Hypertension is a common disease in the present era which has a multifactorial origin. Development of hypertension more depends on environmental factors. Our blood pressure responds to everyday diet, sleep, exercise, work and stress sensitively. So one should stay optimistic as this is a good news, making changes in one’s diet & lifestyle will enormously help in preventing hypertension or reducing blood pressure if a person is suffering from hypertension. Often known as the silent killer because it is asymptomatic and the condition can go unnoticed for many years, it is a dangerous disease which can cause multiple complications affecting / damaging different organs if not diagnosed & treated on time. Anti-hypertensive drugs only lower high blood pressure but do not eradicate the risk of secondary disease. Also they are not free from untoward effect. However Ayurveda has a holistic approach which helps minimize the risk factors in a better way.
Making Healthy Diet & Lifestyle choices
Hypertension is controllable with adjustments in diet & lifestyle. Being conscious of one’s own condition and taking necessary preventive measures will have much better outcome. Lifestyle options are a matter of personal choice. The responsibility to adopt positive lifestyle lies with you if you want to avoid prescription drugs for the rest of your life. This could be quite challenging because the changes have to be continued for longer duration. Living with positive lifestyle choices may feel unpalatable however it will only help to resign taking medications when we grow older. One can start with your comfort zone but should slowly expand till you achieve the ideal goal.
Negative Impact of Modernisation on Our Health
Modernization is making us pay the price by becoming prey to many lifestyle diseases. Faulty lifestyle, stressful psychological condition affect our mind and haemostasis of the body. Hypertension is a psychosomatic disease, mental factors play an important role in the pathogenesis, progression and prognosis of the disease as well as response to treatment. Factors affecting blood pressure are vessel elasticity, blood volume, cardiac output and peripheral resistance which depends on blood viscosity, vessel diameter and vessel length. Exaggerated contractility of heart increases the speed / force of ejection of blood. This results into forceful expulsion of blood through blood vessels, ultimately leading into increased resistance in vessels causing hypertension.
Effect of Diet, Stress and Lack of Exercise on Hypertension
v Increased intake of salt, alcohol, smoking leads to defect in renal sodium hemostasis thereby increasing cardiac output.
v Increased intake of caffeine, spicy food causes defect in hormonal regulation of blood pressure (Renin – Angiotensin mechanism) leading to vasoconstriction increasing peripheral resistance.
v Reduced calcium and potassium intake in diet, hereditary factors cause defect in autonomous nervous system regulation of blood pressure increasing heart rate and vasoconstriction increasing cardiac output & peripheral resistance.
v Increase in intake of fatty food and lack of physical activity leads to hyperlipidemia causing atherosclerosis increasing peripheral resistance.
v Anger, stress, anxiety, excess fear, worry leads to disturbed physiological hemostasis and exaggerated cardiac responses. Also, they further cause negative emotions, eating disorders, physical inactivity, obesity, smoking, alcohol, etc.
Factors That Affect Blood Pressure
Number of factors like genetic factors, dietary, stress, etc lead to the development of hypertension. As micronutrients are not effectively reaching / nourishing the arteries and blood vessels become thickened due to aging process blood pressure there is increased incidence of blood pressure between 40 – 60 years of age. However the population is becoming more sedentary and obese & increase in childhood obesity has led to the rise in blood pressure even at an early age in recent days. Seasonal variations can also affect blood pressure. In winters blood pressure usually raises because lowered temperature causes blood vessels to narrow hence more pressure is needed to force blood through narrowed blood vessels. In summers, as there is vasodilatation blood pressure is generally low. Diet and lifestyle that increases and decreases hypertension are explained in the below table.
Increase | Decrease |
Grains – Whole grains, rice, wheat, oats, barley Spices – Himalayan rock salt in moderation, garlic, ginger, black pepper, cumin and cinnamon. Legumes – Lentils, Beans Vegetables – All green leafy vegetables Fruits – Berries, cherries, papaya, grapes Nuts – Almonds Seeds – Sesame seeds, flaxseed, all other seeds Dairy – Low fat milk, buttermilk Beverages – Herbal tea Oils – Plain unrefined oils like sesame oil, mustard oil, olive oil Sweetener – Honey, jaggery, Natural unprocessed sugar Meat – White meat, white portion of eggs and fresh water fish. Lifestyle – Regular exercise, avoidance of mental stress, timely sleep | Grains – Packaged grains Spices – Salt, Chili, pickles Legumes – Canned beans Vegetables - Tomatoes Fruits – Mangoes Nuts – Cashews, groundnuts Seeds - --- Dairy – Full fat milk or yoghurt Beverages – Sweetened beverages, coffee, alcohol Oils – hydrogenated oils and fats Sweetener – Refined sugar Meat – Frozen meat, red meat, fish (sea water fish) & sea food Others – Processed food, fatty food, fried food Lifestyle – Excess sleep during daytime and staying awake late at night, extremes – either not doing exercise at all or overdoing of exercise, increased use of tobacco or smoking and mental stress, frequent episodes of anger, anxiety, indulgence in negative thinking. |
Classic Strategies to Lower Blood Pressure
- Limit alcohol consumption, smoking & tobacco
- Increase physical activity
- Follow dietary eating pattern – increased intake of fruits & vegetables, low fat dairy products, whole grains, poultry, fish, nuts while reducing the amounts of red meat, sweets, sugar containing beverages and sodium intake.
