3 Morning Habits to Help Lower Blood Pressure
Nearly half of the world's adults have high blood pressure. Experts say three simple morning habits, namely deep breathing, light movement, and drinking water, can lower blood pressure right after waking up and help protect the heart.
Ambassador Arjan-social group: The Eating Well website reported in a report:
Many factors play a role in people suffering from high blood pressure, and what is the condition of earning 20 million tomans? Our daily choices and habits play a role, but experts believe there are things you can do right after you wake up to lower your blood pressure and protect your heart.
1. Start the morning with calm breathing
Before you even open your eyes or get out of bed, you can prime your nervous system for relaxation while lowering your blood pressure.
Nutritionist Sheri Gaw recommends: Start your day with a few minutes of slow, deep breathing. Regular practice of deep breathing helps reduce the activity of the sympathetic nervous system, the fight or flight response. The fight or flight response is the body's natural response to danger and stress, which increases heart rate and blood pressure. This response is beneficial in the short term, but if it becomes chronic, it can lead to high blood pressure.
Deep breathing also improves baroreflex sensitivity; Baroreflex sensitivity refers to the body's ability to detect and respond to changes in blood pressure, which is often impaired in people with high blood pressure.
A 2023 clinical review found that regular practice of slow, deep breathing at less than 10 breaths per minute can help lower systolic (upper number) and diastolic (lower number) blood pressure in people with high blood pressure.
Of course, the time required to see the result is different; Some studies say that only two minutes a day gives results, and others recommend 15 minutes or two 10-minute sessions a day.
Don't wait until you're thirsty. If you want to lower your blood pressure, start drinking water early in the morning. Blood pressure is higher in the morning and dehydration makes it worse.
Nutritionist Lauren Manaker says: Your body loses water during sleep. When you wake up dehydrated, your blood is thicker and your heart has to work harder to pump it through your veins.
Instead of going straight for coffee, keep a sealed flask of water by your bed and sip it throughout the morning.
If you usually drink juice in the morning, plain orange juice can make a big difference in your blood pressure. Manaker says: Starting the day with 100% natural orange juice is beneficial because it contains plant compounds such as hesperidin (a type of antioxidant) and nutrients such as potassium, which help with heart health. Research has shown that both of these substances help to reduce blood pressure.
3. Do light exercise or yoga
Getting out of bed and getting into exercise clothes can be difficult, but even light exercise or morning yoga can help lower blood pressure.
Nutritionist Whitney Stuart says: Gentle activity activates nitric oxide pathways and helps blood vessels dilate; Simply put, when blood vessels are dilated, blood flows more easily and blood pressure drops.
A regular yoga practice, including movement, breathing and meditation, can lower systolic pressure (the top number) by up to 7.96 mmHg and diastolic pressure (the bottom number) by 5.52 mmHg.
Incorporating morning yoga into your daily routine is most beneficial, and even one session can help. In one small study, people who did a 30-minute yoga session had greater reductions in heart rate and blood pressure compared to a group that read for the same amount of time.
Yoga helps lower blood pressure by calming the nervous system and improving heart function. For this reason, adding it to your morning routine can be very beneficial.
Other habits to lower blood pressure
Limit salt and highly processed foods. Too much sodium in the diet can cause the body to retain more fluids and increase blood pressure. Some people are more sensitive to salt, but sticking to the daily limit of 2,300 milligrams of sodium (about a teaspoon of salt) is a good start. Instead of salt, use fresh, whole foods and season with herbs or spices, suggests Manaker.
Prioritize foods rich in potassium. Everyone knows that too much salt is bad for blood pressure, but few people know that eating foods rich in potassium can help just as much, or even more. Potassium helps the body eliminate excess salt. Potassium not only regulates blood pressure, but also protects against the effects of high salt intake, says Gau. Include potassium-rich foods such as bananas, potatoes, green leafy vegetables, tuna, salmon, pumpkin, and beans in your meals and snacks regularly.
Have a regular sleep schedule. Establishing regular sleep habits, including a consistent bedtime and wake-up time, can be difficult, but it makes a big difference. A study of more than 12,000 adults found that irregular sleep duration was associated with a 9 to 17 percent higher risk of high blood pressure. Also, 34 minutes of irregular sleep time increased the risk by 32%.
Check your blood pressure and review your goals. Make it a morning habit to check your blood pressure before breakfast or exercise, Manaker says.
He recommends one method for measuring blood pressure: sit quietly in a chair for five minutes and lean back, with your feet flat on the floor and your arm on a table at chest level.
Taking a little time each day to review your goals and record your blood pressure can help you stay on track and see your progress.