Ways To Lower Your Blood Pressure
1. Maintain a healthy weight
Being overweight is a major risk factor for high blood pressure. You will need to maintain a body mass index between 18.5-24.9 kg/m2.
2. Reduce central obesity
Having excess fat around the waistline puts you at risk of hypertension and related heart disease. You can reduce the fat around your middle through various exercises, including jogging, walking, hiking, rowing, swimming and high-intensity interval training .
3. Stay physically active
The American Heart Association recommends doing 90-150 minutes of physical activity spread throughout the week or at least 30 minutes each day for at least 5 days a week.
4. Quit smoking
Smoking causes the buildup of plaque in the blood vessels that leads to high blood pressure. Try to quit smoking and avoid exposure to secondhand smoke. Ask your doctor if you need help figuring out the best way to do this. Joining a program designed to help you quit smoking may help.
5. Get enough sleep
Lack of sleep increases your chances of developing health conditions that cause high blood pressure. Try to get between 7-9 hours of good quality sleep each night.
6. Manage stress
Stress releases hormones that temporarily raise blood pressure. Learn to manage stress by doing activities that relax you and make you feel good. These may include simple things like taking a long walk in nature, listening to music, or pursuing hobbies you enjoy. You can also try deep breathing and meditation techniques.
7. Eat heart-healthy foods
Try Cutting Back On The Salt
Reducing your sodium intake can play an important role in lowering your systolic blood pressure. The average American consumes more than 3,500 milligrams of sodium daily, which is well above the American Heart Association‘s recommendation of less than 2,300 milligrams per day.
“I think we all know that adding salt to your food is bad for your blood pressure,” Dr. Berger says. “But what we don’t always know is that when you eat food from a can or a box, it is filled with sodium.”
Dr. Berger recommends following a reduced-sodium diet called DASH , developed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, which also emphasizes a reduction in trans fats and refined sugar, as well as a sufficient intake of magnesium, potassium and calcium.
Because everyone responds differently to dietary changes, it may take some fine-tuning to find the right diet for your specific heart health.
“Everyone’s sodium responsiveness is a bit different,” says Howard Weintraub, MD, the clinical director of the Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, at NYU Langone Health in New York City. “So if you’re going to take the time to modify your nutrition, you shouldn’t only reduce how much salt you use, but also make it more healthy in general.”
In other words, Dr. Weintraub says, leaving the salt off but continuing to eat French fries probably isn’t going to help.
Read more:10 Effortless Ways to Finally Cut Down on Salt
What Else Can Help
In addition to adding hypertension-lowering drinks to your diet, you can try the following to help lower your blood pressure:
- Get moving. Incorporating physical activity into your daily routine may be as effective at lowering blood pressure as some medications. The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes per week of moderate activity or 75 minutes per week of vigorous activity for health benefits.
- Shed excess pounds. If youre overweight or obese, your heart has to work harder to pump blood throughout your body. Even losing just a few pounds can help lower your blood pressure.
- Check out the DASH diet. The DASH diet, which was specially designed to prevent and treat hypertension, emphasizes unprocessed foods like fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins.
- Quit smoking. Each cigarette you smoke triggers a short-term increase in your blood pressure. Over the long-term, tobacco use can harden your arteries which, in turn, can lead to high blood pressure.
- Limit stress. Chronic stress can contribute to high blood pressure. Avoid stressors when you can, and try to find healthy ways to manage your stress. While not all sources of stress can be eliminated, setting aside time for relaxation may help calm your mind and lower your blood pressure.
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Eat Garlic Or Take Garlic Extract Supplements
Fresh garlic or garlic extract are both widely used to lower blood pressure .
According to one clinical study, a time-release garlic extract preparation may have a greater effect on blood pressure than regular garlic powder tablets .
One 2012 review noted a study of 87 people with high blood pressure that found a diastolic reduction of 6 mm Hg and a systolic reduction of 12 mm Hg in those who consumed garlic, compared to people without any treatment (
How To Stock Your Kitchen Healthily:
Download our free FoodSwitch app. It can help you make healthier choices when shopping. By scanning the barcode of a product the app will tell you how much salt, sugar and fat it contains and find similar but healthier alternatives.
Find out more about the foods that are high in salt, sugar and fat and the healthier options available.
Get more ideas for healthy eating from our meal plan in Positive Pressure, our members magazine.
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Olive Oil Helps Manage Hypertension In Men
Olive oil is one of the best foods to take to help lower blood pressure naturally and improve your cardio health.
One study found that people who regularly consumed olive oil in their diet had a lower risk of hypertension. Interestingly, scientists noted that olive oil helped treat hypertension in men, not in women. However, this may be because women, in general, suffer from high blood pressure less than men.
