14 Effective Ways to Lower Your Blood Pressure
Share on Pinterest
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is
called the “silent killer” for good reason. It often has no symptoms, but is a
major risk for heart disease and stroke. And these diseases are among the
leading causes of death in the United States (1Trusted Source).
About one in three U.S. adults has high blood pressure (2Trusted Source).
Your blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury, which
is abbreviated as mm Hg. There are two numbers involved in the measurement:
- Systolic blood pressure. The
top number represents the pressure in your blood vessels when your heart
beats.
- Diastolic blood pressure. The bottom
number represents the pressure in your blood vessels between beats, when
your heart is resting.
Your blood pressure depends on how much blood your heart is
pumping, and how much resistance there is to blood flow in your arteries. The
narrower your arteries, the higher your blood pressure.
Blood pressure lower than 120/80 mm Hg is considered normal.
Blood pressure that’s 130/80 mm Hg or more is considered high. If your numbers are above
normal but under 130/80 mm Hg, you fall into the category of elevated blood
pressure. This means that you’re at risk for developing high blood pressure (3).
The good news about elevated blood pressure is that lifestyle
changes can significantly reduce your numbers and lower your risk — without
requiring medications.
Here are 17 effective ways to lower your blood pressure levels:
1.
Increase activity and exercise more
In a 2013 study, sedentary older adults who participated in
aerobic exercise training lowered their blood pressure by an average of 3.9
percent systolic and 4.5 percent diastolic (4). These results are as good as some blood pressure medications.
As you regularly increase your heart and breathing rates, over
time your heart gets stronger and pumps with less effort. This puts less
pressure on your arteries and lowers your blood pressure.
How much activity should you strive for? A 2013 report by the
American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA)
advises moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity for 40-minute
sessions, three to four times per week (5).
If finding 40 minutes at a time is a challenge, there may still
be benefits when the time is divided into three or four 10- to 15-minute
segments throughout the day (6).
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) makes similar
recommendations (7).
But you don’t have to run marathons. Increasing your activity
level can be as simple as:
- using the
stairs
- walking instead
of driving
- doing
household chores
- gardening
- going for
a bike ride
- playing a
team sport
Just do it regularly and work up to at least half an hour per
day of moderate activity.
One example of moderate activity that can have big results is
tai chi. A 2017 review on the effects of tai chi and high blood pressure shows
an overall average of a 15.6 mm Hg drop in systolic blood pressure and a 10.7
mm Hg drop in diastolic blood pressure, compared to people who didn’t exercise
at all (8Trusted Source).
A 2014 review on exercise and lowering blood pressure found that
there are many combinations of exercise that can lower blood pressure. Aerobic exercise, resistance training, high-intensity interval training, short bouts
of exercise throughout the day, or walking 10,000 steps a day may all lower
blood pressure (9Trusted
Source).
Ongoing studies continue to suggest that there are still
benefits to even light physical activity, especially in older adults (10).
2. Lose weight if you’re overweight
If you’re overweight, losing even 5 to 10 pounds can reduce your
blood pressure. Plus, you’ll lower your risk for other medical problems.
A 2016 review of several studies reported that weight loss diets reduced blood pressure
by an average of 3.2 mm Hg diastolic and 4.5 mm Hg systolic (11Trusted Source).
3. Cut back on sugar and refined carbohydrates
Many scientific studies show that restricting sugar and refined carbohydrates can help you lose
weight and lower your blood
pressure.
A 2010 study compared a low-carb diet to a low-fat diet. The low-fat diet included a diet
drug. Both diets produced weight loss, but the low-carb diet was much more
effective in lowering blood pressure.
The low-carb diet lowered blood pressure by 4.5 mm Hg diastolic
and 5.9 mm Hg systolic. The diet of low-fat plus the diet drug lowered blood
pressure by only 0.4 mm Hg diastolic and 1.5 mm Hg systolic (12Trusted Source).
A 2012 analysis of low-carb diets and heart disease risk found
that these diets lowered blood pressure by an average of 3.10 mm Hg diastolic
and 4.81 mm Hg systolic (13).
Another side effect of a low-carb, low-sugar diet is that you
feel fuller longer, because you’re consuming more protein and fat.
4. Eat more potassium and less sodium
Increasing your potassium intake
and cutting back on salt can also lower your blood pressure (14).
Potassium is a double winner: It lessens the effects of salt in
your system, and also eases tension in your blood vessels. However, diets rich
in potassium may be harmful to individuals with kidney disease, so talk to your doctor before increasing
your potassium intake.
It’s easy to eat more potassium — so many foods are naturally high in potassium.
Here are a few:
- low-fat
dairy foods, such as milk and yogurt
- fish
- fruits, such
as bananas, apricots, avocados, and oranges
- vegetables,
such as sweet potatoes, potatoes, tomatoes, greens, and spinach
Note that individuals respond to salt differently. Some people are
salt-sensitive, meaning that a higher salt intake increases their blood
pressure. Others are salt-insensitive. They can have a high salt intake and
excrete it in their urine without raising their blood pressure (15).
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommends reducing salt
intake using the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet (16Trusted Source).
The DASH diet emphasizes:
- low-sodium foods
- fruits and vegetables
- low-fat
dairy
- whole grains
- fish
- poultry
- beans
- fewer sweets
and red meats
5. Eat less
processed food
Most of the extra salt in your diet comes from processed foods and foods from
restaurants, not your salt shaker at home (17Trusted Source).
Popular high-salt items include deli meats, canned soup, pizza, chips, and
other processed snacks.
Foods labeled “low-fat” are usually high in salt and sugar to
compensate for the loss of fat. Fat is what gives food taste and makes you feel
full.
Cutting down on — or even better, cutting out — processed food
will help you eat less salt, less sugar, and fewer refined carbohydrates. All
of this can result in lower blood pressure.
