High diastolic blood pressure (DBP) reflects that you’ve hypertension. If that is the case with you, you must be wondering how to lower diastolic blood pressure.
A majority of the global population is suffering from the problem of high diastolic blood pressure. Dizziness, headaches, or blurred vision are the consequences of high DBP. In severe cases, you might also hear a buzzing sound in your ears or experience bleeding from your nose. This can result in several serious diseases such as heart stroke, kidney failure, brain hemorrhage, etc.
That’s why it becomes necessary to know how to lower diastolic blood pressure. Fortunately, you can control your BP with some dietary changes and lifestyle modifications. In this article, you’ll discover such ways that will help you keep your diastolic blood pressure number intact.
Table of Contents
What Is Diastolic Blood Pressure?
Blood pressure is the force by which our heart pumps blood into the arteries through blood vessels. If you’ve ever noticed, the reading of blood pressure is inclusive of two figures. Those two figures are nothing but two types of blood pressure- (a) the one on top is systolic pressure which indicates the force at which the heart contracts to pump the blood for circulation.
On the other hand, (b) diastolic pressure indicates the force at which the heart gets the refill of circulated blood during the period of relaxation between two heartbeats.
So, the reading of blood pressure goes from systolic pressure to diastolic pressure. Systolic pressure is usually higher than the latter one. A healthy BP (for men) ranges between 120/80 whereas (for women) it is 122/77.
Both systolic and diastolic blood pressures can increase and decrease. In this article, we’ll discuss how to lower diastolic blood pressure.
What Causes High Diastolic Blood Pressure?
With age, diastolic blood pressure starts to become unstable and higher. Adults who are in their early 50s might experience this situation more often. However, due to unhealthy lifestyle habits, people of age 40+ also complain of high diastolic BP.
Other causes include:
- High consumption of sodium in food
- Disturbed sleeping patterns
- Stress
- No exercise or walking
- Smoking & Drinking Alcohol
How To Lower Diastolic Blood Pressure?
If you’re diagnosed with high diastolic blood pressure, the following tips can help you lower it:
1. Reduce Salt Intake
The first and foremost measure that you must take in this direction is reducing salt intake. Because of the presence of sodium in salt, the blood increases. Health experts hold the view that even a minute reduction in the quantity of salt can lower diastolic blood pressure (DBP) to a major extent. So limit munching on savory food items and dishes.
2. Add More Potassium To Your Diet
Consuming food that has a high amount of potassium can show you favorable results. This is the general advice of all medical professionals to patients with high DBP.
Potassium acts as a neutralizer against sodium, thus, helping to lower DBP. Food items that include potassium include bananas, potatoes, spinach, mushroom, pomegranate, yogurt, broccoli, tomatoes, beans, tofu, nut butter, beetroot, etc.
3. Don’t Skip Walking/Exercise
We all tend to lose the grips over exercising in between our tight schedules. But sooner or later, you’ll start to see the ill effects of not exercising daily on your body and mental health. And for people who are here to know how to lower diastolic blood pressure, it is even more needed. It strengthens the heart and improves blood circulation defusing the pressure.
Medical practitioners strongly recommend walking daily to keep your heart healthy. Take out at least 35 to 40 minutes daily to do simple exercises such as cycling, squats, or jogging. Even if you can walk for 35 to 40 minutes daily, you’ll see your blood pressure coming back to normal within a few weeks.
4. Leave Aside Alcohol & Smoking
As a person who is worried about how to lower diastolic blood pressure, you must not drink alcohol or smoke. Doing so directly impacts your heartbeats and blood circulation. The majority of people who drink alcohol or smoke develop the condition of hypertension. And what is even worse is that it comes more silently to such people that they are gripped by high diastolic BP more strongly.
5. Cut Down Your Caffeine Intake
Many people have the habit of sipping on a cup of tea or coffee as soon as they get up. Although for a brief period of time, caffeine escalates blood pressure to surprising levels. So make sure to limit its consumption until you can swap it with some healthy alternatives such as fruit juice or vegetable juice. Also, ensure you take it during the day, not after waking up or before going to bed as it has more adverse effects on those times.
6. Manage Your Weight
A healthy weight is good for heart health. Being overweight is an open invitation to many diseases including high DBP. Obesity is the most typical reason that draws pressure on blood vessels. Not only that, it stimulates the brain to release more of such chemicals that are highly responsible for inducing hypertension. So in order to keep your cardiovascular health intact, look after your body weight based on your BMI.
7. Learn To Manage Your Stress
Stress has become unavoidable in today’s time. But if you don’t try to cope with it and manage it, no matter how much you read about how to lower diastolic blood pressure, there will be no results. To manage stress, take the help of yoga and meditation. You can try anulom vilom and bhastrika pranayama to help your respiratory system cope with stress.
8. Work On Your Sleeping Schedule
One of the major causes of high DBP or hypertension is an improper sleeping schedule. When we sleep, our body takes time to rejuvenate our overall functions and health. Now when you can’t sleep, the body has to work double, first for its regular replenishment while sleeping. Secondly, the body has to spend energy on whatever activity we’re doing, be it processing thoughts or scrolling our mobile screen.
Because every activity is controlled by blood and oxygen it carries to the parts and organs, this puts double pressure on the heart. That’s why insomnia can affect your heart rhythm adversely resulting in hypertension.
Dangers Of High Diastolic Blood Pressure
Diastolic blood pressure is a ‘silent killer’ which can make doing regular chores as tough as biting a bullet kind of task. High DBP can result in fatigue that can hamper your regular work. It can also lead to kidney failure, which is even worse. Not just that, the scope of dangers of high DBP is not limited to one or two diseases, it can harm a person’s cognitive skills resulting in dementia or brain hemorrhage.
Bottom Line
The first thing that your doctor reads on your patient details slip, the time you sit for a checkup is- blood pressure (BP). It is a major indicator of your overall health. People with high diastolic blood pressure experience uncountable fluctuations while carrying out their routine activities. It can give birth to several chronic health conditions.
That’s why it must be treated well within time. The above article has aimed to provide solutions on how to lower diastolic blood pressure. Follow the tips mentioned in the article to see a gradual decline in your increased DBP. Consult your doctor for more clarification.
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