How to Reduce your Blood Pressure without Medication

What is Blood Pressure and Why is it Important?

High blood pressure, aka the silent killer, often has no symptoms yet is one of the most common risk factors for cardiovascular disease. High blood pressure places stress on the heart and arteries which can lead to health conditions like a stroke or heart attack if left uncontrolled. Below are 7 ways to naturally lower blood pressure.

Increase Physical Activity

Experts recommend 150 minutes of aerobic exercise plus strength training twice a week. However, the most important part of physical activity in preventing high blood pressure is simply making sure your heart rate has increased no matter what you are doing. If you are new to exercise, a 20-30 minute walk is a great place to start! Daily movement is also important as sitting all the time stiffens your arteries. Our bodies are meant to move all the time and not live the sedentary lifestyle that is so common in today's world. 

Reduce Sodium Intake

The recommended amount of salt per day is <2000 mg. Since 70% of your salt intake comes from eating out and processed foods, the best way to decrease salt intake is by cooking at home for the majority of your meals. Another helpful tip is to reduce your deli meat and canned food intake. Two diets that can help reduce your sodium intake in a realistic way are the Mediterranean and DASH diets. Both ways of eating emphasize eating plants over meat and animal products. 

Maintain a Healthy Weight

A good healthy weight goal to have is a body mass index less than 25. Maintaining a healthy weight is important in reducing blood pressure because your body functions best at your ideal weight. Additionally, any excess weight is mostly fat which can clog arteries. Losing as little as 5-10 pounds can drastically improve blood pressure and the best way to maintain a healthy weight is through healthy eating patterns like the Mediterranean and Dash diets mentioned above. 

Limit Alcohol and Stop Smoking

Smoking and excessive drinking cause your blood pressure to temporarily rise and can cause high blood pressure over time. The alcohol recommendation for women is less than 1 drink per day and 2 drinks per day for men. It is also important to point out that alcohol is high in calories which is part of why it increases blood pressure. Vaping is just as bad for your blood pressure as smoking since both contain high nicotine levels. 

Keep an Eye on Your Blood Pressure Numbers

Following all the recommended lifestyle modifications does not guarantee you will never have high blood pressure. Health conditions like metabolic stress or sleep apnea and risk factors like genetics or living in an air polluted city can cause high blood pressure without you knowing. Checking your blood pressure can easily be done for free at any local CVS or Walgreens and it is recommended that you start checking it at a young age. 

Increase Fruit and Vegetable Intake

Experts recommend 7-10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. When building your plate, fill half of it with fruits and vegetables followed by grains as the next largest group. When trying to reduce blood pressure, foods high in potassium, magnesium, and calcium are extremely beneficial. Some examples are avocados, leafy greens, potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, oranges, and more.

Reduce Stress

Having a bad night’s sleep or stressing over a problem at work can lead to an elevation of stress hormones which causes high blood pressure. Everyone deals with stress in their life, so it is important to find ways to manage your stress such as yoga, deep breathing, walking or meditation. Unfortunately, stress is not talked about enough in relation to blood pressure and how it can negatively impact other lifestyle factors causing a vicious cycle. High blood pressure can also lead to stress-eating which causes excessive weight gain and further increases blood pressure. 

What To Do When Lifestyle Changes Are Not Enough 

If your blood pressure is already super high then your doctor may immediately recommend hypertension medicine. However, lifestyle factors can still help lower blood pressure and even lead to you no longer needing hypertension medication.