Hypertension (commonly referred to as High blood pressure) is a leading cause of death worldwide. However, it can be avoided with a few simple lifestyle changes. Over the next few days I am going to post some tips from Rob Woodgate (co-founder of the ‘Hypnotension’ programme – a natural way to lower blood pressure) which could literally save your life.
According to the World Health Organisation, high blood pressure causes up to a quarter of all deaths worldwide and affects around one in three people. That’s over 16 Million people in the UK, and 50 million people in the USA.
Clinical guidelines define a blood pressure reading consistently around 115/75 as ‘ideal’, and hypertension is a blood pressure reading consistently higher than 140/90mmHg..
The first number in a blood pressure reading, known as the Systolic reading, is the pressure inside arteries when the heart is actively pumping blood through them. The second number, known as the Diastolic reading, is the pressure when the heart relaxes.
High blood pressure can strike at any age, but is more common the older you get. According to the statistics, even if you don’t have high blood pressure by the time you are 55, you still have a 90% chance of developing it later in life.
The good news is that 95% of cases of Hypertension can be prevented and even reversed with a few simple lifestyle changes. Here is Rob’s first tip to help you to take control of your blood pressure.
Lose any excess weight
Being overweight or obese can dramatically increase your chances of getting hypertension, as well as diabetes.
Even a modest amount of weight loss can slash the risk of hypertension by 25-35% and studies have shown that, on average, blood pressure falls by 1mmHg for every Kilogram (2.2 lbs) of excess weight you lose.
This means that if you are 25Kg (4 stone) overweight, you could bring your blood pressure from hypertensive levels back down to normal levels, just by shifting that excess weight.
To find out if you are overweight, simply calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI), which is your weight in Kilograms divided by the square of your height in metres.
If your BMI is over 25 or your waist measurement is greater than 40 inches for men or 35 inches for women, you may be carrying excess weight.
However, it’s not just overweight people that have high blood pressure. I will be posting more tips over the coming days and weeks.
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