Blood Pressure
Our Hard-Working Hearts
The heart, our beautiful, hard-working heart, pumps blood throughout the body to deliver oxygen to our cells. This pump exerts a force on the artery walls that's strong enough to shoot water out 9 ft (3 m).
Our vessels (arteries, capillaries, and veins) need to be strong, flexible, and clear of plaque to withstand this force, move blood efficiently, and keep our bodies running smoothly.
1 - Normal (90/60 to 120/80)
2 - Pre Hypertenion (120/80 to 140/90)
3 - Stage 1 Hypertension (140/90 to 160/100)
4 - Stage 2 Hypertension (160/100 to 190/120)
0 - Low (70/40 to 90/60)
How to Read Blood Pressure Numbers
The heart is located to the left center of the chest and is designed to exert its strongest force toward our left side. When our blood pressure is taken, we usually measure this pressure around the upper left arm. The pressure of blood pumping is noted as a fraction of Systolic pressure over Diastolic pressure. For example, 120/80 is read as "one twenty over eighty".
These numbers are the range of the force exerted on the artery walls. A healthy pressure is 120/80 but a pressure of 160/100 puts extra work on the heart and has been found to cause damage to physical and mental health. This is high Blood Pressure and is also known as Hypertension. It’s also dangerous to have too low blood pressure.
This chart divides the stages of hypertension and at stages 3, 4, and 0, it is advised to talk to your doctor.
Risks of High Blood Pressure
The most common organs affected are the heart, brain, and kidneys. With age, arteries can harden, becoming less elastic which means they’re more likely to be damaged under high pressure. This can lead to blood clots that block flow to the brain causing a stroke, the heart causing heart attacks, and overloading the kidneys causing kidney failure. While gradually interrupting the flow to the brain, it also causes mental disorders like addiction, anxiety, depression, and dementia.
High blood pressure is known as the silent killer because the symptoms are difficult to track. While medications can help lower blood pressure, they can also cause undesirable side effects and impact the kidneys even more.
Daily Habits
Luckily, we can maintain healthy blood pressure through awareness of our daily habits. Essentially, improving blood circulation helps the heart pump blood immensely. Imagine how much extra work the heart would have to exert if one was 100% sedentary. Circulation comes with bodily movement, warmth, and therapies such as massage, red light therapy, and breathwork.
Movement
Simple stretching and walking can reduce high blood pressure as much as prescribed medication.
To those not used to daily exercise, start by keeping it simple. Even a Star Pose like this is easy to incorporate daily. A 2-minute stretch and a 20-minute walk will release endorphins, make you feel better, improve your mental health, and help your heart.
Food Awareness
What you eat affects:
the quality of circulation in your body
the variety of vitamins and nutrients
protection from aches and pains
Best Foods to Lower High Blood Pressure
If you like to choose your food based on what to gravitate towards, here are two links to the best foods for healthy blood pressure. There are many ways to lower high blood pressure naturally and without medication.
Foods to Avoid
If you find it easier to know what to avoid, here is a link of the categories to minimize until your blood pressure returns to a healthy number.
Most often, addictions to sugars and fatty foods taste good in the short run but greatly hinder you in the long run. Cravings, like any addiction, come from the brain and can be tricked, causing a vicious cycle. We are not alone in these habits and in many cases, we can free ourselves in a few months.
Shifting a habit for 50 days now can add 20 years to your life later, free of pain and debilitation.
Breathing
The final life-changing habit is breathing, that's as easy as it gets, folks. As often as brushing our teeth, 3 minutes of deep breathing reduces blood pressure. With my grandma’s blood pressure monitor, I can see for myself how deep breathing lowers my blood pressure.
Spas
When it comes to relaxing at the spa, most hydrotherapies, heated rooms, and float tanks are safe for those with high blood pressure. Be mindful of over-exerting yourself and if you have any concerns, ask a professional that you trust. Stop if you feel any chest pain, light-headedness, or dizziness, these are signs of an overworked heart. Relaxing at the spa can slow down your breath, improve your blood circulation, lower your cortisol levels, lower your blood pressure, and improve your quality of life.
January 10, 2023
