Author: Gary Jackson

Can Detoxing Raise Your Blood Pressure?

Ingredients like pseudoephedrine and phenylephrine can narrow your blood vessels. That means the same amount of blood has to squeeze through a smaller space, like a crowd pushing through a hallway. These drugs can also make blood pressure medications less effective. Your doctor or pharmacist can help you choose over-the-counter products for sinus problems and colds that are safer if you have high blood pressure. All nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin and ibuprofen, can raise your numbers — whether you’re healthy or you already have high blood pressure.

There isn’t enough evidence to prove that caffeine raises blood pressure long term. Making these 10 lifestyle changes is a long-term journey, and some days it might feel challenging. So ask your family or friends for support when you need it.

Detox Kit – 15 Day

Conditions that can disrupt sleep include sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome and general sleeplessness, also called insomnia. Weight loss is one of the best ways to control blood pressure. If you’re overweight or have obesity, losing even a small amount of weight can help lower blood pressure. Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg).

Reduce salt and sodium in your diet

Aim to include strength training exercises at least two days a week. Talk to a healthcare professional about setting up an exercise program for you. Being overweight also can cause disrupted breathing while you sleep, a condition called sleep apnea. Pills, injections, and other birth control devices use hormones that narrow blood vessels, so it’s possible your blood pressure will go up. It’s more likely to be a problem for women who are older than 35, overweight, or smokers.

Pain medications

If you already have high blood pressure, talk to your health care provider. A birth control pill or device that has a lower dose of estrogen is less likely to raise blood pressure. Birth control pills and some birth control devices contain hormones. These hormones may raise blood pressure by making some blood vessels smaller. Most birth control pills, patches and other devices carry warnings that high blood pressure may be a side effect. The risk of high blood pressure is higher if you’re older than age 35, overweight or a smoker.

These and others can raise your blood pressure or change how medications work, including drugs to control high blood pressure. Your kidneys need a balance of sodium and potassium to keep the right amount of fluid in your blood. So even if you’re eating a low-salt diet, you could still have higher blood pressure if you’re not also eating enough fruits, veggies, beans, low-fat dairy, or fish. While you may think of bananas as the go-to source, broccoli, water chestnuts, spinach, and other leafy greens are better to get potassium if you’re watching your weight. A detox isn’t likely to help with this unless it helps with whatever underlying syndrome is leading to your medication. Conversely, if you’re on a medication for chronic pain, or on birth control, a detox likely isn’t going to do much to help.

  1. When your body’s cells don’t have enough water, your blood vessels tighten up.
  2. These toxins can be anything from some nebulously defined environmental poison to heavy metals like mercury.
  3. Ask your health care provider for information on counseling or drug treatment programs.
  4. She is the NY Times Bestselling author of over 35 books on health and healing.
  5. Talk to your health care provider about which pain medicine is best for you.

Cold medicines, also called decongestants

Limiting alcohol to less than one drink a day for women or two drinks a day for men can help lower blood pressure by about 4 mm Hg. One drink equals 12 fluid ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor. Some examples of aerobic exercise that can help lower blood pressure include walking, jogging, cycling, swimming and dancing. Another helpful type of exercise is high-intensity interval training. This type of training involves mixing short bursts of intense activity with bouts of lighter activity. It happens whether you’re young or old and no matter where you are.

In general, blood pressure might go down by about 1 mm Hg with each kilogram (about 2.2 pounds) of weight lost. You might see a difference if you compare readings during an appointment to the numbers you get at home. A detox might or might not be able to help with stress. Detoxing can often be harsh on the body initially, particularly when you’re doing a juice cleanse or other abrupt change. However, once you adjust and build healthier habits, the detox will help. In this case, a detox can help you adjust your diet to help minimize your sodium intake.

When your breathing is repeatedly interrupted while you’re sleeping, your nervous system releases chemicals that raise your blood pressure. Plus, you’re getting less oxygen, which could damage blood vessel walls and make it harder for your body to regulate your blood pressure down the road. Some medications can cause high blood pressure as a side effect.

A caution on illegal drugs

Many herbs and supplements have been shown to help support healthy blood pressure when used along with other lifestyle habits, like regular exercise and good nutrition. High blood pressure is the most preventable cause of heart disease. While medications are often prescribed, nutrition and exercise are important lifestyle measures that can help; interestingly, certain herbs and supplements may too. It also can lower the risk of heart disease and improve overall health, possibly leading to a longer life.

Detoxing with any program that involves drinking plenty of water, alone or with a supplement or in a juice, can help as well. Vaping very likely has some negative health effects as well, particularly when the vape liquid you use is laced with nicotine. If you’re vaping as a stand-alone habit and using nicotine products, it’s possible that you’re contributing to potential high blood pressure as well.

High blood sugar and high levels of “bad” non-HDL cholesterol raise the risk of heart disease. To help manage cholesterol and blood sugar, try some of the same healthy habits that help lower blood pressure. Eat healthy, get exercise, lose extra weight and don’t smoke.