Things to Lower High Blood Pressure

As the heart is one of the hardest working and most important muscles in our bodies, it is important to take as good as care of it as possible in order to ensure a longer, healthier and happier life. It's important to pay attention to any and all signs of irregularity with the heart and circulatory system, most notably high blood pressure. While there are many prescription medications that can do this, you don't always need to take pills to make you better. Sometimes mere lifestyle changes can do the same thing.

Eat Less Sodium, More Potassium

• Most Americans consume too much sodium, according to the Mayo Clinic. Sodium raises blood pressure considerably. On the same note, Americans also eat way too little potassium, which lowers blood pressure considerably. Without these balances in the body chemistry, blood pressure is generally higher. Eating less salty foods or less salt in general and more potassium-rich foods, like bananas and most fresh vegetables, is a great way to start lowering your blood pressure.

Limit Alcohol Consumption

• According to the Mayo Clinic, consuming alcohol can be both good and bad for your heart and blood pressure. In small amounts--a glass to a glass and a half of wine per day--alcohol can help prevent heart attacks and heart disease and lower blood pressure considerably. This is why a drink is a great remedy for intense stress--but one drink, not many. The protective effect is lost when binge drinking occurs, and can lead to a dramatic increase in blood pressure along with a myriad of other health problems.

Avoid Tobacco Products or Quit Smoking

• As is said time and time again by most medical authorities, smoking is one of the most harmful things you can do to your body. Of all of its harmful effects though, smoking raises your blood pressure more then just about anything else you might consume in your everyday life, lasting up to an hour after you finish smoking, according to Mayo Clinic research. Chemicals in cigarettes can damage your arteries, causing them to burst in the future. Secondhand smoke can cause similar amounts of damage as well. Quitting smoking, though perhaps the hardest part of reducing blood pressure if you're a smoker, is perhaps the most important thing you can do when reducing your blood pressure.