Silence: Golden for Your Heart

Live near a busy intersection? Dig your downloaded iTunes? Then lowering your blood pressure (BP) may be as easy as shutting the window or turning down your player.

Too much noise exposure correlates with a steady rise in blood pressure. Makes sense. Loud sounds are known to stimulate the pituitary-adrenal cortical system.

Lay Off the Loudness
Heart rate basically soars in response to sudden loud sounds, like slamming doors or honking horns. But a gradual rise in noise hurts, too. In a study of assembly plant workers, the higher the volume got, the higher their blood pressure rose. Simple earplug use was enough to drop systolic blood pressure as much as 5.5 mm Hg. So just imagine what turning down your car stereo could do! (What's your heart health like? Find out here.)

3 More Blood Pressure Points
Noise isn't the only thing that can boost your blood pressure. Here are some other culprits to attend to:

• Squishiness. Yeah, you know what we mean. Ward off high blood pressure with this easy buff-body workout that uses your own body as the gym.
• Potato chips. You aren't doing your blood pressure any favors with high-calorie, nutrition-poor snacks that pack on pounds. Munch on this tasty, crunchy, BP-friendly snack instead.
• An empty social calendar. That's right. Loneliness boosts blood pressure. Connect with others on the RealAge Community Message Boards.

The saltshaker may not be off limits for everyone. Read this article to find out why.

Acute effects of noise on blood pressure and heart rate. Lusk, S. L. et al., Archives of Environmental Health 2004 Aug;59(8):392-399.