Natural Hypertension Diet: 20 Foods to Lower Blood Pressure

Stress has become an integral part of modern living. The problem begins when the level goes out of hand. It can disturb your appetite and lifestyle pattern. It also leads to increase in blood pressure. If you are diagnosed with hypertension, all you have to do is make drastic changes in your diet and lifestyle patterns. If you lead a disciplined life and manage your stress levels, hypertension will have to bid adieu.Hypertension or high blood pressure (BP) is a common problem and there is a way to cure it too!

Blood pressure levels measuring above 90/140 indicates hypertension and should not be taken lightly. Obviously, the first thing that we would do to cure hypertension is consult a doctor and get the appropriate medication. But, there are some really effective natural remedies for hypertension control.

First and foremost, it is very important to know the causes of hypertension so that you can take steps to prevent it.

Causes of Hypertension:

Blood pressure is the measure of the force of blood pushing against blood vessel walls. The heart pumps blood into the arteries which carry this blood to the rest of the body. High blood pressure or hypertension is dangerous because it makes the heart work harder to pump blood to the body, thus leading to heart failure and hardening of arteries (atherosclerosis).

In more than 90% of cases, the cause of high blood pressure or hypertension is unknown, but there are several factors that can increase the risk of developing high blood pressure.Here is why it happens:

• The risk of developing high blood pressure increases as you get older.
• A family history of high blood pressure makes one susceptible to hypertension.
• A high intake of sodium on a daily basis also increases the risk of developing hypertension.
• Lack of physical activity and a sedentary lifestyle contributes to hypertension and obesity. Both high blood pressure and obesity lead to serious cardiovascular problems.
• Bad habits like smoking and over consumption of alcohol also increase the risk of developing hypertension or high blood pressure.

Sometimes, hypertension occurs due to an underlying cause. This is known as secondary hypertension. The causes of secondary hypertension are as follows:

• Kidney disease is perhaps the biggest cause of secondary hypertension. The narrowing of arteries (stenosis) leading to your kidneys can cause renovascular hypertension. Renovascular hypertension is caused by fat deposition in the arteries, and it can lead to irreversible kidney damage. Sometimes, the muscle and fibrous tissues of the renal artery wall thicken and harden into rings, this condition is known as fibro muscular dysplasia.

• Diabetes complication or diabetic nephropathy can damage your kidney’s filtering system and this inevitably leads to high blood pressure.

• Polycystic kidney disease is an inherited condition. Cysts in the kidney prevent it from functioning properly and this raises the blood pressure.

• Glomerular disease happens when microscopic-sized kidney filters or glomeruli become swollen. When the glomeruli can’t work normally, you may develop high blood pressure.

• Corticosteroid medications and a pituitarytumor may stimulate the adrenal glands to release high amounts of hormone cortisol. The excess secretion of the hormone cortisol increases the blood pressure naturally. This condition is called Cushing syndrome.

• Sometimes, tumor in the adrenal gland or other factors leads to excess secretion of the hormone aldosterone. The hormone aldosterone forces your kidneys to retain salt and water and lose a lot of potassium. This condition is known as aldosteronism and it leads to high blood pressure.

• Pheochromocytoma is a rare tumor found in the adrenal glands that increases the production of hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline. This can cause long term spike of blood pressure or short-term spikes of blood pressure.

• When the thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormone then it can cause high blood pressure. However, excess secretion of parathyroid hormone is also not good because it increases the level of calcium in the blood. This triggers a rise in blood pressure.

• Coarctation of aorta or the narrowing of aorta forces the heart to pump harder to get blood through the aorta and the rest of the blood vessels. This increases the blood pressure, especially in your arms. This is a birth defect mainly.

• Sleep apnea happens when severe snoring and breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep, this prevents the body from getting enough oxygen. This can cause damage to the blood vessel walls and make them less effective in controlling blood pressure. Sleep apnea also makes the nervous system overactive which cause over secretion of certain chemicals that increase blood pressure.

• As you gain weight the amount of blood circulating through your body increases. Excess weight leads to increase in heart rate and it reduces the capacity of blood vessels to carry blood. The decreased capacity can exert pressure on the artery walls causing blood pressure to increase. Also the chemicals released from the fat deposits increase the risk of hypertension.

• Pregnancy leads to hormonal changes in the body and an increase in blood pressure. This increase in blood pressure is called pregnancy induced hypertension or preeclampsia. Hypertensioncan be fatal for mother and the baby, and it has to be controlled before the situation goes completely out of hand.

• Medicines like anti-depressants,painkillers (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAID) and drugs used after organ transplant can aggravate blood pressure. Birth control pills, decongestants and certain herbal supplements like ginseng can increase blood pressure levels. Having illegal drugs like cocaine can worsen the situation.

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