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Getting more exercise, eating right and reducing stress aren\u2019t the only non-drug ways to drop blood pressure.<\/p>\nGetting more exercise, eating right and reducing stress aren\u2019t the only non-drug ways to drop blood pressure.<\/p>\n
A new study out of Carnegie Mellon University revealed a simple, kind activity that drastically lowers blood pressure.<\/p>\n
The best part is that this activity is extremely pleasurable, anyone can do it, and it doesn\u2019t cost a penny.<\/p>\n
In the study, more than a thousand adults \u2013 who all had healthy blood pressure in the beginning \u2013 were followed for 4 years to evaluate risk of hypertension.<\/p>\n
The participants who were active as volunteers in the community, defined as having more than 200 hours total for the four years, were more than 40% less likely to suffer from high blood pressure than their non-volunteer counterparts at the end of the study.<\/p>\n
Researchers speculated that the benefits to blood pressure health stem from the healthful effects of social interaction. <\/p>\n
You see, as we age, the effects of isolation that arise from retirement, loss of loved ones, and other layers of separation take their toll.<\/p>\n
Spending time in the service of others as a volunteer fills the social needs as well as offering a past time of meaningful activities. These combined benefits fill the body with hormones that help regulate emotions, mood, and blood pressure.<\/p>\n