s office. Buy your own kit for an accurate view of your health.
Replace Coffee With Tea
An Australian study found that for every cup of tea you drink a day, systolic blood pressure could reduce by two points and diastolic pressure by one point. More than four cups, though, and the same benefits won’t show.
Go For A Walk
Just a little exercise can make a difference. A Japanese study found that volunteers who exercised 30 to 90 minutes per week reduced blood pressure almost as much as those who had more than 90 minutes of sweat sessions every week. Try walking for 15 minutes every day to get the benefits.
Increase Your Potassium Intake
Potassium can lower blood pressure, but not very many people get the recommended 4.7 grams of potassium a day.
Avocados contain more potassium than any other fruit or vegetable, including bananas, so add some to your sandwich or salad for a nutritional boost. Other potassium-rich foods include sweet potatoes, spinach, and lima beans.
Schedule Your Medication
If you’ve started taking drugs to lower your blood pressure, but you are yet to see any remarkable difference, make sure to schedule it so you don’t forget.
About a quarter of the time, people fail to see results simply because they forget to take their medications. Set a reminder on your phone to go off at the same time every day.
Increase Your Pepper Intake
Cutting down on salt could make food taste bland for a few days, but pepper contains lots of flavour so your taste buds won’t miss the lack of salt. Strong flavours like garlic, basil, and lemon can also help replace salt and train your tongue to stop craving all that sodium.
