Though it frequently shows no symptoms, high blood pressure, or hypertension, increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.
The goal blood pressure for most people will be less than 120/80 mm HgReliable Source. A person has high blood pressure if their reading is 130/80 mm Hg or higher.
An high blood pressure value falls between 120 and 129 over less than 80. This indicates that high blood pressure is something you could experience. To prevent your blood pressure from rising too high, your doctor could suggest certain lifestyle changes.
These are eighteen practical methods for lowering blood pressure.
According to ResearchTrusted Source, blood pressure can be regulated or delayed by both aerobic and resistance exercise. Blood pressure can also drop for up to 24 hours following an exercise session.
Frequent activity causes your respiration and heart rates to rise on a regular basis. Your heart becomes stronger and requires less effort to pump over time. Your blood pressure is lowered and your arteries are under less pressure as a result.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advise engaging in moderate-intensity exercise for at least 2.5 hours (about 30 minutes per day, five days a week) every week. The CDC recommends one hour of exercise every day for kids and teenagers.
The following are some pointers to get you moving more:
walking or taking the stairs instead of driving to complete household tasks.
The heart and circulatory system are strained by carrying extra body weight. Blood pressure may rise as a result.
Reduce your blood pressure if your body mass index (BMI) is 25 or above by reducing 5 to 10 pounds (Trusted Source). It can lessen the chance of developing additional health issues.
There are three main methods for achieving this:
Eat less, move more, and eat healthfully
Limiting sugar and processed carbs may assist in blood pressure reduction and weight loss.
A 2020 investigationA reliable source examined the effects of several well-known diets on people’s weight and risk of cardiovascular disease.
Following low-carb and low-fat diets, people with obesity or overweight experienced an average drop in diastolic blood pressure of around 5 mm Hg and a reduction in systolic blood pressure of 3 mm Hg after 6 months.
Reducing your salt consumption and upping your potassium intake can help reduce blood pressure.
Consuming a lot of salt can raise the riskReducing salt intake decreases blood pressure, according to a reliable source. Although the actual cause of this is unknown to experts, blood vessel inflammation and water retention may be factors.
Potassium benefits the body.Reliable Source reduces blood vessel tension and gets rid of salt.
Foods high in potassium include:
dried fruit, including prunes and apricots; dairy products; yogurt; kidney beans and lentils; vegetables, like potatoes, tomatoes, and spinach
However, individuals with kidney illness may experience negative effects from high potassium intake, so consult your doctor before making any dietary changes.
You can use nutrition labels to make decisions about what foods to eat.
The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH, is a heart-healthy recommendation from the National Institutes of HealthTrusted Source.
A focus of the DASH diet is:
consuming entire grains, fruits, and vegetables
consuming dairy products with reduced or no fat
consuming beans, nuts, chicken, fish, and vegetable oils
Reducing the amount of foods high in added sugars and saturated fats.
Processed foods frequently contain large amounts of added sugar, salt, and bad fats. They might cause you to gain weight (Trusted Source). Each of these elements has the potential to raise blood pressure.
As examples, consider:
processed meats
lots of fried or quick food
processed munchies
In order to make up for the loss of fat, foods with low fat labels may also be high in sugar and salt. Food tastes good and fills you up because of fat.
You can cut back on salt, sugar, and refined carbs by eating fewer processed foods. Lower blood pressure can be the outcome of all of this.
Your overall health, including your blood pressure, might be negatively impacted by smoking.
Over time, the compounds included in tobacco can raise blood pressure by:
injuring the walls of your blood vessels, resulting in inflammation and artery constriction
Elevated blood pressure is a result of the hardened arteries.
Even if you are not directly near secondhand smoke, the chemicals in tobacco can still have an impact on your blood vessels.
According to one study (Trusted Source), nonsmokers in places with smoke-free workplaces, pubs, and restaurants had lower blood pressure than nonsmokers in regions without such regulations.
It’s critical to learn stress management techniques for both your blood pressure and general wellness.
