Easy and Fast Exercises That Can Help Lower Blood Pressure
Hypertension is the plague of the century,
and even completely healthy people can suffer from it, especially in hot
weather, after physical activities or a stressful day.
Adults who have reached their golden years
are especially susceptible to high blood pressure, which often becomes a
chronic condition that needs medical assistance.
If you feel some of the following symptoms, you might have hypertension:
Feeling tired, dizzy, lightheaded or confused
Headaches
Shortness of breath
Blurry vision
Heart pounding in the ear or limbs
Irregular heartbeat
Don’t run to the doctor just yet, though, simply try supplementing your
medical regimen with one or a combination of a few of these very
effective techniques. They are guaranteed to help you normalize your
blood pressure in a flash.
1. Face and Neck Massage
You need to know 3 points to be able to
lower your blood pressure fast and effectively.
Point #1 is located behind your earlobe (see the picture above).
Point #2 is in near the center of your collar bone.
Start massaging your neck using soft small downward movements along an
imaginary line beginning at point 1 and ending at point 2.
Repeat 10 times and don’t forget to repeat the same process on the other
side.
Point #3 lies on the side of your face approximately 0.5 cm away from
your earlobe. Locate this spot on each side of your face and using your
index fingers begin making circular counter-clockwise motions in this
point for about a minute or two.
After massaging these points you should feel refreshed and relaxed, as
this technique restores proper blood and lymph flow.
2. Yoga Breath
This yoga technique is effective at
controlling blood pressure and having an overall relaxing effect on the
body as a result of deep abdominal breathing through only the left
nostril. You will only need 5 minutes to do this exercise.
Step 1. Sit in a comfortable position with a straight back.
Step 2. Put the left hand on the top of your belly.
Step 3. Close your right nostril using your right index finger or thumb
and keep it that way. Inhale deeply through your left nostril, then hold
your breath and count until 3 before finally exhaling.
Step 4. Continue breathing deeply and slowly through your left nostril
for about 5 minutes.
3. Soft Calming Music
There is some solid neuroscience research
backing the idea that listening to certain kinds of music, such as
classical, meditative or ambient can lower one’s blood pressure,
especially if combined with meditation or mindfulness techniques.
All of the above-mentioned styles of music have a few similar features
that, as researchers believe, help reduce your blood pressure.
These kinds of music:
Have very few changes in volume or rhythm.
Don’t have lyrics.
Have loops, that is, parts of the song that are repeated at certain
intervals.
The right music has an overall calming effect on the human body because
it can reduce the production of cortisol, the so-called stress hormone.
4. Drink a Glass of Water
This trick is especially useful to those
who live in hot or humid climates. Did you know that hypertension can be
caused as a result of dehydration?
When your body loses more water than it should, the amount of blood in
your vessels decreases. This makes your blood vessels constrict more in
order to push around this lesser amount of blood, which can lead to
hypertension.
If you suspect that dehydration is the culprit behind your hypertension
symptoms, sit down and slowly drink a glass of water. The blood volume
will be normalized and you will feel much better.
5. Savasana (Corpse Pose)
This yoga pose may look like nothing is
going on and you’re just laying on the floor, but it is actually one of
the best restorative exercises there is. It was used for centuries to
reduce the heart rate and lower the blood pressure.
To complete this exercise, do the following:
Step 1. Lie down on your back, preferably with your back down on the mat
or whatever other surface you’re laying on.
Step 2. Relax your limbs completely, let your feet fall to your side,
spread your arms as wide as you need and close your eyes.
Step 3. Breathe in deeply, and as you breathe out powerfully, try to
relax every single part of your body.
Step 4. Continue breathing deeply and scanning through your entire body
(starting with each of your limbs, then going up to the belly, heart,
neck, and head) and relaxing each muscle and point of tension.
Rest in Savasana for as long as you’d like, but a minimum of 10-15
minutes. Besides normalizing your blood pressure, this wonderful pose
will also help you balance your hormones and nervous system.
6. Soaking Your Feet in Hot Water.
To prevent stagnant blood accumulating in
your head and neck, try soaking your feet in very hot water. The blood
from your head will rush to your feet, and you will feel much better
very fast.
Do watch out and don’t burn your skin: the water should be hot, but
tolerable. Fill up some kind of bucket or big bowl with water. Sit down
and submerge your feet in the water for 10-15 minutes. That’s it!
7. Acupressure
This pressure point called GB 20, or the
Wind Pool, is the one most widely-used in acupressure for high blood
pressure treatment.
It is located right at the base of your skull, in the crevice on the
side of the neck where the head meets the neck (see picture). The point
is symmetrical, meaning there is one on both sides of your spine.
Apply steady mild pressure with your thumbs on both points
simultaneously for a few minutes until your headache starts to subside.
Repeat when needed.
8. Hissing Bee Breathing.
If you suffer from headaches caused by hypertension, this is one of the
most effective natural treatments. It’s called hissing bee breathing and
it is part of the pranayama breathing exercises that may be familiar to
those of you who know a thing or two about yoga.
Step 1. Sit down in a comfortable position and a straight back.
Step 2. Put both index fingers on the cartilage part of your ears. Take a deep breath in.
Step 3. While exhaling, make a hissing sound similar to that of a bee, and press lightly on your ear cartilage.
Repeat this exercise 7-10 times until you feel like your headache subsides significantly.