High blood pressure is a high risk condition that can damage your heart. It is the force at which blood pumps from the heart into the arteries. Usually normal blood pressure reading is less than 120/80 mm Hg. During high blood pressure, the blood moves through the arteries with more force. This puts increased pressure on the delicate tissues in the arteries and greatly damages the blood vessels.

It affects almost 1 billion people worldwide. Hypertension can occur due to many factors like age, family history, poor eating habits, lifestyle etc. Lifestyle plays an important role in treating your high blood pressure. If you successfully control your blood pressure with a healthy lifestyle, you might be able to avoid, delay or reduce the need for medication.

Easy Home Remedies to Treat Blood Pressure

The good thing is that there are a great number of ways you can try to lower your blood pressure naturally, even without medication. Here are 25 lifestyle changes and remedies you can try to lower your blood pressure, lower your risk and keep it down for good.

1. Walk and exercise regularly

Exercise is one of the easiest and best things you can do to lower high blood pressure. Exercising regularly helps make your heart stronger and more efficient at pumping blood, which lowers the pressure in your arteries. In fact, 150-160 minutes of moderate exercise, such as walking, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise, such as running, per week can help lower blood pressure and improve your overall heart health.

Regular physical activity helps to lower blood pressure along with improving your mood, strength, and balance. It decreases your risk of diabetes and other types of heart disease. Always talk to your doctor about a safe exercise routine before starting anything new. Start out slowly, then gradually pick up the pace and frequency of your workouts. Pick an appropriate pace, start with 10 mins (if you haven’t been working out) and eventually add 5 mins daily. Exercising 30 to 60 minutes a day can be an important part of healthy living.

2. Reduce your sodium intake

Salt intake is high around the world due to processed and prepared foods primarily. For this reason, many public health efforts are aimed at lowering salt in the food industry. In multiple studies, salt has been linked to high blood pressure and heart ailments, like stroke. Too much salt intake, retains water in the body. This extra water stored in your body raises your blood pressure. Try to stay away from high sodium foods like processed and packaged foods. 

Most people with high blood pressure seem to have a sensitivity to salt intake. A small reduction in the sodium in your diet can improve your heart health and reduce blood pressure by about 5 to 6 mm Hg if you have high blood pressure. It is worth cutting back on your sodium intake to see if it makes a difference. Replace processed foods with fresh ones and try seasoning with herbs and spices, rather than salt.

Increasing your potassium intake and cutting back on salt can also lower your blood pressure. Potassium is a great alternative. It lessens the effects of salt in your system, and also eases tension in your blood vessels. It’s easy to eat more potassium and also so many foods are naturally high in potassium like such as milk, yogurt, fish, fruits, such as bananas, melons, apricots, avocados, and oranges, vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, potatoes, tomatoes, greens, and spinach, nuts and seeds, beans etc.

3. Lose Excess Weight

 

Weight and blood pressure go hand in hand. Blood pressure often increases as weight increases. Being overweight also can cause disrupted breathing while you sleep (sleep apnea), which further raises your blood pressure.

Weight loss is one of the most effective lifestyle changes for controlling blood pressure. Losing even a small amount of weight if you’re overweight or obese can help reduce your blood pressure. In general, you may reduce your blood pressure by about 1 millimeter of mercury (mm Hg) with each kilogram (about 2.2 pounds) of weight you lose.

Besides shedding pounds, you generally should also keep an eye on your waistline. Carrying too much weight around your waist can put you at greater risk of high blood pressure. Losing just 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) can help lower your blood pressure. It’s not just the number on your scale that matters. Watching your waistline is also critical for controlling blood pressure. The extra fat around your waist, called visceral fat, is troublesome. It tends to surround various organs in the abdomen. This can lead to serious health problems, including high blood pressure.

If you are overweight, losing weight along with following a healthier diet can significantly reduce your blood pressure. Plus, you’ll lower your risk for several other medical problems. In general, men should keep their waist measurement to less than 40 inches. Women should aim for less than 35 inches.

5. Cut added sugar and refined carbs

Refined carbs, especially sugar, may raise blood pressure. Some studies have shown that low-carb diets may help reduce your levels. There is a lot of research showing a link between added sugar and high blood pressure. In several studies it was found out that women who drank even one soda per day had higher levels than those who drank less than one soda per day. Also having one less sugar-sweetened beverage per day was linked to lower blood pressure.

And not just sugar, all refined carbs, such as the kind found in white flour, convert rapidly to sugar in your bloodstream and may cause problems. A low-carbohydrate diet, which generally is based upon lower GL content, is associated with decreases in blood pressure.

