High blood pressure (or hypertension) affects millions of Americans and stays in the limelight because of its link to heart disease. The trouble with high blood pressure is that it reduces blood flow through your entire body, so it impacts much more than just your heart.
Low blood flow to your pelvic region could also be the reason for erectile dysfunction and negative sex lives for both sexes. Here is a closer look at the connection between ED and hypertension and how to attenuate both.
Blood Pressure and Your Sex Life
Hypertension prevents your arteries from dilating as they should. The impact of blood pressure on sexual function is more apparent in men than in women, but both sexes are affected.
With men, when there is a lack of blood flow to the penis as a result of hypertension, erectile dysfunction occurs. With women, the reduced blood flow can negatively impact the way their body responds during and after sexual intercourse. Women will not feel the same sensations with sex when their blood flow is limited within the vaginal regions.
Reduced blood flow also means less hormone distribution, which interferes with sexual function again in both sexes. As a result, both men and women can suffer from low libidos stemming from high blood pressure.
Realizing that hypertension can impact more than heart health has people giving it more attention these days. Not only do you want to protect your heart from heart disease and prevent stroke, but you also do not want your sex life to suffer along with your health.
Preventing hypertension or lowering your blood pressure is the best way to avoid problems in the bedroom, and there are several natural things you can do to help achieve this.
Lower Blood Pressure and Boost Libido
The easiest way to lower blood pressure is through diet and supplements. There are several foods that work to naturally promote healthier blood pressure levels and supplements that can do the same.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
When it comes to supplemental help, omega-3 fatty acids are the top choice. DHA and EPA are the most essential omega-3 fatty acids, and both works to reduce inflammation and oxidative damage within your blood vessels.
Inflammation is the leading cause of high blood pressure over time, so reducing this will lower your risk for hypertension. Most people are aware of fish oil supplements as a primary source of these essential omega-3s, but krill oil is a much better option.
With krill oil, your doses are smaller, yet you get more potent omega-3s and a greater amount of DHA and EPA. This comes as a result of the higher bioavailability in krill oil supplements, as the fatty acids are attached to phospholipids rather than triglycerides.
When it comes to lowering blood pressure, krill oil supplements should be your first natural option.
Additional Supplements
Magnesium is an essential mineral that many Americans are deficient in. Magnesium helps to relax blood vessels, which can immediately lower blood pressure. You should consider a magnesium supplement if you are having libido issues as a result of hypertension.
Potassium is another important mineral that counteracts sodium in your blood. A delicate balance between the two is required for healthy blood pressure, so potassium supplements can help maintain this and prevent blood pressure levels from rising.
Finally, Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a supplement that works to reduce oxidative damage in your cardiovascular system. As a result of lowering cholesterol levels, CoQ10 can help reduce blood pressure too.
The Hypertension Diet
It is easy to understand the high rates of hypertension in the country when you look at the content of typical Western diets. Processed, high-fat, high-sugar convenience foods are consumed all too often, contributing to the high amount of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension cases in the United States.
Changing your diet is the best way to change the statistics. Here are a few simple ideas.
Go Mediterranean: Mediterranean diets boost overall health, and they help regulate blood pressure too. These diets are typically high in omega-3 foods, like fish, and fresh fruits and vegetables, which offer anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits.
Get more fiber: oods high in fiber, such as fruits and vegetables, are ideal for lowering blood pressure. Healthy fiber in your diet helps significantly reduce blood pressure and protect your heart and sex life.
Cut the sodium: While you may be taking potassium to help counteract the sodium in your diet, you can also cut back on sodium. Excess salt consumption increases blood pressure, so you want to limit your salt intake to no more than 1500 to 2000mg a day.
The best foods to add to your diet to help lower blood pressure include:
♦ Bananas
♦ Spinach
♦ Garlic.
♦ Broccoli
♦ Tomatoes
♦ Melons, especially watermelon and cantaloupe
The Bottom Line
Hypertension can damage more than your heart health. It can seriously dampen your sex life and relationships. With the right lifestyle changes, diet modifications, and supplemental support, you can naturally lower your blood pressure to healthy ranges.
This will not only keep you in better overall health, but it will allow for optimal circulation and blood flow. Erectile dysfunction and other sexual health problems can be helped when you lower your blood pressure.