Other studies have shown that consuming olive oil daily can help treat high blood pressure in elderly people. Researchers also noted that olive oil consumption helped lower high cholesterol at the same time.
Learn more about the benefits to your heart from consuming olive oil every day.
When To Seek Emergency Care
High blood pressure causes damage to your organs over time. However, its possible for BP to rise suddenly and cause what is called a hypertensive crisis. Hypertensive crises can manifest as either hypertensive urgency or hypertensive emergency.
When checking your blood pressure, measurements over 180 for systolic and 120 for diastolic are warning flags. Wait a few minutes before you check again. If readings still exceed 180/120, then this is indicative of a hypertensive emergency.
If left unchecked, a hypertensive emergency may have severe consequences. Possible outcomes of uncontrollable high blood pressure include:
- Stroke
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The Dash Diet Helps To Lower High Blood Pressure
You can bring down your blood pressure naturally by following the principles of the DASH diet.
The DASH diet is the âDietary Approach to Stop Hypertensionâ and includes dietary guidelines if you have hypertension. The main principles of the diet to treat high BP is to eat more vegetables, fruits, and lean meat and cut down on sodium.
Foods to eat for hypertension on the DASH diet include:
- Complex carbohydrates such as green leafy veggies, whole-grain foods, and legumes.
- Healthy fats such as olive oil, nuts, oily fish, and flaxseeds are all recommended to lower blood pressure.
- Low-fat protein that contains essential micronutrients such as fish, eggs, beans, and lean meats.
One study on the benefits of the DASH diet to manage hypertension found that it has great potential to reduce complications associated with heart disease. For example, it is estimated that, if followed, these dietary guidelines could help prevent 400,000 cases of heart disease.
If you are interested in finding out more about what to eat to lower blood pressure fast, read the information about the cardiac diet for improved health.
How To Lower Blood Pressure In Minutes
Disclaimer: Results are not guaranteed*** and may vary from person to person***.
High blood pressure can hit at any time, and the results can be devastating. When an acute jump occurs, knowing how to lower blood pressure in minutes can be the difference between life and death.
This is especially true if youre one of the 75 million American adults suffering from hypertension , or one of the other 75 million with prehypertension. When a boost hits, its good to know how to make blood pressure go down quickly.
Your blood pressure rises and falls throughout the day, and this is completely normal. Stress, anxiety, exercise, and activity can all lead to increases, while relaxation, getting ready for bed, and sleep can all bring it back down.
But not all high blood pressure is safe, and the longer it stays at a high rate, the more health risks you assume. Risks include acute responses like sweating, fainting or shortness of breath, and more severe issues like heart disease and heart attack can arise. So when stress hits, knowing how to lower blood pressure quickly can be a great health benefit.
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What’s The Right Way To Measure Blood Pressure
If youve ever tested your blood pressure at home, youve probably discovered that you dont get a consistent number. Numbers can jump up or down 20, 30, or even 40 points in one day sometimes in just a few minutes. It’s different at different times of the day, and no two days are the same. So if your systolic pressure goes from 150 in the doctors office to 120 at home, do you have hypertension? Prehypertension? ;Neither;of these? How do you know?
If you monitor your blood pressure at home, you might also discover that many doctors don’t follow the;guidelines for properly taking blood pressure readings. Guidelines featured in a video by the American Academy of Family Physicians instruct;home measurers to follow these steps:
Garlic Supplements For High Blood Pressure
You can use garlic as a natural medicine to treat hypertension and improve your cardiovascular health.
Regularly taking garlic as a supplement can help to turn prehypertensive conditions into safe conditions. For example, a meta-analysis of 20 trials found that garlic supplementation can lower systolic blood pressure by 9 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure by 7 mmHg.
Other studies have found that taking garlic supplements on a long-term basis could have a significant effect on blood pressure. Over a 12-week period taking 2 aged garlic capsules daily helped lower systolic blood pressure by around 12 mmHg.
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Eat Some Dark Chocolate
Yes, chocolate lovers: Dark chocolate has been shown to lower blood pressure.
But the dark chocolate should be 60 to 70 percent cacao. A review of studies on dark chocolate has found that eating one to two squares of dark chocolate per day may help lower the risk of heart disease by lowering blood pressure and inflammation. The benefits are thought to come from the flavonoids present in chocolate with more cocoa solids. The flavonoids help dilate, or widen, your blood vessels .
A 2010 study of 14,310 people found that individuals without hypertension who ate more dark chocolate had lower blood pressure overall than those who ate less dark chocolate (
28 ).
For some people, getting a good nights sleep isnt easy. There are many ways to help you get restful sleep. Try setting a regular sleep schedule, spend time relaxing at night, exercise during the day, avoid daytime naps, and make your bedroom comfortable .