6. Eat a healthy diet

Eating a diet that is rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products and skimps on saturated fat and cholesterol can lower your blood pressure by up to 11 mm Hg if you have high blood pressure. This eating plan is known as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet. The DASH diet can lower your blood pressure by as much as 11 mm Hg systolic. The DASH diet consists of eating fruits, vegetables, and whole grain, eliminating foods that are high in saturated fats, such as processed foods, full-fat dairy products, and fatty meats and eating low-fat dairy products, lean meats, fish, and nuts The diet also helps to cut back on desserts and sweetened beverages, such as soda and juice.

Also, you can follow the below useful tips, and adopt a healthy diet:

• Be a smart shopper. Read food labels when you shop and stick to your healthy-eating plan when you’re dining out, too.
• Keep a food diary. Writing down what you eat, even for just a week, can shed surprising light on your true eating habits. Monitor what you eat, how much, when and why.
• Consider boosting potassium. Potassium can lessen the effects of sodium on blood pressure. The best source of potassium is food, such as fruits and vegetables, rather than supplements. Talk to your doctor about the potassium level that’s best for you.

7. Oatmeal

Oatmeal is a healthy breakfast which is rich in fiber, low-fat and is low in sodium. Including oatmeal in your diet may help to maintain a healthy blood pressure.

8. Dark Chocolate

The heart-healthy benefits of flavonoids found in unsweetened dark chocolate cause dilation of the blood vessels. Consume chocolates having 70% and more cocoa with less sugar.

While eating massive amounts of chocolate probably won’t help your heart, small amounts may. That’s because dark chocolate and cocoa powder are rich in flavonoids, plant compounds that cause blood vessels to dilate. Dark chocolate and cocoa powder contain plant compounds that help relax blood vessels, lowering blood pressure.

9. Coenzyme Q10

CoQ10 is an antioxidant that makes cells healthier and dilates blood vessels, which can help reduce pressure inside blood vessels. 200-300 mg CoQ10 per day may help reduce blood pressure. Include cauliflower, spinach and broccoli in your diet to ensure adequate intake of CoQ10.

10. Drink Tea

Sipping 1-2 cups of tea a day for 12 days can lower blood pressure. Especially Hibiscus tea contains flavonoids that prevent clotting of blood, improves the function of the coronary artery, and stimulates insulin production in the body.

11. Laughter

Laughter causes the inner lining of blood vessels (the endothelium) to expand to increase blood flow. Tune into some laughter shows, YouTube comedies and laugh often for a healthy heart. Nothing like choosing health with laughter.

12. Decrease Caffeine Consumption

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 boost. The role caffeine plays in blood pressure is still debated. Caffeine can raise blood pressure up to 10 mm Hg in people who rarely consume it. But people who drink coffee regularly may experience little or no effect on their blood pressure.

However, there’s not a lot of evidence to suggest that drinking caffeine regularly can cause a lasting increase. In fact, people who drink caffeinated coffee and tea tend to have a lower risk of heart disease, including high blood pressure, than those who don’t. Caffeine may have a stronger effect on people who don’t consume it regularly.

If you suspect you’re caffeine-sensitive, cut back to see if it lowers your blood pressure.

13. Quit smoking

Each cigarette you smoke increases your blood pressure for many minutes after you finish. Stopping smoking helps your blood pressure return to normal. Quitting smoking can reduce your risk of heart disease and improve your overall health. People who quit smoking may live longer than people who never quit smoking.

14. Make sure to get good, restful sleep

Your blood pressure typically dips down when you’re sleeping. If you don’t sleep well, it can affect your blood pressure. People who experience sleep deprivation, especially those who are middle-aged, have an increased risk of high blood pressure. For some people, getting a good night’s sleep isn’t easy. There are many ways to help you get restful sleep. Try setting a regular sleep schedule, spend time relaxing at night, exercise during the day, avoid daytime naps, and make your bedroom comfortable.

The national Sleep Heart Health Study found that regularly sleeping less than 7 hours a night and more than 9 hours a night was associated with an increased prevalence of hypertension. Regularly sleeping less than 5 hours a night was linked to a significant risk of hypertension long term.

15. Eat garlic or take garlic extract supplements

Fresh garlic or garlic extract are both widely used to lower blood pressure. This pungent seasoning can do more than just flavor your food and ruin your breath. Garlic may have the ability to lower your blood pressure by helping to increase a substance in the body known as nitric oxide, which can cause your blood vessels to relax and dilate. This lets blood flow more freely and reduces blood pressure.

You can add fresh garlic to a number of your favorite recipes. If the flavor is just too strong for you, roast the garlic first. And if you simply can’t eat the stuff, you can get garlic in supplement form. Taking garlic by mouth seems to reduce systolic blood pressure (the top number) by about 7-9 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure by about 4-6 mmHg in people with high blood pressure.

16. Limit the amount of alcohol consumption

Alcohol can be both good and bad for your health. By drinking alcohol only in moderation — generally one drink a day for women, or two a day for men — you can potentially lower your blood pressure by about 4 mm Hg. One drink equals 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor.