Make it a practice to check labels. According to the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), a sodium listing of 5 percent or less on a food label is
considered low, while 20 percent or more is considered high (17Trusted Source).
6.
Stop smoking
Stopping smoking is good for your
all-around health. Smoking causes an immediate but temporary
increase in your blood pressure and an increase in your heart rate (18).
In the long term, the chemicals in tobacco can increase your
blood pressure by damaging your blood vessel walls, causing inflammation, and
narrowing your arteries. The hardened arteries cause higher blood pressure.
The chemicals in tobacco can affect your blood vessels even if
you’re around secondhand smoke. A study showed that children
around secondhand smoke in the home had higher blood pressure than those from
nonsmoking homes (19Trusted Source).
7. Reduce excess stress
We live in stressful times. Workplace and family demands,
national and international politics — they all contribute to stress. Finding
ways to reduce your own stress is important for your
health and your blood pressure.
There are lots of different ways to successfully relieve stress, so find what works for you.
Practice deep breathing, take a walk, read a book, or
watch a comedy.
Listening to music daily has also been shown to reduce systolic
blood pressure (20). A recent 20-year
study showed that regular sauna use reduced death from
heart-related events (21). And one small study
has shown that acupuncture can lower both systolic and
diastolic blood pressure (22).
8. Try meditation or yoga
Mindfulness and meditation, including transcendental
meditation, have long been used — and studied — as methods to reduce stress. A
2012 study notes that one university program in Massachusetts has had more than
19,000 people participate in a meditation and mindfulness program to reduce
stress (23).
Yoga, which commonly involves breathing
control, posture, and meditation techniques, can also be effective in reducing
stress and blood pressure.
A 2013 review on yoga and blood pressure found an average blood
pressure decrease of 3.62 mm Hg diastolic and 4.17 mm Hg systolic when compared
to those who didn’t exercise. Studies of yoga practices that included breath
control, postures, and meditation were nearly twice as effective as yoga
practices that didn’t include all three of these elements (24).
9. 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 (25).
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 (26Trusted Source).
10.
Try these medicinal herbs
Herbal medicines have long been used in
many cultures to treat a variety of ailments.
Some herbs have even been shown to possibly
lower blood pressure. Although, more research is needed to identify the doses
and components in the herbs that are most useful (27).
Always check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking herbal
supplements. They may interfere with your prescription medications.
Here’s a partial list of plants and herbs that are used by
cultures throughout the world to lower blood pressure:
- black bean (Castanospermum australe)
- cat’s claw (Uncaria rhynchophylla)
- celery juice (Apium graveolens)
- Chinese
hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida)
- ginger root
- giant dodder
(Cuscuta reflexa)
- Indian
plantago (blond psyllium)
- maritime
pine bark (Pinus pinaster)
- river lily (Crinum glaucum)
- roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa)
- sesame oil (Sesamum indicum)
- tomato
extract (Lycopersicon esculentum)
- tea (Camellia sinensis),
especially green tea and oolong tea
- umbrella
tree bark (Musanga cecropioides)
11. Eat garlic or
take garlic extract supplements
Fresh garlic or garlic extract are both widely
used to lower blood pressure (27).
According to one clinical study, a time-release garlic extract
preparation may have a greater effect on blood pressure than regular garlic
powder tablets (31).
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 (32Trusted Source).
12. Eat healthy high-protein foods
A long-term study concluded in 2014 found that people who ate
more protein had a lower risk of high blood pressure. For those who ate an
average of 100 grams of protein per day, there was a 40 percent lower risk of
having high blood pressure than those on a low-protein diet (33). Those who also
added regular fiber into their diet saw up to a 60
percent reduction of risk.
However, a high-protein diet may not be for
everyone. Those with kidney disease may need to use caution, so talk to your
doctor.
It’s fairly easy to consume 100 grams of protein daily on most
types of diets.
High-protein foods include:
- fish, such
as salmon or canned tuna in water
- eggs
- poultry,
such as chicken breast
- beef
- beans
and legumes, such as kidney beans and lentils
- nuts or nut butter such as peanut butter
- chickpeas
- cheese, such
as cheddar
A 3.5-ounce (oz.) serving of salmon can have as much as 22 grams
(g) of protein, while a 3.5-oz. serving of chicken breast might contain 30 g of
protein.
With regards to vegetarian options, a half-cup serving of most
types of beans contains 7 to 10 g of protein. Two tablespoons of peanut butter
would provide 8 g (34).
13.
Take these BP-lowering supplements
These supplements are readily available and have demonstrated
promise for lowering blood pressure:
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid
Adding omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids or fish oil to your diet can have many
benefits.
A meta-analysis of fish oil and blood pressure found a mean
blood pressure reduction in those with high blood pressure of 4.5 mm Hg
systolic and 3.0 mm Hg diastolic (35).
Whey protein
This protein complex derived from milk
may have several health benefits, in addition to possibly lowering blood
pressure (36).
Magnesium
Magnesium deficiency is related to higher
blood pressure. A meta-analysis found a small reduction in blood pressure
with magnesium supplementation (37).
Coenzyme Q10
In a few small studies, the antioxidant CoQ10 lowered systolic blood pressure by
17 mm Hg and diastolic up to 10 mm Hg (38).
Citrulline
Oral L-citrulline is a precursor to L-arginine in the body, a building block
of protein, which may lower blood pressure (39).
14. Take prescription medication
If your blood pressure is very high or doesn’t decrease after
making these lifestyle changes, your doctor may recommend prescription drugs. They work and will improve
your long-term outcome, especially if you have other risk factors (44Trusted Source).
However, it can take some time to find the right combination of medications.
Talk with your doctor about possible medications and what might
work best for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment