Control Your Increasing Blood Pressure

Blood is needed by the body to help sustain the body. On an average a person has about 5 liters of blood. It travels within the large network of arteries and veins that send and receive this vital material.

The blood contains oxygen which needs to be distributed to the various parts of the body. It also helps in cleaning by depositing the waste to the kidneys.

The heart is a muscle that continues to work as long as we are breathing. It pumps the blood to the arteries. When these arteries are blocked with plaque the heart has to pump harder for the blood to go through.

To compensate for the overload of work that is now faced the heart grows to nearly double of its size to keep up with the overload. This overload is what causes the pressure at which the blood to be pumped to increase.

It is very important to know what the pressure of the blood is at periodic periods. This is one of the risk factors that lead to heart attacks, strokes and kidney diseases. If one is in a condition where the blood pressure is higher than normal and if the infected person is addicted to smoking, overweight or has diabetes the risk of heart diseases is significantly increased as well.

The recommended level for blood pressure is lower than140/90 mm HG . These figures although are confusing but one must know what these numbers talk about. The above number talks about the pressure which is applied when the heart contracts. Literally it stands for the volume of blood passed into the large arteries that are nearer to the heart. The second number represents the pressure when the heart relaxes when in between beats.

There are several ways of keeping yourself healthy and keeping the blood pressure level at the normal rate. The most effective way is to exercise; normally when people hear the word the gym comes to mind. But this can be done without going to the gym.

For instance one could go walking instead of taking a vehicle there. Taking the steps instead of the elevator, even walking the dog is an exercise.

When we exercise the stimulation caused in the blood creates a substance known as “Nitric oxide” this helps in keeping the blood vessels open. Another important habit to break is the intake of salt.

On an average the human body needs about 500 mg of salt. However, the average intake of salt by an American is about 6,900 mg. This is way over the prescribed limit.

To avoid excess intake of salts is to follow the general rule of thumb which is if you can taste the salt in your food then that means that there is too much of salt in it. Before buying canned food it is recommended to read the ingredient content.

The Food and Drug Administration has made it mandatory for manufacturers of canned or packed food to have the content of sodium to be listed on the packing. Smoking and drinking is another habit that one should stay away from.