Manage blood pressure effectively -
Healthy lifestyle changes If you have high blood pressure, your provider may recommend that you adopt a heart-healthy lifestyle to help lower and control high blood pressure. Choose heart-healthy foods such as those in the DASH eating plan.
NHLBI-funded research has shown that DASH combined with a low-salt eating plan can be as effective as medicines in lowering high blood pressure. Living With the DASH Eating Plan and Tips to Reduce Salt and Sodium offer more information. Avoid or limit alcohol.
Talk to your provider about how much alcohol you drink. You may need to limit it or stop drinking. Resources and support are available at the Alcohol Treatment Navigator from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Get regular physical activity. Many health benefits result from getting the recommended amount of physical activity each week.
Studies have shown that physical activity can help lower and control high blood pressure levels. Even modest amounts of physical activity may help. Before starting any exercise program, ask your healthcare provider what level of activity is right for you Aim for a healthy weight.
Quit smoking. Both Smoking and Your Heart and Your Guide to a Healthy Heart focus on heart health and include basic information about how to quit smoking.
Manage stress. Learning how to manage stress and cope with problems can improve your mental and physical health. Learning relaxation techniques, talking to a counselor, and finding a support group can all help.
Get enough good-quality sleep. The recommended amount for adults is 7 to 9 hours of sleep per day. Develop healthy sleep habits by going to sleep and getting up at regular times, following a calming bedtime routine, and keeping your bedroom cool and dark.
Not everyone will get high blood pressure from consuming high-sodium diets. Some people are more sensitive to sodium. People who are not as sensitive to sodium can often urinate any extra sodium without retaining fluid or developing high blood pressure.
Increasing your intake of potassium can also help lower your blood pressure. This essential mineral helps relax blood vessels and process sodium out of your body faster. Adults with or without high blood pressure should aim for 2,, milligrams mg of potassium daily. Foods rich in potassium include:.
Your healthcare provider may also suggest following the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension DASH diet to lower blood pressure. This diet limits sodium to 1, mg a day and focuses on getting 4, mg of potassium by eating whole foods like fruits, vegetables, and low-fat meat and dairy.
Limiting sugar and refined carbohydrates carbs stripped of fiber, minerals, and vitamins can help lower blood pressure over time. A review found that diets high in sugar can increase blood pressure more than salt. Another study found that people who were overweight or had obesity lowered their blood pressure after following low-carb and low-fat diets for six months.
Low-carb diets limit carbs to grams g per day, including carbs in starchy vegetables, high-sugar fruits, bread, pasta, and sugary foods. In addition, AHA recommends that men limit sugar to 9 teaspoons 36 g and women limit sugar to 6 teaspoons 25 g daily.
For reference, a ounce soda contains nearly 8 teaspoons 32 g of added sugar. Stress is linked to high blood pressure. However, research shows that stress-reducing activities like yoga and meditation may help people lower their blood pressure.
A review found that people who did yoga decreased their diastolic and systolic blood pressure more than those who didn't exercise. However, the yoga included breathing control, yoga postures, and meditation. Another review found transcendental meditation and mindfulness-based stress reduction helped slightly reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure in people who were taking and not taking blood pressure medication.
While you snooze, your body naturally lowers blood pressure. So if you don't get adequate sleep, you'll have higher blood pressure for longer durations. Therefore, people who experience insomnia and sleep deprivation —especially people 45 years or older—are more at risk of high blood pressure. A research article also found evidence that people who sleep less than seven hours at night are more likely to have high blood pressure.
Over time, not getting enough sleep may cause blood pressure to rise, so finding time to get at least seven hours each night may help lower your blood pressure.
Diets rich in protein and fiber may help lower high blood pressure. To increase your protein intake, look for foods containing at least 7 g per ounce. High-protein foods include fish, eggs, meat, beans, legumes, nuts, and dairy products like cheese and Greek yogurt. Research has also shown that whey protein supplements may help lower systolic blood pressure.
It is estimated that consuming at least 3 g of docosahexaenoic acid DHA and eicosapentaenoic acid EPA omega-3 fatty acids may help decrease your blood pressure. These forms of polyunsaturated fat are essential for a healthy body and heart health. A meta-analysis found that fish oil an omega-3 supplement helped reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels in people with high blood pressure.
The U. Food and Drug Administration also supports that consuming omega-3 from food and dietary supplements reduces the risk of high blood pressure and coronary heart disease.
Eating more omegarich foods like salmon, tuna, flaxseed, and chia seed can also help you improve your omega-3 levels. While research is limited, it's purported that taking magnesium , and garlic specifically kyolic garlic as dietary supplements may help lower your blood pressure.
High blood pressure has been linked to a magnesium deficiency, and magnesium can help your body maintain a normal heart rhythm. Research also shows that L-citrulline—a type of amino acid forms proteins—can help people lower systolic blood pressure.
