The food we eat, inactivity and stress are all things that contribute to high blood pressure. High blood pressure puts strain on your heart and blood vessels. Over time, this can lead to a heart attack or stroke.
Lifestyle changes can lower your blood pressure. Exercising more, eating healthier foods and trying to eliminate stress are all things that can be beneficial.
One way to eliminate stress to lower blood pressure is to breathe deeply. This is an exercise that can be done anywhere and anytime and it can bring your blood pressure down in as little as one minute.
Of course, all of us know how to breathe, and we even know how to breathe deeply, but to truly eliminate stress there are certain techniques that will be more effective. One of these is belly breathing and here’s how it’s done.
- Sit or lie in a comfortable position.
- Put one hand on your belly just below your ribs and the other on your chest.
- Take a deep breath in through your nose letting your belly push your hand out. Your chest should remain still.
- Repeat slowly 10 times.
- Enjoy the feeling of relaxation the exercise provides.
In addition to deep breathing, there are many other lifestyle changes you can make to lower blood pressure. These are as follows:
- Exercise more
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Eat a diet that is low in salt and high in fruits and vegetables
- Reduce the amount of alcohol you drink
- Practice relaxation exercises like yoga and meditation
Taking on these lifestyle changes can be difficult, but if you start out slowly, little by little you will find that they will be effective over time. In the meantime, you can start by taking one really easy step….just breathe!