Depending on the person, there are a variety of ways to reduce stress, such as:
focusing on deep breathing
strolling, reading, listening to music, practicing awareness, and meditation
Dark chocolate usually has 70–85% cacao (Trusted Source).
Flavonoids, an antioxidant found in cacao, have the potential to decrease blood pressure. Your blood vessels may get wider or dilate as a result of these flavonoids.
The American Heart Association does point out that while consuming a small bit of dark chocolate each day is probably not going to be hazardous, it is unlikely to contain enough flavonoids to have a positive impact on health.
Chocolate with a lot of calories, fat, or sugar might not be good for you.
Herbal medications have the potential to reduce blood pressure. To determine the dosages and constituents of the herbs that are most beneficial, more study is necessary.
People utilize a variety of plants and herbs to reduce blood pressure, including:
Castanospermum australe, or black bean
The Uncaria rhynchophylla, or cat’s claw
juice from celery (Apium graveolens)
Hawthorn from China (Crataegus pinnatifida)
Cuscuta reflexa, the giant dodder with ginger roots
Indian plantago (psyllium blond)
Bark from maritime pines (Pinus pinaster)
(Crinum glaucum) river lily
Hibiscus sabdariffa, or roselle
Sesame oil (Indica sesamum)
extract from tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum)
tea, specifically green and oolong tea (Camellia sinensis), umbrella tree bark (Musanga cecropioides)
The effectiveness of herbal therapies in controlling blood pressure is not well enough established.
Be sure to consult your physician or pharmacist prior to using any herbal supplements. They might cause problems with the prescription drugs you use.
Lack of sleep could raise the danger.Reliable source for hypertension.
Your blood pressure usually drops while you’re sleeping, so that could be one factor. You might not go through this stage if you have trouble falling asleep.
Among the advices for sound sleep areReliable Source:
establishing a consistent sleep schedule
Working out during the day, but avoid doing so just before bed
sleeping in a cool, dark room, leaving electronics outside the bedroom, and avoiding heavy meals or drinks right before bed.
A 2015 investigationA 40% lower long-term risk of high blood pressure was found in those who ate a greater protein diet, according to a reliable source of data for over 1,300 individuals. A 60% decreased risk was experienced by those who paired this with a high-fiber diet.
This held true regardless of the source of the protein—plant or animal.
Consuming protein may temporarily lower blood pressure, according to earlier research.
Foods high in protein include:
fish, such canned tuna in water eggs or salmon
chicken, including breasts
lean beef, legumes like lentils and kidney beans, nuts, or nut butters like peanut butter
low-fat cheese, chickpeas, and other dairy items
A doctor should be consulted before implementing a high-protein diet, as it may not be appropriate for all individuals. Additionally, it’s critical to balance the various forms of protein and the foods that contain protein with other ingredients.
A review for 2020According to Trusted Source, ingesting 30 g or more of alcohol seems to elevate heart rate for a maximum of 24 hours. In contrast, blood pressure typically rises after rising for the first twelve hours.
An average drink has about 14 grams of alcohol in itTrusted Source.
Contrary to popular belief, excessive red wine consumption has no heart-healthy benefits, according to the American Heart AssociationTrusted Source.
They advise restricting alcohol consumption to one standard drink for women and two for men per day.
A beverage is:
a single 12-ounce beer
Four ounces of wine
Spirits (1.5 ounces, 80 proof)
One ounce of spirits with 100 proof.
A little investigationAccording to a reliable source, consuming 550 milliliters (ml) of water two hours after waking up and an additional 550 ml two hours before going to bed may help lower blood pressure. But more investigation is required.
Drinking water may improve general health in addition to numerous other advantages.
Depending on your blood pressure level and other variables, your doctor might prescribe prescription medication from Trusted Source if your blood pressure is really high or doesn’t go down after implementing these lifestyle modifications.
Discuss potential drug options and what might be most effective for you with your doctor.
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