How to Lower High Blood Pressure Naturally At Home

Your blood pressure reading is not something you should dismiss with a wave of an arm if you’re to keep yourself alive and healthy for long, for good reasons.

High blood pressure is referred to as the ‘silent killer because it has no symptoms, and it’s one of the highest killers of adults; it is also a major cause of stroke and heart diseases.

The American Center for Disease Control and Prevention categorizes high blood pressure as one of the leading causes of death in the adult population.

To protect yourself from high blood pressure, you have to understand the blood pressure readings and follow our practical tips on lowering blood pressure naturally at home.

For simplicity, the normal blood pressure range is between 90/60 to 120/80. Therefore, BP readings above 120/80 and below 130/90 are considered pre-high, while values above 130/90 are considered high/hypertensive.

If your blood pressure reading has been consistently above the normal blood pressure reading, practice the tips we recommend to help lower your blood pressure naturally at home.

How to Lower High Blood Pressure Naturally At Home

1. Make Daily Exercise Your Lifestyle

The American Heart Association recommends moderate to high-intensity exercises for 40 minutes minimum of 3 weekly to maintain a normal blood pressure reading because exercises strengthen your heart muscles and help maintain normal blood pressure.

Moderate physical activities or exercises for 30 minutes such as Tai Chi, Qigong, aerobic exercises, HIIT, resistant training, walking, using the stairs, gardening, cycling, sporting activities, etc., can lower high blood pressure by 15.6mmHG for upper level (systolic) reading, and 10.7 mmHg for lower level (diastolic) reading, achieving the same effect as prescribed drugs.

2. Shed Excess Weight

Studies have linked weight gain and obesity to high blood pressure due to the clogging of the arteries by bad cholesterol, resulting in the narrowing of the blood vessels.

As such, the heart will need to pump blood at a higher pressure to force blood through clogged arteries in the body.

Cutting down on high-calorie foods, including processed foods, and following strict weight loss, soup diets can help you shed up to 20 pounds weekly and reduce your systolic and diastolic blood pressure reading by an average of 3.2mmHG and 4.5mmHG.

3. Cut Down On Salt Intake

Salt is a leading cause of high blood pressure due to increased blood sodium levels.

While cutting down on sodium level, shoring up your potassium level helps you maintain normal blood pressure reading by relaxing your blood vessels to ease blood flow and reversing the negative effects of high sodium in your blood.

You should talk to a doctor before increasing your potassium intake if you’re suffering from kidney diseases because high potassium levels in the blood can cause more damage to your kidney.

The American National Institute of Health Recommends the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hype rtension) diet to fight high blood pressure.

Foods on the DASH diet include foods with low salt content, fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy, whole grains, fish, poultry, beans, and a lesser amount of red meats and sweets.

4. Quit Smoking

You get high from smoking, but have you considered the dangers of smoking to your heart and lungs? Smoking increases your blood pressure by causing substances in the smoke to accumulate in your blood vessels, leading to increased blood pressure due to narrowing of the blood vessels.

It also causes inflammation and hardening of the blood vessels, contributing to high blood pressure. Living a healthy lifestyle after quitting smoking can reverse the effects of smoking and significantly bring down your blood pressure.

5. Cut Down On Alcohol Intake

A 2006 study shows that 10 grams raise the blood pressure level by 1mmHG. Moderate drinking of not more than 14 grams of alcohol equivalent to 12 ounces beer, 5 ounces of wine, and 1.5 ounces of spirit a day is advised to prevent high blood pressure and other alcohol-related terminal diseases.

This is backed by a study that shows that consuming more than 30 grams of alcohol can significantly increase your blood pressure by 3.7mmHG and 2.4mmHG for systolic and diastolic readings.

Note: consuming more wine and spirits may be preferable due to their lower sugar content than beer.

6. Get Enough Sleep

Sleep helps you maintain normal blood pressure readings; therefore, it is important that you get enough sleep in the nighttime. Research shows that getting more sleep at night significantly reduces your risk of high blood pressure. To help you get enough sleep at night, you should avoid taking a nap during the day, exercise regularly, and relax before bedtime.

7. Try Herbal Remedies

Consuming herbal remedies like cotton leave extract, celery juice, black beans, ginger, garlic, roselle, sesame oil, tomato extract, green tea, and umbrella tree bark can significantly reduce your blood pressure.

However, herbal remedies can significantly crash your blood pressure reading if taken in excess. Hence, you should monitor your blood pressure readings daily to prevent excessive drops in blood pressure.

8. Indulge Yourself in Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolates made from cocoa are rich in flavonoids which dilates the blood vessels, thus easing blood flow at reduced pressure.

Studies have shown that consuming a bar or two of dark chocolate (60 to 70% cocoa) significantly reduces your chances of developing heart diseases by preventing inflammation of the blood vessels and lowering your blood pressure.

9. Practice Meditation or Yoga

People with high blood pressure who practice yoga have their blood pressure level reduced by 3.62 mmHg and 4.17mmHG for systolic and diastolic readings.

Yoga techniques, including posture, breathing control, and meditation, are very effective in maintaining a normal blood pressure reading over a long period.

10. Cut Down On Stress and Stressors

Deadlines to meet, kids to take care of, Bosses at work to answer to, rush hour traffic, etc., are common stressors that make you feel anxious, causing stress and eventually leading to high blood pressure, stroke, and heart diseases.

To deal with stress, you should focus more on what you can control, avoid stress triggers, practice gratitude, take time to relax and listen to cool music, read books, or find other ways to deal with stress, and also reduce your chances of developing high blood pressure.

11. Cut Down On Caffeine

Studies have shown that caffeine can significantly increase your blood pressure for 3 to 4 hours by temporarily narrowing your blood vessels.

Although the effect of caffeine is temporary, if you’re sensitive to caffeine or you have a high blood pressure reading, you should consider switching to decaf.

Conclusion

Lowering your blood pressure at home relies on living a healthy lifestyle, eating well, having enough sleep, exercising regularly, and avoiding stressors.

It is absolutely important to take daily blood pressure readings to monitor your BP.

If, after practicing the recommended tips and suggestions, your BP reads higher than normal, you should talk to a doctor about it.

wellandliving