What is pressure and how does it happen? How to monitor your pressure so that it is normal? What products to lower the pressure or, conversely, increase it? The answers to these and other questions are contained in the following article.
Pressure
Human blood pressure is the force that occurs in the arteries at a time when resistance is created for the blood in the peripheral vessels. It reaches its maximum value when the heart contracts and the minimum - when it relaxes. These two indicators go hand in hand with each other. They are given as a fraction and are expressed in millimeters of mercury. The average normal pressure for a he althy adult at rest is 130/70 millimeters of mercury.
High blood pressure is considered when the indicator is 140/90 and above. This diseased condition is called hypertension and has become the scourge of our time.
High blood pressure
Hypertension is inherent in both children and adults, but the latter, of course, have much more factors leading tothis disease:
- first of all, this is atherosclerosis, due to which the vessels narrow;
- overweight;
- heavy s alt intake;
- fast paced city life;
- oral contraceptives;
- smoking;
- poor physical activity;
- constant strong emotional stress at work;
- abrupt change in atmospheric pressure and weather;
- other diseases.
Having identified the presence of high blood pressure once, it is necessary to check it several times to make sure that this was not an isolated case as a result of a stressful situation, drinking alcohol or other reasons. It should be borne in mind that after a hard day, in the evening it is usually slightly higher.
When determining the presence of hypertension, measures should be taken to lower it. For this, it is not necessary to immediately take medications. You can start by finding out which foods lower a person's blood pressure and eating them.
Low blood pressure
Another painful condition is hypotension, or low blood pressure. Usually, people suffering from it are diagnosed with vegetovascular dystonia, when, at the slightest uncomfortable condition, pressure begins to decrease, which causes the skin to turn pale, dizziness, nausea, and general weakness begin. The person may develop a cold sweat or even faint.
Treatment in this case is difficult and long. Usually drink to increase blood pressuregreen tea, coffee and medicinal plants. For such people, it is extremely important to have a long he althy and restorative sleep. Meals should be high in calories, high in glucose.
How to monitor your blood pressure
Before you go on a diet and study which foods increase blood pressure and which lower it, you should learn how to measure it correctly.
The patient is advised to keep a diary of measurements, tracking their condition. Measure the pressure in the morning at 6-8 o'clock, before taking medication, and then in the evening, from 18 to 21 o'clock. It is best if you do it at the same time. The following is recommended:
- rest for five minutes, and if there was a load of a physical or emotional nature, then they rest for at least a quarter of an hour;
- one hour before the procedure, do not drink tea, coffee or even more alcohol and do not smoke;
- keep quiet while measuring;
- sit in a comfortable position and keep your hand on a fairly firm surface;
- enter all measurements in a special notebook.
Now that you have figured out how to behave when you have a disease, you can move on to the nutrition section and discover what foods to lower your blood pressure.
Food
When there are problems with pressure, an important component for its normalization is a properly selected diet. You need to know exactly which foods increase blood pressure and which lower it, and use them depending on your he alth condition.
At the same time, a list of products containing certain vitamins is compiled,minerals and trace elements.
For high blood pressure needed:
- vitamins C and E;
- Omega-3 fatty acids;
- potassium and magnesium;
- folic acid.
For low blood pressure, the diet should contain:
- vitamins B and C;
- proteins.
Protein will equally help those who suffer from high or low blood pressure. It provides better blood circulation.
Folic acid strengthens blood vessels and normalizes heart function. Fatty acids, in particular Omega-3, build elastic walls of arteries.
Vitamins act on the body gradually and contribute to the development of the necessary protection. They are involved in the blood supply and regulate the tension on the walls of blood vessels.
The role of minerals is also great. They normalize the work of the heart, ensuring its optimal rhythm and help to adapt to stress.
Other ingredients
In addition to deciding what foods can lower blood pressure and what foods can increase, you need to reconsider your entire lifestyle. Maybe a lot of things need to be changed, and something needs to be completely abandoned.
Should I say that bad habits such as alcohol and smoking will have to be abandoned?
Blood pressure normalization will certainly be facilitated by moderate physical activity (whether it be running, exercising or just washing the car) performed daily.
Proper breathing, sometimes calledmeditative, will also play a positive role in this matter and reduce the level of stress, if any.
Don't give yourself up to work entirely. If you work more than forty-one hours a week, the risk of hypertension increases. This is especially pronounced if the work is associated with stress and psychological stress.
Listening to calm music will also help normalize blood pressure.
Phytotherapy, when applied correctly and regularly, can give wonderful results.
Of course, if the problem has become very serious, then in addition to the above remedies, you will have to resort to medical drugs.
What foods to lower blood pressure
General dietary guidelines for hypertension are as follows:
- must eat vegetable fats and avoid animal fats;
- consume a minimum amount of s alt;
- give up cakes, sweets, pastries and other things;
- smoked and spicy dishes are only occasionally eaten;
- forget about alcohol and strong tea or coffee (green tea is allowed).
So what foods lower blood pressure? First of all, hypertensive patients should eat more dairy products. They contain a lot of calcium. Skimmed milk and low-fat products from it are best suited. But along with other he althy foods, you can eat a small amount of fatty dairy products. This vitamin is foundalso in all green vegetables, sardines and almonds.
Magnesium, which copes well with high blood pressure, is found in apples and grapefruits. In addition, a considerable amount of it is present in cereals.
Bananas, watermelons, oranges, tomatoes, dried apricots, baked potatoes and tuna are rich in potassium.
Garlic successfully fights hypertension - it is recommended to eat one clove daily.
Fruits and berries, especially grapes, peaches, plums, apricots, lingonberries, cranberries, hawthorn and viburnum, have a rich composition of nutrients that normalize blood pressure.
Broccoli is also good, but it should only be cooked for a few minutes, no more.
Answering the question of what foods lower blood pressure in humans, one cannot fail to mention chokeberry. It can be added to tea, mixed with honey, eaten with rose hips or citrus fruits.
Not everyone can drink beetroot juice, but if you mix it with carrot juice, it will be much easier and at the same time even more useful.
You should know that during the period of gestation, hypertension may also develop. Therefore, women should definitely consider which foods lower blood pressure during pregnancy. Following the right diet will help the female body to cope with its task more easily.
If you have low blood pressure
Now we know what products to lower the pressure, and what to eat if the pressure,vice versa, reduced How to increase it?
Following the diet for hypotension is very important. At the same time, it is better to reduce the one-time amount of food and make more meals.
Here are the foods to eat with low blood pressure:
- coffee and dark chocolate;
- s alted fish and canned fish;
- smoked meats;
- drink strong tea.
Fatty, s alty and spicy foods will raise your blood pressure. When consumed, the body retains water, which, in turn, normalizes blood pressure.
With hypotension, herbal medicine can significantly help, in particular medicinal plants such as ginseng, St. John's wort, Eleutherococcus and Schisandra chinensis.
Which foods lower intracranial pressure
Besides arterial, there is the concept of intracranial pressure. It means a lack of cerebrospinal fluid or, conversely, its accumulation in the cranium. If these problems occur, in addition to all concomitant products, a certain diet is recommended.
So, the answer to the question of what foods lower this type of pressure is lemon and garlic. It is also worth eating more foods that are rich in potassium.
