What are the symptoms of high pressure, and how can high pressure be treated at home?

What is high blood pressure?
Blood pressure is the force with which blood is pumped from the heart into the arteries. A normal blood pressure reading is less than 120/80 mmHg.

When blood pressure is high, blood moves through the arteries more forcefully. This puts more pressure on the delicate tissues in the arteries and damages the blood vessels.

Commonly known as the "silent killer," it usually doesn't cause symptoms until after significant damage to the heart has occurred. Without obvious symptoms, most people don't realize they have high blood pressure.

1. Sports
Exercising 30 to 60 minutes a day is an important part of a healthy life.

Besides helping lower blood pressure, regular physical activity benefits your mood, strength, and balance. It reduces the risk of diabetes and other types of heart disease.

If you've been inactive for a while, talk to your doctor about a safe exercise routine. Start slowly, then gradually increase the pace and pace of your exercises.

Not a fan of the gym? Take the exercise outside. Go for a hike, jog or swim and still reap the benefits. The important thing is to move!

The American Heart Association also recommends incorporating muscle-strengthening activity at least two days a week. You can try lifting weights, doing push-ups, or doing any other exercises that help build lean muscle mass.

2. Follow the diet
Dieting to stop high blood pressure can help reduce blood pressure by 11 mm Hg. The diet consists of:

Eat fruits, vegetables and whole grains
Eat low-fat dairy products, lean meats, fish, and nuts
Eliminate foods that are high in saturated fat, such as processed foods, full-fat dairy products, and fatty meats
It also helps cut back on sweets and sweetened drinks, such as soda and juice.

3. Put out
Keeping your sodium intake to a minimum can lower your blood pressure.

In some people, when you eat too much sodium, the body begins to retain fluid. This leads to a sharp rise in blood pressure.

To reduce sodium in your diet, do not add salt to your food. One teaspoon of table salt contains 2300 mg of sodium!

Use herbs and spices to add flavor instead. Processed foods also tend to be loaded with sodium. Always read food labels and choose low-sodium alternatives when possible.

4. Lose extra weight
Weight and blood pressure go hand in hand. Losing just 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) can help lower your blood pressure.

It's not just about the number that matters to you. Monitoring your waist circumference is also crucial to controlling your blood pressure.

Excess fat around your waist, called visceral fat, is annoying. It tends to surround various organs in the abdomen. This can lead to serious health problems, including high blood pressure.

In general, men should keep a waist measurement of less than 40 inches. Women should aim for less than 35 inches.

5. Nicotine addiction
Each cigarette you smoke temporarily raises your blood pressure for several minutes after you finish. If you are a heavy smoker, your blood pressure can remain high for long periods of time.

People with high blood pressure who smoke are at an increased risk of dangerously high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke.

Even secondhand smoke can put you at risk of developing high blood pressure and heart disease.

Besides providing many other health benefits, quitting smoking can help your blood pressure return to normal.

You can also take steps to relieve stress in a healthy way. Try taking some deep breaths, meditating, or doing yoga.

The dangers of high blood pressure
When left untreated, high blood pressure can lead to serious health complications, including stroke, heart attack, and kidney damage. Regular visits to your doctor can help you monitor and control your blood pressure.

Your treatment plan may include medication, lifestyle changes, or a combination of treatments. Following the above steps can help lower your numbers, too.

Experts say each lifestyle change, on average, is expected to lower blood pressure by 4 to 5 mmHg systolic (the top number) and 2 to 3 mmHg diastolic (the bottom number).

Reducing salt intake and making dietary changes may reduce blood pressure even more.