Maintaining A Healthy Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is considered to be the silent killer. A lot of men and women do not even know that their blood pressure is elevated until such time as they have a stroke or heart attack. Most men and women who have family members or friends who have high blood pressure or have had a stroke know that they need to have their blood pressure checked often not only by their doctor but at home or in their local pharmacy.

Most men and women end up with dangerously high blood pressure overnight and it is very important realize that blood pressure is something that's constantly in flux and also something that's designed to be varied throughout your daily activities. It's only when your blood pressure begins to remain elevated that this becomes a problem and only over time.

When you begin to notice that your blood pressure is becoming elevated and is tending toward staying that way, there are some steps you can take to help reduce your blood pressure. To begin with it is an excellent idea to reduce the amount of salt in your diet. Keeping in mind, of course, that salt is one of the most prevalent things that cause high blood pressure.

Other things can be done to help lower your blood pressure as well and you may want to consider increasing your intake of fish and fish oil products as well as garlic. These items can really help you to reduce those blood pressure numbers and bring them back into normal range.

Of course, there are other things as well and one such thing is stress. By reducing your stress you're likely to find that your blood pressure subsequently comes down a few points. Some men and women take up meditation and yoga and find that these things also help to reduce stress and blood pressure.

If you smoke and drink then these can both be contributing factors to high blood pressure as well and you are going to also want to ensure that you try and reduce or eliminate these factors when trying to reduce your blood pressure. Quitting smoking alone has been known to bring a person's blood pressure back into normal range within just a few short months.

When all else fails if your blood pressure remains high then you might need to see your doctor and have him or her prescribe medication to help reduce your high blood pressure. Water pills as well as other medications can help you to reduce and eliminate your high blood pressure and in the end will help you to avoid the complications of dealing with a stroke or heart attack.