Lower Your Blood Pressure Without Drugs

If your blood pressure is higher than 120/80, your doctor might have you on a prescription drug to lower your blood pressure. There are many prescription drugs on the market today that doctors prescribe for their patients to lower their blood pressure. Examples of these include Tenormin, Norvasc, and Zestril. Unfortunately, common minor side effects of Tenormin are insomnia, fatigue, nervousness, and the loss of sexual drive. Some of the worst side effects include dizziness, shortness of breath, stomach pains, and depression. If you take Norvasc, the minor side effects can include headaches, diarrhea, constipation, and difficult urination. Some of the worst side effects are hives, chest pains, dizziness, and jaundice. To avoid these side effects and others, if at all possible, you should try to lower your blood pressure without drugs.

Eating a diet that's full of healthy foods is the best place to start. Cut down your consumption of red meat, avoid fatty or fried foods, and increase your intake of fresh fruits and vegetables. You should also avoid eating salt because it causes blood vessels to become narrower. This narrowing effect makes it harder for blood to travel through our vessels. This makes your heart work harder, and it can easily raise your blood pressure. A high amount of salt is found in such foods as canned meats, lunchmeats, potato chips, pretzels, cheeses, and canned soups.

Eating a diet of healthy foods will help lower your blood pressure naturally. It will also help you drop a few pounds if you're overweight. Losing weight is another way to lower your blood pressure without drugs.

Along with eating a diet of healthy foods, you should also exercise on a regular basis. Activities like walking, running, swimming, and aerobics can help lower your blood pressure without drugs. Aerobics, in particular, helps strengthen your heart so it can pump the blood throughout your body better. Experts recommend thirty minutes of exercise five times a week. They also say that you should notice a lowering in your blood pressure within a couple months of starting to exercise.