The national Sleep Heart Health Study found that regularly sleeping less than 7 hours a night and more than 9 hours a night was associated with an increased prevalence of hypertension. Regularly sleeping less than 5 hours a night was linked to a significant risk of hypertension long term .
What You Can Do To Lower Your Blood Pressure
What isn’t a mystery is that lifestyle changes can play a big part in reducing and controlling blood pressure levels.;These include cutting back on;dietary salt, quitting smoking, eating a plant-based diet, exercising regularly, losing excess weight, and managing stress.
Here are a few simple suggestions from;500 Time-Tested Home Remedies and the Science Behind Them;for enhancing your diet and managing stress.
Eat Fish.;The omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil from fatty fish such as sardines, mackerel, and salmon have been shown to reduce blood pressure in people with mild hypertension. Here’s an easy recipe for a quick snack or lunch that’ll provide omega-3s:
- 1 can oil-packed sardines
- 12-16 whole-grain crackers
- Lemon wedges
- Sprigs of parsley
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What Can You Do To Lower Eye Pressure
Now that we know what causes glaucoma, what can we do about it?;Although some of the risk factors above are unavoidable, it is possible to reduce your eye pressure naturally. These are simple, common sense, suggestions that can make a big difference in the way your eyes age.
The first step on the path to lowering your eye pressure naturally is to lower your insulin levels. Insulin can cause your eye pressure to increase. So its wise to avoid sugary and carbohydrate-heavy foods such as sodas, starches, sweets and bread. A change in your diet can make a big difference in not only your eye health, but in your overall health as well. Isnt it worth giving up, or at least cutting back on, some of the foods you love in order to protect your vision?
Because exercise can help you lower eye pressure, its a good idea to start incorporating some low-impact exercise into your daily routine. Go for a walk, take a swim or hop on your bike and do your eyes, and your heart, a good deed! If you dont have the time or a safe place to walk, consider a treadmill machine either in your home or the local gym. Walking in the fresh air is, of course, the best option but it is not always possible for everyone.
Cacao Powder To Bring Down Blood Pressure Naturally
One of the best drinks for high blood pressure to enjoy is hot chocolate made from cacao powder.
One study into the effect of cacao drinks on hypertension found that they can help reduce blood pressure by around 4 mmHg.
Other studies have found that the rich antioxidant content in cacao drinks is good for helping to manage high blood pressure in elderly people.
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Reduce Stress Through Meditation And Rest
Chronic stress can lead to chronic elevations in the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline, says Dr. Desai. These hormones constrict the arteries and cause weight gain, which further increases blood pressure.
He recommends reducing stress by using breathing exercises, practicing meditation, completing physical exercise, practicing yoga, logging quality sleep, taking breaks throughout the day, spending time in nature, listening to music and eating a balanced diet.
Natural Ways With Potential
If you do an Internet search, youll find dozens of other natural ways to lower blood pressure. They may be effective, but the evidence is limited or questionable.
Take stress reduction, for example. In 2017, the American Heart Association issued a scientific statement on the role of meditation in cardiovascular riskreduction. The AHA determined the concept was plausible, but the studies included too few subjects and used different endpoints, which made drawing conclusions impossible.
Some studies showed significant benefit, and others showed none. There simply wasnt enough data to say that meditation consistently lowers blood pressure, says Dr. Laffin. More likely, anything that relaxes you decreases blood pressure temporarily, but isnt a solution for people with sustained hypertension.
The same issue applies to various foods, spices, herbs and vitamins. You will probably find a study or two on each that says it lowers blood pressure, but these have never been robustly studied, he says.
If you are serious about using natural ways to lower blood pressure, choose one or more methods that have stood the test of time.
This article originally appeared in Cleveland Clinic Heart Advisor.
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Drink Hibiscus Tea To Lower Blood Pressure Fast
Hibiscus tea may not lower your blood pressure in 3 minutes or less, but drinking it daily can help manage chronic hypertension.
One clinical trial involving adults with mild hypertension found that drinking hibiscus tea daily for 6 weeks can lower systolic blood pressure. Researchers recommended this natural remedy for people with prehypertension or mild hypertension.
Some studies conducted on animals have found hibiscus tea can significantly lower high blood pressure.
How To Lower Blood Pressure Without Medication
Its normal for your BP to fluctuate throughout the day. Excitement, being active, sleeping and waking up are all situations where blood pressure changes naturally. When your activity ends, your BP reading should return to a normal range.
A normal blood pressure is usually defined as systolic pressure below 120 mmHg and diastolic pressure below 80mmHg. Systolic pressure is the measurement of blood pressure from your heart beats. Diastolic pressure is when the heart is at rest between beats. Unfortunately there is no cure for high blood pressure currently, but you can take steps to manage it even without medication. Here are 7 ways to lower your blood pressure naturally:
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