How Massage Can Lower Your Blood Pressue

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Many of us suffer from high blood pressure and don’t even know it. There are many ways to ameliorate high blood pressure, but one that is not very highly publicized is massage. Check out the following courtesy of Live Strong:

High blood pressure raises the risk of having a heart attack or stroke. To help control blood pressure, it is important to adopt healthy lifestyle behaviors, including quitting smoking, eating a diet low in fat, salt and cholesterol and getting regular exercise. Finding ways to manage stress is also important, and complementary therapies such as massage may help. The first step is to speak with a health-care provider to make sure that massage is safe, based on personal health.

Identification

Blood pressure measures the force that blood places against the blood vessel walls as it is pumped through the body. It is recorded as a fraction, and the top number, or systolic pressure, measures the force created as the heart pumps. The bottom number, or diastolic pressure, measures the force created when the heart is between beats. If the arteries become hard or narrow due to plaque buildup, the blood will have to squeeze through a smaller area, which will create more force against the blood vessel walls. If the body retains fluid due to too much salt intake or an underlying disease, this extra fluid can also increase the pressure inside the arteries. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, once blood pressure reaches more than 120/80 mmHg, steps need to be taken to lower it.

Benefits
Massage can involve many types of hands-on techniques that press, rub, squeeze and stretch the muscles, tendons, ligaments and soft tissues in the body. Massage can be deep or gentle. Getting a massage can lead to feelings of being cared for and taking charge of your health. Massage is relaxing to receive and can lower stress levels. For some patients, as stress levels go down, so does blood pressure, according to MayoClinic.com. In addition, massage can help to improve circulation, which may reduce any swelling or edema that is occurring alongside the high blood pressure. While much more research is needed to understand how massage effects blood pressure, it appears to help some patients when used as part of an overall plan.