Here are 10 ways to lower your blood pressure (naturally)
Have you been diagnosed with high blood pressure?
According to recent statistics, about 77.9 million (1 out of every 3) adults have high blood pressure in the United States.
If you’re one of those people, you might be concerned about using medication to bring it down.
It’s important to remember that lifestyle plays a significant part in controlling your blood pressure.
Here are 10 lifestyle changes you can make to lower your pressure and keep it down.
1) Watch your waistline
According to research, blood pressure tends to increase as weight increases. Weight loss is seen as one of the most effective changes for controlling your blood pressure.
According to national guidelines, for every 20 pounds you lose, you can drop systolic pressure 5-20 points.
To put that in perspective, guidelines suggest that systolic numbers above 140 and diastolic numbers (the bottom number) above 90 are considered high.
2) Exercise regularly
Don’t worry, you don’t have to run a marathon to lower your pressure. Exercising as little as 30 minutes a day can do the trick in lowering your pressure.
By regular physical activity, you can make your heart stronger. A stronger heart can work less to pump, the force on your arteries decreases and your blood pressure lowers.
3) Eat a healthy diet
According to health guidelines, eating a diet that is rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products and skimps on saturated fat ad cholesterol can lower your blood pressure by up to 14 mm Hg.
Another tip is to consider boosting potassium. Potassium can lessen the effects of sodium on blood pressure. Potassium is high in foods such as fruits and vegetables.
4) Limit your alcohol you drink
Alcohol can be both good and bad for your health. In small amounts, it can lower your blood pressure by 2 to 4 mm Hg.
But that effect is lost if you drink too much alcohol – more than one drink a day for women and two a day for men.
5) Breathe Deeply
Slow breathing and meditative practices have been shown to decrease stress. Stress elevates renin, a kidney enzyme that raises blood pressure.
You could do this for 5 minutes in the morning and at night. Simply inhale deeply and expand your stomach. Exhale and release all your tension.
6) Don’t have too much salt
Too much sodium in your diet can increase blood pressure. If you want low blood pressure, you should aim for half the American average. That’s about 1500 mg (half a teaspoon of salt contains about 1,200 mg of sodium).
7) Eat dark chocolate
Yep, you heard that one right. Dark chocolate contains flavanols which make blood vessels more flexible (increasing the chance of lowering blood pressure).
In a study, participants who ate dark chocolate every day saw blood pressure decrease. Have half an ounce daily and make sure it contains 70% cocoa.
8) Switch to decaf coffee
This one is up for debate. Some studies have shown that caffeine has no effect on blood pressure.
However, one study found that three cups of coffee increased blood pressure by 4 mmhg and that effect lasted until bedtime.
According to the lead researcher of the study: “When you’re under stress, your heart starts pumping a lot more blood, boosting blood pressure…And caffeine exaggerates that effect.”
9) Work less
According to the University of California, putting in more than 41 hours per week raises your risk of hypertension by 15%.
Working too hard can make it hard to find time for exercise and healthy eating, so make sure you try to finish work at a decent time.
10) Crank your chill out music
Yep, research has found that the right tunes can help you lower blood pressure. So when you’ve got some time alone, turn up the volume and let the music do its thing.
hackspirit
According to recent statistics, about 77.9 million (1 out of every 3) adults have high blood pressure in the United States.
If you’re one of those people, you might be concerned about using medication to bring it down.
It’s important to remember that lifestyle plays a significant part in controlling your blood pressure.
Here are 10 lifestyle changes you can make to lower your pressure and keep it down.
1) Watch your waistline
According to research, blood pressure tends to increase as weight increases. Weight loss is seen as one of the most effective changes for controlling your blood pressure.
According to national guidelines, for every 20 pounds you lose, you can drop systolic pressure 5-20 points.
To put that in perspective, guidelines suggest that systolic numbers above 140 and diastolic numbers (the bottom number) above 90 are considered high.
2) Exercise regularly
Don’t worry, you don’t have to run a marathon to lower your pressure. Exercising as little as 30 minutes a day can do the trick in lowering your pressure.
By regular physical activity, you can make your heart stronger. A stronger heart can work less to pump, the force on your arteries decreases and your blood pressure lowers.
3) Eat a healthy diet
According to health guidelines, eating a diet that is rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products and skimps on saturated fat ad cholesterol can lower your blood pressure by up to 14 mm Hg.
Another tip is to consider boosting potassium. Potassium can lessen the effects of sodium on blood pressure. Potassium is high in foods such as fruits and vegetables.
4) Limit your alcohol you drink
Alcohol can be both good and bad for your health. In small amounts, it can lower your blood pressure by 2 to 4 mm Hg.
But that effect is lost if you drink too much alcohol – more than one drink a day for women and two a day for men.
5) Breathe Deeply
Slow breathing and meditative practices have been shown to decrease stress. Stress elevates renin, a kidney enzyme that raises blood pressure.
You could do this for 5 minutes in the morning and at night. Simply inhale deeply and expand your stomach. Exhale and release all your tension.
6) Don’t have too much salt
Too much sodium in your diet can increase blood pressure. If you want low blood pressure, you should aim for half the American average. That’s about 1500 mg (half a teaspoon of salt contains about 1,200 mg of sodium).
7) Eat dark chocolate
Yep, you heard that one right. Dark chocolate contains flavanols which make blood vessels more flexible (increasing the chance of lowering blood pressure).
In a study, participants who ate dark chocolate every day saw blood pressure decrease. Have half an ounce daily and make sure it contains 70% cocoa.
8) Switch to decaf coffee
This one is up for debate. Some studies have shown that caffeine has no effect on blood pressure.
However, one study found that three cups of coffee increased blood pressure by 4 mmhg and that effect lasted until bedtime.
According to the lead researcher of the study: “When you’re under stress, your heart starts pumping a lot more blood, boosting blood pressure…And caffeine exaggerates that effect.”
9) Work less
According to the University of California, putting in more than 41 hours per week raises your risk of hypertension by 15%.
Working too hard can make it hard to find time for exercise and healthy eating, so make sure you try to finish work at a decent time.
10) Crank your chill out music
Yep, research has found that the right tunes can help you lower blood pressure. So when you’ve got some time alone, turn up the volume and let the music do its thing.
hackspirit
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