Discover Ways to Lower Your Blood Pressure by Making Healthier Choices

For those who are lucky to have escaped the wrath of benign hypertension, also called HTN or its malignant version, knowing how to lower blood pressure might not seem like something you need to learn about. There are enough reasons for the disease to be named 'silent killer' - it can strike without any forewarning or without any early signs. If statistics are to be believed, it affects millions with one in every three adults becoming prey to its attack, and all this is happening in developed countries.

Thus, it is highly likely that there are already people who you know who are silently suffering from malignant or benign hypertension, and they are blissfully ignorant about it. By reading this article, it's time well-spent to understand ways on how to lower blood pressure and help your loved ones who suffer from this disease.  Unmanaged high blood pressure could eventually lead to strokes, heart attacks and/or kidney problems, therefore, taking early preventative action could ensure safety from future complications for you or your loved ones.

Hypertension is generally managed with a combination of lifestyle changes and medication.  One can not overlook factors like high cost of medication, as well as the adverse side effects. Reasons like these force someone with hypertension to look for alternative ways to lower blood pressure. They are looking for natural options which have no side effects and are low on cost.  There is no guarantee with lifestyle changes alone that it will prevent or lower blood pressure.  However, it will help to reduce the risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

*Losing weight, for people who have a little or quite a bit to lose, even a small amount can have a dramatic impact on lowering your blood pressure.  Diet and exercise are the best ways to manage your weight.

*Exercise strengthens the cardiovascular system and lowers the risk of heart disease.  Most experts recommend aerobic exercise for 20 – 30 minutes at least three times a week.

*Lowering intake of salt, fat, and cholesterol in your diet helps to decrease blood pressure and lowers the risk of heart disease.  A diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, grains, and low fat dairy products may even help.

A small study in Germany suggests dark chocolate seems to lower blood pressure.  To benefit from this, it requires dark chocolate in the equivalent amount of 1 1/2 Hershey's Kisses everyday.  The study found that there was slight lowering of systolic blood pressure (the top number) and the diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number).

Several lifestyle habits to remember are: not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, regular exercise, limiting salt intake and limiting your alcohol consumption.  Minimizing and keeping stress down in your life is important, as well as relaxation techniques such as biofeedback, hypnosis, meditation, and other relaxation techniques may produce a modest, temporary reduction in blood pressure in some people.

Since people experience different levels of success in lowering their blood pressure with lifestyle changes, medication(s) may be added to help lower blood pressure to an acceptable level.  Your medical professional may suggest that you take and record your blood pressure every day.