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High blood pressure affects at least one in three adults in the UK yet many people have it without realising. That’s because there are usually no warning signs to alert you to the condition. The absence of symptoms has earned it the infamous moniker “silent killer”.
High blood pressure increases your risk of heart attack and stroke so it is imperative to reverse it.
It raises your risk of severe heart and brain complications because, when the pressure of blood pushing against your arteries and blood vessels is too high, it can cause them to become blocked.
Fortunately, you can counter this harmful mechanism by making healthy dietary adjustments.
Certain items have been documented for their positive effects on high blood pressure.
Ashwagandha – an Ayurvedic herbal medicine from the roots of the shrub Withania sommifer – is one of the more promising.
Speaking to Express.co.uk, Dr Sarah Brewer, Medical Director at Healthspan and Medical Nutritionist founder of https://mylowerbloodpressure.com/, explains why ashwagandha can reduce high blood pressure.
For starters, ashwagandha contains unique alkaloids and steroidal lactones such as withaferin A, withanolide D, ashwagandhine, withanone, withanosides and somniferine.
“These have several beneficial effects on the heart and circulation, including acting as antioxidants to improve arterial reactivity,” says Dr Brewer.
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According to Dr Brewer, ashwagandha’s main action in lowering a high blood pressure is due to its ability to reduce anxiety and stress, and to promote deep, restorative sleep.
As she reports, the results from five clinical trials show that Ashwagandha is effective in improving anxiety, and can reduce Perceived Stress Scale scores by 44 percent compared with 5.5 percent with placebo.
Ashwagandha is also more effective than psychotherapy, reducing anxiety scores by 56.5 percent compared with 30.5 percent with psychotherapy.
What is the link between anxiety and high blood pressure?
The relationship between stressful responses and raised blood pressure is complex.
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), in response to stressful situations, our bodies react by releasing stress hormones (adrenaline and cortisol) into the blood.
“These hormones prepare the body for the ‘fight or flight’ response by making the heart beat faster and constricting blood vessels to get more blood to the core of the body instead of the extremities,” says the AHA.
As it explains, constriction of blood vessels and increase in heart rate does raise blood pressure, but only temporarily — when the stress reaction goes away, blood pressure returns to its pre-stress level.
General tips to lower high blood pressure
According to the NHS, you should cut down on the amount of salt in your food and eat plenty of fruit and vegetables.
“Aim to eat less than six grams (0.2oz) of salt a day, which is about a teaspoonful,” advises the health body.
It adds: “Eating a low-fat diet that includes lots of fibre, such as wholegrain rice, bread and pasta, and plenty of fruit and vegetables also helps lower blood pressure.”
Regular exercise can also help reduce your blood pressure reading.
UK health guidelines recommend that adults do at least 150 minutes (two hours and 30 minutes) of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as cycling or fast walking, every week.
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