But that protective effect is lost if you drink too much alcohol. Drinking more than moderate amounts of alcohol can actually raise blood pressure by several points. It can also reduce the effectiveness of blood pressure medications.

17. Try meditation or Deep breathing

While these two behaviors could also fall under “stress reduction techniques,” meditation and deep breathing deserve specific mention. Both meditation and deep breathing are thought to activate the parasympathetic nervous system. This system is engaged when the body relaxes, slowing the heart rate and lowering blood pressure.

There’s quite a bit of research in this area, with studies showing that different styles of meditation appear to have benefits for lowering blood pressure. Deep breathing techniques can also be quite effective.

18. Cinnamon

Cinnamon is another tasty seasoning that requires little effort to include in your daily diet, and it may bring your blood pressure numbers down. One study done in rodents suggested that cinnamon extract lowered both sudden-onset and prolonged high blood pressure. However, the extract was given intravenously. It’s unclear if cinnamon consumed orally is also effective.

You can include more cinnamon in your diet by sprinkling it on your breakfast cereal, oatmeal, and even in your coffee. At dinner, cinnamon enhances the flavor of stir-fries, curries, and stews.

19. Flax Seeds

Flax seed is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, and has been shown in multiple studies to help lower blood pressure. Flax seed may protect against cardiovascular disease by reducing serum cholesterol, improving glucose tolerance, and acting as an antioxidant.

You can buy many products that contain flax seed, but a better bet is to buy whole or ground flax seed and add it to your home-cooked meals. The best part about flax seed is that it can be stirred into virtually any dish, from soups to smoothies to baked goods. Storing flax seed in your freezer may help it retain optimum potency.

20. Monitor your blood pressure regularly

Home monitoring can help you keep tabs on your blood pressure, make certain your lifestyle changes are working, and alert you and your doctor to potential health complications. Blood pressure monitors are available widely and without a prescription. Talk to your doctor about home monitoring before you get started.

Regular visits with your doctor are also key to controlling your blood pressure. If your blood pressure is well-controlled, check with your doctor about how often you need to check it. Your doctor may suggest checking it daily or less often. If you’re making any changes in your medications or other treatments, your doctor may recommend you check your blood pressure starting two weeks after treatment changes and a week before your next appointment.

21. Basil

Basil is a delicious herb that goes well in a variety of foods. It also might help lower your blood pressure. In rodents, basil extract has been shown to lower blood pressure, although only briefly. The chemical eugenol, which is found in basil, may block certain substances that tighten blood vessels. This may lead to a drop in blood pressure. More studies are needed.

Adding fresh basil to your diet is easy and certainly can’t hurt. Keep a small pot of the herb in your kitchen garden and add the fresh leaves to pastas, soups, salads, and casseroles.

22. Hawthorn

Hawthorn is an herbal remedy for high blood pressure that has been used in traditional Chinese medicines for thousands of years. In rodents, extracts of hawthorn seem to have a whole host of benefits on cardiovascular health, including helping reduce blood pressure, preventing hardening of the arteries, and lowering cholesterol. You can take hawthorn as a pill, liquid extract, or tea.

23. Ginger

Ginger may help control blood pressure. In animal studies it has been shown to improve blood circulation and relax the muscles surrounding blood vessels, lowering blood pressure. Human studies so far have been inconclusive. Commonly used in Asian foods, ginger is a versatile ingredient that can also be added to sweets or beverages. Chop, mince, or grate fresh ginger into stir-fries, soups, and noodle or vegetable dishes, or add it to desserts or tea for a refreshing taste.

24. Eat More Berries

Berries are full of more than just juicy flavor. They’re also packed with polyphenols, natural plant compounds that are good for your heart.

In several studies, participants experienced improvements in different markers of heart health, including blood pressure with a diet containing berries, chocolate, fruits and vegetables. Those consuming berries and polyphenol-rich foods experienced improved markers of heart disease risk.

25. Eat foods rich in magnesium

Magnesium is an important mineral that helps blood vessels relax. While magnesium deficiency is pretty rare, many people don’t get enough of it and end up having several health ailments.

Some studies have suggested that getting too little magnesium is linked with high blood pressure, but evidence from clinical studies has been less clear. Still, eating a magnesium-rich diet is a recommended way to ward off high blood pressure.

You can incorporate magnesium into your diet with vegetables, dairy products, legumes, chicken, meat and whole grains.

To Summarize

High blood pressure affects a large section of the world’s population nowadays. While proper medication are one way to treat the condition, there are many other natural remedies and lifestyle changes that can help. Controlling your blood pressure through the methods and remedies mentioned in this article may, ultimately, help you lower your risk of heart disease and lead a healthy life.