As you increase your activity, your heart gets stronger\u00a0and pumps with less effort. This puts less pressure on\u00a0your arteries and lowers your blood pressure.\u00a0
Increasing your activity level can be as simple as\u00a0walking the stairs or taking the bus instead of driving.\u00a0The results are as good as some blood pressure\u00a0medications.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Lose weight if you\u2019re overweight <\/strong> Stop smoking <\/strong> Get good, restful sleep <\/strong> Eat less processed food <\/strong> Cut back on sugar and refined carbohydrates <\/strong> Eat more potassium and less sodium<\/strong> Reduce excess stress <\/strong> Drink less alcohol <\/strong> Eat healthy high protein foods <\/strong> Consider cutting back on caffeine <\/strong> Try meditation or yoga <\/strong> Eat some dark chocolate <\/strong> Eat garlic or eat garlic supplements <\/strong> Take these BP-lowering supplements <\/strong> Take prescription medication <\/strong> Disclaimer:<\/strong> The advice provided is intended for informational purpose only and does not substitute for professional medical advice.\u00a0\u00a0Consult with your doctor if you\u2019re seeking medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment.\u200b<\/p>\r\n\r\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" High blood pressure (hypertension) is called the \"silent killer\" for good reason. It often has no symptoms but is a major risk of heart disease and stroke.\u00a0 The good news is you can make changes to\u00a0significantly reduce your numbers and lower your\u00a0risk.\u00a0 Continue reading to find some effective ways to\u00a0lower your blood pressure. Increase activity […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":4777,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3481"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3481\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6449,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3481\/revisions\/6449"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4777"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
If you\u2019re overweight, losing weight can reduce your\u00a0blood pressure. Plus, you\u2019ll lower your risk of other\u00a0potential medical problems.\u00a0
A review of several studies reports that\u00a0weight loss\u00a0diets\u00a0reduced blood pressure by an average of 3.2 mm\u00a0Hg diastolic and 4.5 mm Hg systolic.\u00a0
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Smoking causes an immediate but temporary increase in\u00a0your blood pressure.
In the long term, chemicals in tobacco can increase blood pressure by damaging your blood vessel walls.
Stopping smoking is good for your all-around health as\u00a0well as your physical and emotional health.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/good-sleep.jpg\")
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Your blood pressure typically dips down when you\u2019re\u00a0sleeping.\u00a0
People who experience sleep deprivation are at an\u00a0increased risk of high blood pressure.\u00a0
Regularly sleeping fewer than 7 hours a night and more\u00a0than 9 hours is associated with an increased rate of high\u00a0levels of blood pressure in middle-aged people, a study\u00a0has found.
Reference<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/processed-food-3.jpg\")
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Most of the extra salt in your diet comes\u00a0from\u00a0processed foods like chips, heat-and-eat meals,\u00a0instant noodles, cup soups, pickles,\u00a0papads,\u00a0ketchups,\u00a0French fries, pizza and pasta\u00a0sauces,\u00a0 etc.\u00a0 and foods from restaurants, not your salt-shaker at home.\u00a0
Cutting down on \u2014 or even better, cutting out \u2014\u00a0processed food will help you eat less salt, less sugar,\u00a0and fewer refined carbohydrates.
All of this can result in lower blood pressure.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Many studies show that\u00a0restricting sugar\u00a0and\u00a0refined\u00a0carbohydrates\u00a0can help you lose weight\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>lower your\u00a0blood pressure.\u00a0
A 2020 study that compared various popular diets\u00a0found that for people who with more weight or\u00a0obesity,\u00a0low carb\u00a0and\u00a0low-fat\u00a0diets lowered their\u00a0diastolic blood pressure by an average of about 5 mm\u00a0Hg and their systolic blood pressure 3 mm Hg after 6\u00a0months.\u00a0
Reference<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n![\"Close-up](\"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/brett-jordan-banana.jpg\")
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Potassium is important because it reduces the effects of\u00a0salt on the body and eases tension in the blood vessels.
Increasing your potassium intake can also lower your\u00a0blood pressure.\u00a0
Foods like banana, tomatoes, spinach are rich in potassium but a diet high in it may be harmful to people with kidney disease, so talk with your doctor before increasing your potassium intake.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Practice deep breathing, take a walk and listen to music\u00a0daily can help reduce blood pressure, according to the\u00a0American College of Cardiology.\u00a0
Deep breathing has been shown to reduce systolic blood\u00a0pressure by up to 20% and is effective for both men and\u00a0women.
Reference<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/alcohol-3.jpg\")
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Alcohol\u00a0can raise your blood pressure, even if you\u2019re\u00a0healthy.\u00a0It\u2019s important to drink in moderation.\u00a0
According to a 2006 study, alcohol can raise your blood\u00a0pressure by 1 mm Hg for each 10 grams of alcohol\u00a0consumed. A standard drink contains 14 grams of alcohol.\u00a0
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A long-term study concluded in 2014 found that\u00a0people who ate more protein had a lower risk of high\u00a0blood pressure.\u00a0For those who ate an average of 100\u00a0grams of protein per day, there was a 40 percent lower\u00a0risk of having high blood pressure than those on a low\u00a0protein diet.\u00a0
However, a\u00a0high protein diet\u00a0may not be for everyone.\u00a0Those with kidney disease may need to use caution. It\u2019s\u00a0best to talk with your doctor.\u00a0
Reference<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/coffee-3.jpg\")
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Caffeine raises your blood pressure, but the effect is\u00a0temporary.\u00a0
Some people may be more sensitive to caffeine than\u00a0others. If you're caffeine-sensitive, you may want to cut\u00a0back on your coffee consumption or try decaffeinated\u00a0coffee or energy drinks.
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Yoga can help reduce stress and blood pressure.
A 2013 review found an average blood pressure decrease\u00a0of 3.62 mm Hg diastolic and 4.17mm Hg systolic in yoga\u00a0practice.\u00a0
Studies of yoga practices that included breath control,\u00a0postures, and meditation were twice as effective.
Reference<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n![\"Pieces](\"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/dark-chocolate.jpg\")
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Dark chocolate has been shown to lower blood pressure.\u00a0The dark chocolate should be 60 to 70 percent cacao.\u00a0
One to two squares of dark chocolate per day may help\u00a0lower the risk of heart disease.
The benefits are thought to come from flavonoids present\u00a0in chocolate with more cocoa solids. Flavonoids help\u00a0dilate, or widen, your blood vessels and lower blood\u00a0pressure..
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Fresh\u00a0garlic\u00a0or garlic extract are both widely used to\u00a0lower blood pressure.
A study found that for people with high blood\u00a0pressure, garlic supplements reduced their systolic\u00a0blood pressure by up to about 5 mm Hg and reduced\u00a0their diastolic blood pressure as much as 2.5 mm Hg.
Reference<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n![\"Cod](\"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/bp-supplement.jpg\")
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Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid.
Adding\u00a0omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids\u00a0or\u00a0fish\u00a0oil\u00a0to your diet can have many benefits.\u00a0
A meta-analysis of fish oil and blood pressure found\u00a0a\u00a0mean blood pressure reduction in those with high blood\u00a0pressure of 4.5 mm Hg systolic and 3.0 mm Hg\u00a0diastolic.
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If your blood pressure is high, your doctor may recommend\u00a0prescription drugs.
They work and will improve your long-term outcome,\u00a0especially if you have other risk factors.\u00a0
Talk with your doctor about possible medications.
Reference<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n