When the weather changes sharply and we are forced to move from frost to thaw and back to ice and snow, the atmospheric pressure also changes: first it rises, then decreases, and then returns to high values. Weather-dependent people feel these pressure surges very well; their own blood pressure can also jump depending on the atmospheric pressure. This is especially evident in those who suffer from high blood pressure.
Hypertensive and hypotensive patients know very well the medications they need to regulate blood pressure. But if you do not have pronounced hypertension, but you feel an increase in pressure, then you can improve the situation with the help of healthy drinks. This, of course, does not eliminate the need to consult a specialist and treat your hypertension. Also, if you have chronic problems with blood pressure, it is better to consult with your doctor to understand which foods and drinks you can consume and which you should abstain from.
We'll tell you about drinks that help regulate blood pressure.
Hawthorn decoction
Hawthorn is a very useful berry for strengthening the immune system. Side effect: hawthorn has the ability to lower blood pressure. So if you are hypertensive, then take a closer look at dried hawthorn, which can be easily bought in markets and in some stores.
Hawthorn contains fatty and essential oils, tannins, flavonoids, and natural sugars. Thanks to such a powerful composition, hawthorn tea has an excellent tonic effect in the morning. It invigorates gently, without straining the nervous system, but, on the contrary, calming it. The main property of hawthorn is considered to be its positive effect on the cardiovascular system. It cleanses the blood, increases the elasticity of blood vessels, thereby reducing blood pressure.
Hawthorn can be combined in tea with rose hips. Then the tea will have even more vitamin C and benefits for the immune system, and it will lower blood pressure less.
Hawthorn tea
- 1 tbsp. l. dried rose hips
- 1 tbsp. l. dried hawthorn fruits
- 2 cups boiling water
Pour boiling water over the berries in a thermos and leave to brew overnight. In the morning you can add honey and dilute with hot water.
Lack of oxygen, loss of strength. How pressure surges affect the brain Read more
Alcohol lowers or raises blood pressure
To understand how alcohol actually affects blood pressure (BP), you need to look at the problem from different angles.
In an ordinary person who does not suffer from addiction and hypertension, any alcohol-containing drink a few minutes after entering the stomach in a small dose leads to a slight decrease in blood pressure.
This effect causes:
- The toxic effect of ethanol on the brain centers responsible for regulating the tone of arterial vessels. A kind of temporary paralysis (from 15 minutes to 2-3 hours) of the muscular walls of arteries, arterioles and capillaries relaxes them and increases the intravascular lumen.
- Reducing the release of adrenaline and other substances that cause vascular spasm. A person who drinks feels this effect as general relaxation, pleasant warmth in the body, and calmness.
If the matter does not end with one dose, then after a while the opposite reaction develops.
Changes lead to:
- Contraction of the muscular walls of blood vessels receiving impulses from the central nervous system.
- Activation of the release of excess amounts of adrenaline, causing vascular spasm.
- An increase in the number of heart contractions with the introduction of additional doses of blood from the organs into the bloodstream, which ensures an increase in blood pressure.
In the presence of chronic alcoholism, almost all patients have a variety of cardiac pathologies.
The most common:
- alcoholic cardiomyopathy;
- cardiovascular failure;
- cardiac ischemia;
- tachycardia syndrome and other types of arrhythmias.
Each of these problems plays a direct or indirect role in the formation of high blood pressure, which contributes to the background that provokes the development of hypertension.
Jumps caused by binge drinking or withdrawal symptoms are especially dangerous. In this case, patients may develop severe complications.
These include:
- Hypertensive crises are long-term and sudden cases of drug-resistant rise in blood pressure.
- Transient ischemic attacks are transient disturbances in the nutrition of certain areas of the brain, causing temporary memory loss, paresis, speech impairment, and loss of motor functions.
- Types of ischemic strokes - accompanied by cessation of blood circulation in the tissues of the central nervous system, and leading to serious defects.
- Myocardial infarction is the death of areas of the heart muscle, causing partial or complete loss of the pumping function of the heart.
- Arrhythmias, manifested by extrasystoles - extraordinary and unproductive contractions of the heart muscle, tachycardia (rapid heartbeat), sometimes bradycardia (slowing of beats).
Tea with viburnum and other red berries
Viburnum, lingonberries, cranberries - all the late red berries, which we mashed with sugar in the fall, froze and pressed the juice from them, will now be very useful. Including due to its ability to lower blood pressure.
Viburnum has a diuretic effect, and thanks to its antioxidants, flavonoids and vitamin C, it is very useful for colds.
Cranberry makes the intestines and stomach work better; it contains many flavonoids, substances that make blood vessels more elastic.
You can simply pour hot water over frozen or crushed berries, or add juice to tea/water. You can also add some dry herbs or spices, because not all berries have a very pleasant taste; viburnum has a rather specific taste.
Hypertensive menu. Simple foods that lower blood pressure Read more
Alcohol increases or decreases blood pressure when taking antihypertensive drugs
Some patients suffering from hypertension mistakenly assume that while taking medications they can safely drink alcohol without fear of developing a crisis. This is a deep misconception. During treatment of hypertension during drunkenness, a sharp jump in blood pressure is possible. Not all medications are compatible with ethanol.
A number of patients report the possibility of lowering certain types of alcohol. This is an erroneous version. Any wine and vodka product, beer, low alcohol, etc. contain alcohol. No concentrations, doses, quantities lead to normalization of blood pressure. If, with a successful option, you can still get a temporary decrease in it, then it will be followed by an increase. The problem is aggravated by the production and sale of large quantities of low-quality alcohol. In addition to ethanol, these products contain harmful impurities and additives that aggravate the negative impact on the human body.