This may be because L-citrulline helps increase nitric oxide levels, relaxing the arteries and improving blood flow. Before taking any dietary supplements, chat with your healthcare provider.
Drinking alcohol can increase your blood pressure, and interact with blood pressure medications you may be taking. Research has shown that drinking more than 30 g of alcohol increases systolic and diastolic blood pressure after 13 or more hours of drinking—even though it initially lowered blood pressure.
If you are diagnosed with hypertension, your healthcare provider may suggest cutting back or eliminating alcohol. Try limiting alcohol to one ounce beer, one 4-ounce glass of wine, or only 1. Due to the nicotine in tobacco, smoking temporarily increases heart rate and blood pressure each time you smoke.
However, the long-term effect of smoking on blood pressure is a little unclear. An extensive review found that smokers had lower blood pressure than nonsmokers. Conversely, a study found smoking worsened high blood pressure in young adults.
A study also found that smoking electronic cigarettes increased blood pressure in people with high blood pressure. Despite the inconclusive research, smoking can damage your heart and blood vessels.
As a result, major organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC recommend quitting smoking to help manage high blood pressure and heart disease risk. Caffeine can temporarily raise your blood pressure, even if you don't have high blood pressure.
However, this effect isn't a risk for most people, and some research even shows caffeine may help lower the risk of high blood pressure.
That said, people with high blood pressure may have issues with caffeine. A study found that people with hypertension increased their blood pressure and their risk of heart disease if they drank more than two cups of coffee every day.
Although research on this is limited, even the AHA notes that people with high blood pressure should limit caffeine and drink only one 8-ounce cup of coffee or caffeinated tea daily.
Even with lifestyle changes, your healthcare provider may recommend taking prescription medications to help lower your blood pressure. Blood pressure medications used to treat hypertension include:.
The simplest ways to lower your blood pressure are implementing lifestyle changes that involve a nutritious diet, lowering sodium, and exercise. Other things that help are reducing stress, getting more sleep, and limiting alcohol consumption.
If you have high blood pressure, talk with your healthcare provider before making any drastic dietary changes or adding new supplements to your diet. Your healthcare provider can help you determine the best methods to reduce blood pressure for you. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Facts about hypertension. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. What is high blood pressure. Dimeo F, Pagonas N, Seibert F, Arndt R, Zidek W, Westhoff TH. Aerobic exercise reduces blood pressure in resistant hypertension.
Huang G, Shi X, Gibson CA, Huang SC, Coudret NA, Ehlman MC. Controlled aerobic exercise training reduces resting blood pressure in sedentary older adults. Blood Press. Women lose muscle mass steadily as we age, and weightlifting is an often-overlooked part of an exercise plan for most women," says Fisher.
Stress hormones constrict your blood vessels and can lead to temporary spikes in blood pressure. In addition, over time, stress can trigger unhealthy habits that put your cardiovascular health at risk.
These might include overeating, poor sleep, and misusing drugs and alcohol. For all these reasons, reducing stress should be a priority if you're looking to lower your blood pressure. As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content.
Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
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Your doctor or health care professional may recommend certain lifestyle changes to help keep your blood glucose levels under good control. Those actions will also help reduce your risk for high blood pressure. Always ask questions if you do not understand something, and never stop taking your medicine without talking to your doctor or pharmacist first.
Stopping your blood pressure medicine without first talking to your health care team could lead to serious health consequences. If you have high blood pressure, you can help lower it by being physically active, eating a healthy diet, and making other lifestyle changes.
Learn more about ways to prevent and manage high blood pressure. You and your health care team can work together to prevent or treat the medical conditions that lead to high blood pressure.
Discuss your treatment plan regularly and bring a list of questions to your appointments. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to search. Español Other Languages. Manage High Blood Pressure. Minus Related Pages. Last Reviewed: August 29, Source: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health PromotionDivision for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention.
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: Manage blood pressure effectively| 13 Effective Ways to Lower Your Blood Pressure | Thanks for your feedback! Still, since both smoking and high blood pressure raise the risk of heart disease, quitting smoking can help lessen that risk Women lose muscle mass steadily as we age, and weightlifting is an often-overlooked part of an exercise plan for most women," says Fisher. Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy. Your healthcare provider may use a risk calculator to estimate your risk of having a stroke or heart attack or dying from a heart or blood vessel disease. Mater Sociomed. Work with your health care professional Your health care professional will help you make a plan to lower your blood pressure. |
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| 15 natural ways to lower your blood pressure | How Smoking Affects Your Heart. Talk to your healthcare provider if you have any concerns about side effects from the medicines. On this page. Physical activity and exercise lower blood pressure in individuals with hypertension: Narrative review of 27 RCTs. It is essential to follow your healthcare provider's instructions with any medication. If you smoke, ask your care provider for strategies to help you quit. |
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