Research shows that vegetarians have lower blood pressure than people who eat red meat. Lots of fruits and vegetables can lower blood pressure between 10 and 15 mm Hg. for both diastolic and systolic pressures.
People who are vegetarians tend not to overeat, drink or smoke. This also contributes to lower blood pressure.
Take Your Own Blood Pressure
It is best if you can take your blood pressure levels at home instead of waiting to visit your doctor. For those who suffer from hypertension, it is important that blood pressure readings be taken and recorded daily.
Taking your blood pressure at home also makes you more aware of your condition and can help you determine how much diet, exercise and medications are affecting it. It also stops your blood pressure from reading abnormally high when you enter your doctor’s office. People who tend to be nervous at the doctors office tense up. That affects any blood pressure reading that your doctor might take. Monitoring blood pressure levels at home gives you a more accurate reading. Blood pressure kits are available at most pharmacies. Talk to your doctor to find out which type of blood pressure kit would be best for you. They come in electronic, manual and mechanical categories. Most people find that electronic blood pressure kits work best for them.
Stay Happy
In a study by researchers at Cornell University Medical Center in New York found that people who were happy had a much lower systolic blood pressure level, while those who experienced a high level of anxiety experienced hypertension. The more anxiety a patient was feeling, the high his blood pressure.
Researchers also found that anxiety experienced outside the home raised blood pressure levels significantly more than anxiety experienced at home. The bottom line here is, stay happy. It’s good for your health.