Water
Clean water is one of the important ways to regulate blood pressure. Dehydration has a very bad effect on overall well-being, in particular on blood pressure. But drinking clean water in the required amount (usually this norm is 30 ml per 1 kg of body weight) helps stabilize blood pressure, improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system, and improve the process of hematopoiesis.
You can add a slice of lemon to a glass of water. This fruit contains potassium and magnesium. The last element helps relax muscles and improves blood circulation.
It is forbidden to make mistakes. How to measure blood pressure correctly Read more
Vegetables and fruits
One of the numerous studies found that people who adhere to church fasts are significantly less likely to suffer from hypertension. And the point here is absolutely not a matter of God’s help: they simply eat less unhealthy fats and more vegetables and fruits. And, without a doubt, the “green diet” is a true storehouse of useful substances for hypertensive patients. Potassium and magnesium, folic acid and calcium, flavonoids and antioxidants – vegetables and fruits have everything you need to lower blood pressure.
- Bananas are a valuable source of potassium. This trace element is a sodium antagonist in regulating the functioning of the cardiovascular system and reduces blood pressure by removing excess fluid from the body. In addition, potassium is necessary to nourish the myocardium and protects against heart attacks and edema.
- Beets are a vegetable rich in potassium and vitamin C. If the first helps to dilate blood vessels and relieve spasms, the second is involved in the breakdown of cholesterol plaques and their removal from the body, improves coronary blood supply.
- Celery is a real complex of biologically active substances for normalizing blood pressure. It is rich in potassium and calcium, vitamin B6, which helps normalize the functioning of veins, as well as antioxidants that break down cholesterol.
- Potatoes are a product available to every pensioner. Of particular value are young potatoes, which contain a maximum of ascorbic acid and potassium.
- Citrus. It is enough to add a slice of lemon to your tea to feel invigorated and energized. Lemons, oranges and tangerines, rich in antioxidants, actively fight cholesterol in the body and serve as an excellent means of preventing heart attacks and strokes.
- Spinach. This green, which goes well with cereals, fish and lean meat, is rich in folic acid, which restores the elasticity of the walls of blood vessels and relieves spasms and headaches. In addition, spinach contains a lot of potassium and magnesium.
- Pomegranate is a recognized leader in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. It is rich in antioxidants, potassium and magnesium. Moreover, its flavonoids are plant analogues of ACE inhibitors, a pharmacological group that is most often used to lower blood pressure. This includes drugs such as captopril and enalopril.
Vegetables and fruits are the most inexpensive and effective remedy against hypertension. Therefore, they should be, if not taken as the basis of the diet, then at least included in the daily diet. And you don’t have to think about how to lower blood pressure for older people without the risk of side effects.
Fruit juices
Pineapple juice, which contains a lot of potassium, is considered very beneficial for blood vessels and blood circulation. But it is better to be careful with it, since pineapples are contraindicated for people with chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. And even if there are no such diseases, gastroendocrinologists recommend diluting it and drinking it in small portions throughout the day, but not more than 1 glass.
Pomegranate juice is used to fight arterial plaques, watermelon juice fights dehydration and improves kidney function, apple juice tones veins and blood vessels, grape juice improves metabolic processes in the body.
Important! Note that drinks have a positive effect over time. That is, to achieve visible improvements, you need to drink tea with hawthorn for at least a couple of months.
There are contraindications. Be sure to consult your doctor.
The doctor told what drinks will help lower blood pressure
Photo: depositphotos/HandmadePicture
Nutritionist Elena Solomatina, in a conversation with Moscow 24, said that juices from vegetables and fruits that contain potassium will help lower blood pressure.
“Our orange juice contains potassium, and there is also vitamin C, which thins the blood. It will be easier for it to pass through the vessels. This will also help lower blood pressure. Because when the blood thickens, the body begins to increase it to prevent dehydration and poor circulation,” explains Solomatina.
According to the specialist, blueberries, chokeberries, and viburnum will thin the blood and have an antioxidant effect. You can also make juice from celery and spinach, the nutritionist continues.
Pumpkin, potato, and tomato juice will help lower blood pressure. There is quite a lot of potassium in pineapples. Potassium is also found in sufficient quantities in apple juice. Elena Solomatina
nutritionist
Beet juice is also often used as a natural blood pressure reliever, Solomatina says. “Cabbage juice, carrot juice, beet juice - they will all also lower blood pressure due to the action of nitric oxide, because one way or another it will contribute to the dilation of blood vessels,” explains the doctor.
It is important that the juice be prepared independently and not bought in a store, the specialist warns.
As a rule, large amounts of sugar are added to store-bought juice. It will neutralize the hypotensive effect. Therefore, natural juices are best, of course. Elena Solomatina
nutritionist
Hibiscus tea will also help lower blood pressure. The expert advises drinking it only cold. Hot tea, on the contrary, will increase blood pressure, explains Solomatina.
The doctor recommends not to get carried away and not drink more than one glass a day. According to the nutritionist, freshly squeezed juices also contain sugar, albeit in small quantities.
“Due to frequent consumption of such drinks, insulin resistance, prediabetic, and then diabetic state can occur. And then this will cause an increase in pressure along the chain,” the nutritionist concluded.
Earlier, cardiologist Yulia Marshintseva told how to reduce high blood pressure without medications. According to the specialist, during periods of high atmospheric pressure you need to rest more and take contrast showers more often. In addition, the expert advised drinking herbal infusions.
