High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is the leading preventable cause heart disease. It affects an estimated 1.3 billion people worldwide. New guidelines the International Society Hypertension (ISH) include meditating 45 minutes each day to reduce blood pressure. The ISH says "body and mind" goals should be adopted conjunction established advice, cutting down salt, limiting alcohol intake, and exercising regularly. Study author Dr Bryan Williams told the BBC: "It all sounds it is a bit…fluffy, but these things make such an important contribution to reducing the effects stress on the cardiovascular system, and the evidence is accumulating."
Hypertension is often referred to as the "silent killer" because it rarely presents symptoms. High blood pressure increases the risk heart disease, heart failure, and stroke. It kills approximately 10 million people every year. Nearly half Americans and 30 percent people worldwide struggle it. Dr Williams said: "There's so much people can do themselves. All us need to take a step and…decompress and just relax." The American Heart Association also says meditating can help to lower blood pressure "thoughtful awareness" or "restful alertness". The association reports that many studies show that "quieting the brain" benefits the cardiovascular system.
