Yoga to reduce Stress and Hypertension

Hypertension is more commonly known as high blood pressure. A disease commonly associated with a high stress lifestyle, hypertension is measured as the diastolic and the systolic pressure.

Causes of hypertension

There are many factors that may affect a person’s blood pressure. However, the major causes of hypertension are an increase in retention of water in the body. An increased consumption of sodium is one of the reasons why water can start to get retained in the body. Problems in the kidneys, cardio vascular system and the nervous system and changes in the production of hormones are other causes of hypertension.

People, who have had family members with hypertension, are at an increased risk of developing hypertension themselves. Obesity and diabetes can also pose a high risk of hypertension.
The effects of hypertension can vary from mild to severe. There may be mild to severe chest pains, often accompanied by confusion and disorientation. You may hear a constant buzzing sound or noise. The heart beat becomes irregular and there may be occasional nose bleeds. Some people may feel tired all the time and also experience frequent vision changes.

Medication and treatment can help reduce hypertension to an extent. However, a medicinal cure for stress and hypertension is yet to be found. Alternative therapies like Yoga have emerged as important alternative treatments for hypertension.

Yoga for hypertension

An effective hypertension remedy, the regular practice of Yoga can help bring down blood pressure to a manageable extent. Yoga can also help tackle obesity, which continues to be one of the major causes of hypertension. Many studies performed on those who have been performing yoga since a long period of time have shown that yoga performers are far less likely to develop lifestyle diseases like diabetes and hypertension. Yoga is also capable of reducing stress and hypertension over a long period of time.

If you have hypertension and exercise regularly, you will soon see great benefits. Yoga asanas specifically, can help the muscles relax, allowing the body to let go of all the pent up energies and stress. The other techniques of yoga, like Pranayama, a collection of breathing techniques, can also help increase the inflow of oxygen, improving blood circulation and the working of the different organs in the body.

Yogic meditation, even if performed only for about 20 minutes a day, can help relieve stress periodically. Meditation also helps you improve concentration, while improving mental acuity. All these yogic activities together can help bring in a sense of balance in one’s life.