- Reduce stress
Obesity undoubtedly increases blood pressure and fall in blood pressure is usually observed with weight reduction. Also, obesity increases the risk of developing hypertensive cardio vascular complications. Increase in hypertension patients in India is related to adiposity levels. Increase in hypertension patients in India is related to adiposity levels. Atherosclerotic changes caused by factors like high cholesterol & triglyceride where blood vessels lose their tone and this increases peripheral resistance.
Increased Smoking, Alcohol, Tobacco damage the lining of artery walls, causing blood vessels to narrow thereby hardening the arterial walls and limiting blood flow to the organs hence increasing blood pressure and stressing the heart.
Physical activity strengthens the heart so it can pump more efficiently and with less force, increases nitric oxide production which induces arteries to dilate, reduces inflammation which is a major cause of artery hardening plaque, improves cholesterol level, lowers body weight and reduces stress. With increasing awareness about fitness, people try various exercises to stay fit and healthy. However, people who have hypertension or family history of hypertension should minimize / avoid dynamic and isometric exercise as they increase blood pressure. But moderate and regular exercise like walking or jogging or aerobics lower blood pressure, strengthens cardiac muscles, amplifies metabolism and brings healthy state of body and mind. Self-massage with warm sesame oil or olive oil once a week helps to increase elasticity and flexibility, corrects and enhances blood flow.
Salt increases blood volume because it causes water retention. As blood pressure is directly proportional to blood volume, hence blood pressure rises.
Mental stress speeds up heart because of elevated levels of hormones like adrenaline & cortisol. In modern day lifestyle, stress has become a continuous phenomenon, hence heart speeds up and more amount of blood is pumped out. When mental stress continues for a longer duration then even after withdrawal of stress, heart will continue to function in same manner as it is accustomed to speed working resulting in hypertension.
There is a lot we can do to prevent hypertension, mainly adjustment to eating habits and regular exercise can help a lot.
- Cut back on fat and eat more starches or complex carbohydrates like grains, beans, vegetables.
- Limit intake of milk, cheese, poultry, fish and meat.
- Eat low sodium diet to help to maintain normal blood pressure.
- Eat more fiber, fruits and vegetables as they help to lower cholesterol levels.
- Maintain body weight as increased body fat increases risk of heart diseases. Physically active lifestyle helps in maintaining healthy body weight, blood sugar levels, cholesterol and blood pressure. It also helps to improve stress tolerance. Exercise helps cardiovascular system work efficiently. Indulge in gardening, housekeeping, etc. If a person does not have enough time for regular exercise, he / she may use the stairs instead of lift, take the cycle to go to work and walk to buy groceries.
- Quit smoking as smoking can increase heart rate, blood pressure levels and lower the good cholesterol (HDL cholesterol). Smoking increases risk of heart attack.
- Reducing stress will help to increase overall quality of life.
- Reduce alcohol consumption.
- Decrease intake of food additives or preservatives such as MSG (Monosodium glutamate), hydrogenated oils and fats. Instead use vegetable oils.
- Get enough sleep – Disturbed sleep causes dis-balance in stress hormones leading to increase in blood pressure.
Simple Recipes for Lowering Blood Pressure
Recipe 1 - Medicated Garlic milk preparation
Method of preparation – Peel 8 garlic pods and blend them to a paste in a blender. Boil ¼ glass (50 ml) goat’s milk (preferable) or low-fat cow’s milk (alternative option to goat’s milk) and 1 glass (200 ml) water in a pan and when it comes to boil, add the garlic paste. Boil on moderate flame without covering with a lid, while stirring in-between to prevent garlic from sticking to the bottom. When approximately ¼ glass (50 ml) remains, remove from fire and serve.
Recipe 2 - Hot cumin drink
Dry roast 1 tsp each of fenugreek and cumin in a frying pan and then crush them into a coarse powder. Add 2 cups of water to it and when water boils, add 1 tbsp jaggery and mix well. Now filter and drink.
As blood pressure exerts burden on the human quality of life, contributes to increased mortality and risk of cardiovascular diseases it is important to make necessary diet & lifestyle changes to maintain normal blood pressure.
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