Remedies To Lower Blood Pressure: The 10 Best Home Remedies To Lower Blood Pressure

Remedies To Lower Blood Pressure: Someone may be able to lower their blood pressure in a number of ways. For example, by regularly exercising, managing their weight, and making dietary changes.

High blood pressure affects nearly half of American adults and 1 billion people worldwide.

If left uncontrolled, high blood pressure raises your risk of heart disease and stroke.

Remedies To Lower Blood Pressure, However, there are a number of things you can do to lower your blood pressure naturally, even without medication.

Here are 10 natural ways to treat high blood pressure.

1. Walk and exercise regularly

Remedies To Lower Blood Pressure, Exercise is one of the best things you can do to lower high blood pressure.

Regular exercise helps make your heart stronger and more efficient at pumping blood, which lowers the pressure in your arteries.

Remedies To Lower Blood Pressure, In fact, getting 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise, such as walking, or 75 minutes per week of vigorous exercise, such as running, can help lower blood pressure and improve heart health.

Additionally, some research suggests that doing more exercise than this reduces your blood pressure even further.

2. Reduce your sodium intake

Remedies To Lower Blood Pressure, Salt intake is high around the world. This is largely due to increased consumption of processed and prepared foods.

Many studies have linked high salt intake with high blood pressure and heart events, including stroke.

However, other research indicates that the relationship between sodium and high blood pressure is less clear.

Remedies To Lower Blood Pressure, One reason for this may be genetic differences in how people process sodium. About half of people with high blood pressure and a quarter of people with typical levels seem to have a sensitivity to salt.

If you already have high blood pressure, it’s worth cutting back your sodium intake to see whether it makes a difference. Swap processed foods for fresh ingredients and try seasoning with herbs and spices rather than salt.

3. Drink less alcohol

Remedies To Lower Blood Pressure, Drinking alcohol can raise blood pressure and increase the risk of several chronic health conditions, including high blood pressure.

While some research has suggested that low to moderate amounts of alcohol consumption may protect the heart, those benefits may be offset by negative effects.

Remedies To Lower Blood Pressure, In the United States, moderate alcohol consumption is defined as no more than one drink per day for females and two drinks per day for males. If you drink more than that, it might be best to consider reducing your intake.

4. Eat more potassium-rich foods

Remedies To Lower Blood Pressure, Potassium is an important mineral that helps your body get rid of sodium and eases pressure on your blood vessels.

Modern diets have increased most people’s sodium intake while decreasing potassium intake.

To get a better balance of potassium and sodium in your diet, focus on eating fewer processed foods and fresher, whole foods.

Remedies To Lower Blood Pressure, Foods that are particularly high in potassium include:

Vegetables, especially leafy greens, tomatoes, potatoes, and sweet potatoes

Fruit, including melons, bananas, avocados, oranges, and apricots

Dairy, such as milk and yogurt

Tuna and salmon

Nuts and seeds

Beans

5. Cut back on caffeine

Remedies To Lower Blood Pressure, If you’ve ever downed a cup of coffee before you’ve had your blood pressure taken, you’ll know that caffeine causes an instant blood pressure boost.

However, there’s not much evidence to suggest that drinking caffeine regularly can cause a lasting increase.

Remedies To Lower Blood Pressure, In fact, people who drink caffeinated coffee or tea tend to have a lower risk of heart disease, including high blood pressure, than those who do not drink it.

Still, if you suspect you’re sensitive to the effects of caffeine, consider cutting back to see whether it lowers your blood pressure.

6. Learn to manage stress

Remedies To Lower Blood Pressure, Stress is a key driver of high blood pressure.

When you’re chronically stressed, your body is in a constant fight-or-flight mode. On a physical level, that means a faster heart rate and constricted blood vessels.

Remedies To Lower Blood Pressure, When you experience stress, you might also be more likely to engage in habits that can have negative effects on blood pressure, such as drinking alcohol and eating processed foods.

Several studies have explored how reducing stress can help lower blood pressure. Here are two evidence-based tips to try:

Remedies To Lower Blood Pressure, Listen to soothing music: Calming music can help relax your nervous system. Research has shown that it’s an effective complement to other blood pressure therapies.

Work less: Working a lot and stressful work situations are both linked to high blood pressure.

7. Eat dark chocolate or cocoa

Remedies To Lower Blood Pressure, While eating massive amounts of dark chocolate probably won’t help your heart, small amounts may.

That’s because dark chocolate and cocoa powder are rich in flavonoids, which are plant compounds that cause blood vessels to dilate.

Remedies To Lower Blood Pressure, A 2017 review of studies found that flavonoid-rich cocoa may reduce short-term blood pressure levels in healthy adults.

For the strongest effects, use non-alkalized cocoa powder, which is especially high in flavonoids and has no added sugars.

8. Try to lose weight, if necessary

Remedies To Lower Blood Pressure, In people who are overweight, losing weight can make a big difference to heart health.

According to a 2016 study, losing 5% of your body weight could significantly lower high blood pressure.

The effect is even greater when weight loss is paired with exercise.

Remedies To Lower Blood Pressure, Losing weight can help your blood vessels do a better job of expanding and contracting, making it easier for the left ventricle of your heart to pump blood.

9. If you smoke, consider quitting

Remedies To Lower Blood Pressure, Among the many reasons to quit smoking is that the habit is a strong risk factor for heart disease.

Every puff of cigarette smoke causes a slight, temporary increase in blood pressure. The chemicals in tobacco are also known to damage blood vessels.

Remedies To Lower Blood Pressure, However, studies haven’t found a conclusive link between smoking and high blood pressure. This could be because people who smoke regularly develop a tolerance over time.

Still, since both smoking and high blood pressure raise the risk of heart disease, quitting smoking can help lessen that risk.

10. Cut added sugar and refined carbs

Remedies To Lower Blood Pressure, There’s a growing body of research showing a link between added sugar intake and high blood pressure.

A 2020 research review found that increased consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages was linked to higher blood pressure levels in children and adolescents.

Remedies To Lower Blood Pressure, And it’s not just sugar — all refined carbs, such as the kind found in white flour, convert rapidly to sugar in your bloodstream and could cause problems.

Some studies have shown that low carb diets may also help reduce blood pressure. In fact, one review of 12 studies showed that following a low carb diet could reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure, along with several other risk factors for heart disease.

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