How to combat hypertension

Shikha Sharma 

A vast majority of us are suffering from high blood pressure (Shutterstock)

Hypertension or high blood pressure is one of the most common health problems in the world. It is caused by:

1. Unmanageable stress and anxiety.

2. Lack of sleep.

3. A very sedentary lifestyle.

4. A Type-A personality (characterised by drive, aggression, impatience, perfectionism, etc).

High blood pressure develops over a period of time, when extra salt in the body leads to the blood vessels losing their flexibility.

Here are the best things to do if you’ve been diagnosed as a hypertensive.

1. Sleep: A good sleep helps your body (and its blood vessels) regenerate and repair itself. Replace caffeinated drinks like tea and coffee, with chamomile tea or jasmine tea.

2. Salt-free dinners: Heavy dinners contain lots of salt and make the body water-retentive. A salt-free dinner such as oats in milk or a milkshake helps reduce salt intake and therefore, the load on the heart.

3. Go tobacco-free: Smoking and tobacco consumption make blood vessels constricted, which leads to high blood pressure.

4. Vegetable juices: These help cleanse the body of excess salt. One of the best juices is a mix of celery, pomegranate, beetroot and tomato.

Do pranayam and yoga to lower the blood pressure (Shutterstoxk)

5. Pranayam: It brings downood pressure by reducing the stress knots in your body. There are different kinds of pranayams: some energise the body, others help calm you down.

6. Water: When you drink enough water, the kidneys flush out the extra sodium in your body, helping to reduce your blood pressure.

7. Apple cider vinegar: Mix with lukewarm water to keep your body alkaline and remove extra sodium.

8. Dairy drinks: Curd, lassi and whey drinks are rich in calcium, and help reduce blood pressure.

9. Fruit and veg: A diet that includes at least 35 per cent of fruit and vegetables means that you don’t consume extra salts. Such a diet also helps reduce the hardening of arteries.

10. Exercise: Swimming, yoga, walking and even dancing help stabilise your blood pressure and bring it back to normal.