Smart, drug-free ways to lower your blood pressure
In Tuesday’s blog we talked about the importance of keeping your blood pressure low for heart health. High Blood Pressure is a serious health risk, not only increasing your risk of heart attack but also stroke, aneurysms, cognitive decline, and kidney failure. Medication can lower blood pressure but it may also cause some side effects. The good news is that most people can bring their numbers down naturally without drugs. Lifestyle changes are an important part. The first, most important way is to get to a healthy weight.
Then you can try these natural ways to lower your blood pressure:
- Go for power walks – Exercise helps the heart use oxygen more efficiently
- Breathe deeply – slow breathing and meditative practices such as yoga and mindfulness keep stress hormones and blood pressure in check – did you know VCU HR offers chair yoga and meditation classes?
- Eat potassium-rich foods – Eating potassium-rich fruits and vegetables encourage the kidneys to excrete more sodium through urination, and that sodium excretion can help lower blood pressure
- Cut your sodium intake – consuming less salt helps lower inflammation in the body and lowers blood pressure
- Indulge in dark chocolate – YEA! Flavanols in dark chocolate lower blood pressure by relaxing blood vessels and boosting blood flow – of course all in moderation!
- Drink (a little) alcohol – Too much will raise blood pressure but having just a little bit could do the opposite
- Switch to decaf coffee – Caffeine can raise blood pressure by tightening blood vessels and magnifying the effects of stress
- Take up tea – a recent study showed when adults sipped three cups of hibiscus tea daily they lowered their systolic BP by seven points in six weeks
- Work (a bit) less – Putting in more than 41 hours per week at the office raises your risk of hypertension by 17% and also makes it harder to exercise and eat healthy
- Relax with music – Researchers had volunteers already taking BP medication to listen to soothing music for 30 minutes a day while breathing slowly. Six months later their blood pressure had dropped by an average of 4 mmHg
- Seek help for snoring – Incessant snores are sometimes a symptom of obstructive sleep apnea and many sleep apnea sufferers have high levels of aldosterone, a hormone that can boost blood pressure
- Have a glass of milk – Replacing refined carbohydrates in your diet with foods high in soy or milk protein can bring down systolic blood pressure
Always check with your doctor before making any changes.
Have a wonderful weekend and try working on bringing your blood pressure down naturally!