Welcome back to our blog feed! In our last blog, we’d discussed some diet tips that you can follow to maintain a healthy blood pressure in order to improve your cardiovascular health. Today, we’re continuing that theme, but we’re shifting a little bit. While, in our last blog, we’d discussed food that’s best to reduce or reverse high blood pressure, today we’re talking about drinks that can bolster your cardiovascular health by addressing hypertension (or high blood pressure). So let’s dig in. Here are some steps you can take to improve your heart health with the liquids you consume throughout your day to day.
Limit Alcohol Consumption
While a small glass of wine can actually improve your blood pressure, too much alcohol can be damaging to the cardiovascular system (and to your body health as a whole). Keep alcohol consumption to a minimum. A tiny bit of wine (up to 2.5 ounces) per day can help your blood pressure. Drinking any more alcohol can be harmful and may cause hypertension. So mitigate heart conditions by moderating your alcohol consumption. Consult your cardiologist to determine how much alcohol is safe to consume for your body weight, gender, age, and health.
Opt for Decaf Coffee
Although the effects of caffeine on blood pressure are still under debate, even in the scientific world, caffeinated coffee may be detrimental to your hypertension. Instead of drinking a morning cup of joe (or several cups throughout the day), your heart may be happier with decaffeinated coffee. While coffee is often the best pick me up, over-consumption can be harmful to the cardiovascular system. Once again, it’s best to moderate your coffee intake at the very least.
…Or Switch to Tea
Tea is an excellent option, especially if you’re looking to cut your coffee consumption. Opt for hibiscus tea, or a hibiscus infused tea blend. Hibiscus naturally lowers one’s blood pressure, so a cup or two per day can have excellent benefits for those suffering from hypertension. So set an alarm to take a tea break or two throughout your day! Cheers!
Drink Water!
Drinking the proper amount of water can improve your blood pressure over time, and it can help those who are overweight to lose weight—this can, in turn, reduce the risk of hypertension. Now, you can drink too much water, which results in hyponatremia (a condition where sodium levels drop to a dangerous low). However, most of us consume enough salt in our day-to-day, so it’s healthy to drink lots of water. There are so many recommendations for the right amount of water to drink in a day, but it’s not really a black-and-white topic. People are different; they have different body sizes; some sweat more than others; some exercise often. Depending on your body type and day-to-day activity, you may need more or less water throughout the day. Most often, folks simply need to drink more water to improve their health. Consult your cardiologist to determine how much water you should be drinking, and be cognizant that you need to balance your water consumption with healthy levels of electrolytes, including sodium, in order to improve your health.
If you struggle to consume enough water throughout the day, be sure to keep water handy. Keep a bottle of water at your desk. Put a glass of water by your bedside at night (the body can lose 6 fluid ounces of water or more in a single night!). Be sure to invest in a water bottle with measurement markings on the side, so that you can track how much water you consume.
Visit Stockton Cardiology for Your Hypertension
Drinking the right drinks is only one of many steps you can take in order to improve your cardiovascular health. There are so many things that you can do! After all, that’s why we’re here, to help you to care for your heart. Stop in and visit us for cardiology services. We can analyze your current health, assess your hypertension, and offer consultation. We’re a team of skilled and trained heart doctors, who have a passion for our patients’ health. Get in touch with us to get quality cardiovascular care, and keep caring for your heart!