What Can I Do to Lower My Blood Pressure Immediately? Chart – MedicineNet

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If you face any complications of high blood pressure such as a stroke or heart attack, contact your physician without any delay. Do not attempt home remedies in such grave situations. If you have high blood pressure (hypertension), without any complications, the first thing to do is to calm down and lie flat. Leave aside the task you were engaged in and slowly start taking deep breaths. This stress-relieving technique helps to bring down the blood pressure to a certain extent. If calming techniques don’t help, then consult a physician immediately. Additionally, do not forget to take your antihypertensive medications for blood pressure that is uncontrolled by lifestyle changes and diet.
Medication is the main option for treating high blood pressure. As blood pressure improves with lifestyle modifications, medications can be withdrawn gradually. Medications in combination with a healthy diet reduce the risk of a stroke, a heart attack, and other complications.

Blood pressure is the force applied by the blood to the inner walls of the arteries. It shows minor fluctuations throughout the day—declining while relaxing and momentarily increasing while being excited or under stress. An increase in the resting blood pressure can scar, stiffen, or harden the arteries.

High blood pressure or hypertension is the silent killer that affects 80 million Americans. As many as 16 million Americans are unaware of the condition. Untreated hypertension can increase the risk of heart diseases or strokes. High blood pressure occurs due to the tightening of very small blood vessels called arterioles. As a result, the heart has to pump harder to overcome the resistance in the narrowed blood vessel bed. This leads to elevated pressure inside the vessels.
High blood pressure is more likely to cause

When it comes to blood pressure readings, the bottom number is called the diastolic blood pressure. Diastolic blood pressure is the pressure exerted by the blood on the walls of your arteries when your heart is in a relaxed state.  
To get your diastolic blood pressure to go down, you can’t target it alone. You will need to work on getting your overall blood pressure lower.
Here are 13 lifestyle changes that can help you lower your blood pressure.

Being overweight is a major risk factor for high blood pressure. You will need to maintain a body mass index (BMI) between 18.5-24.9 kg/m2.
Having excess fat around the waistline puts you at risk of hypertension and related heart disease. You can reduce the fat around your middle through various exercises, including jogging, walking, hiking, rowing, swimming and high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends doing 90-150 minutes of physical activity spread throughout the week or at least 30 minutes each day for at least 5 days a week.
Smoking causes the buildup of plaque in the blood vessels that leads to high blood pressure. Try to quit smoking and avoid exposure to secondhand smoke. Ask your doctor if you need help figuring out the best way to do this. Joining a program designed to help you quit smoking may help.
Lack of sleep increases your chances of developing health conditions that cause high blood pressure. Try to get between 7-9 hours of good quality sleep each night.
Stress releases hormones that temporarily raise blood pressure. Learn to manage stress by doing activities that relax you and make you feel good. These may include simple things like taking a long walk in nature, listening to music, or pursuing hobbies you enjoy. You can also try deep breathing and meditation techniques.
Include heart-healthy foods in your diet:
Avoid foods that are loaded with saturated and trans fats, like fast food, fried food and instant and frozen foods. 
Keep an eye on how much salt you eat, since salt can increase blood pressure. Limit your salt intake to 1,500 milligrams or less per day. Avoid packaged, processed foods which typically contain more sodium. 
Potassium can counteract the effects of sodium on blood pressure. Include potassium-rich foods in your daily diet, like bananas and spinach
Avoid foods and drinks that contain added sugars, like soft drinks, cakes, pastries, cookies and candies.
Caffeine can increase blood pressure. If you are suffering from high blood pressure already, avoid anything containing caffeine before exercising.
Drink alcohol in moderation. If you are healthy, follow these general guidelines:
Take your blood pressure medications as prescribed. To avoid skipping them by accident, set reminders on your phone to make sure you take them on time.

Lifestyle changes are effective in controlling high blood pressure. A healthy lifestyle can avoid, delay, or reduce the need for blood pressure medications.
Here are some lifestyle changes that may help to lower blood pressure:
Weight loss: Obesity can increase the risk of high blood pressure. Weight loss has been the most effective way of reducing blood pressure. 
Daily exercises: Daily exercise is an excellent way to lose fat and reduce high blood pressure. Exercising daily for 30 minutes can bring down the blood pressure by about 5-8 mmHg.
Reduce sodium intake: Most Americans consume about 3,400 mg of sodium a day, whereas the recommended daily intake of sodium is 2,300 mg with an optimal limit of less than 1,500 mg for those with high blood pressure.
Eat healthily: Avoid foods that contain a high amount of sodium, saturated fats, and cholesterol. This approach to stop hypertension by dietary control is known as the dietary approach to stop hypertension (DASH).
Increase potassium intake: Add more potassium to the diet because it regulates the heart rate and nullifies the effect of sodium in the body. Potassium-rich foods include:
Abstain from heavy alcohol drinking: Alcohol in moderation does not do much harm to the body. Do not exceed one drink a day. Avoid binge drinking.
Quit smoking: Cigarette smoking can increase blood pressure. Cutting down on smoking helps the blood pressure return to normal. 
Avoid excess stress: Stress hormones or cortisol constrict the blood vessels and can lead to temporary spikes in blood pressure. Stress can also result in overeating, poor sleep, and misusing drugs and alcohol.
Regular monitoring of blood pressure at home: Monitor blood pressure at home because it avoids unnecessary stress that may occur in a clinic setting.
High blood pressure (hypertension) is a disease in which pressure within the arteries of the body is elevated. About 75 million people in the US have hypertension (1 in 3 adults), and only half of them are able to manage it. Many people do not know that they have high blood pressure because it often has no has no warning signs or symptoms.
Systolic and diastolic are the two readings in which blood pressure is measured. The American College of Cardiology released new guidelines for high blood pressure in 2017. The guidelines now state that blood normal blood pressure is 120/80 mmHg. If either one of those numbers is higher, you have high blood pressure.
The American Academy of Cardiology defines high blood pressure slightly differently. The AAC considers 130/80 mm Hg. or greater (either number) stage 1 hypertension. Stage 2 hypertension is considered 140/90 mm Hg. or greater.
If you have high blood pressure you are at risk of developing life threatening diseases like stroke and heart attack.
REFERENCE: CDC. High Blood Pressure. Updated: Nov 13, 2017.
Metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol XL) is a beta-adrenergic blocking agent drug, which blocks the action of the sympathetic nervous system (a portion of the involuntary nervous system). Metoprolol is prescribed to treat high blood pressure (hypertension), heart pain (angina), heart rhythm disorders, and some neurological conditions. Side effects include fever, impotence, sore throat, nausea, depression, insomnia, constipation, memory loss, and high blood pressure.
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