There are myriad natural ways to lower blood pressure (BP). However, these methods should not be tried as the only way to keep blood pressure down, particularly if it is very high. If you want to try to lower blood pressure through natural means, make sure that your BP is still within safe levels. Alternately, you can use natural ways to lower blood pressure if you are on medication, which may eventually help you reduce BP enough to stop taking medications, as per doctor recommendations. The things you should mostly evaluate when trying to keep blood pressure low are diet, exercise, current weight and salt intake.
If your blood pressure is high, you may want to try the DASH diet, short for dietary approaches to stop hypertension. DASH diets place emphasis on cutting red meat to very low levels, reducing intake of most fats and cholesterol, and keeping salt intake low. Eating recommendations include increasing intake of fruits and veggies, whole grains, nuts, low fat proteins, and those foods that have high calcium and magnesium levels. You can find example diet sheets for the DASH diet online, and many doctors also have information on this diet that can help you get started.
Another of the natural ways to lower blood pressure is to get regular cardiovascular exercise. Yet if you’re starting an exercise program and currently have high or moderately high blood pressure, you need to follow physician recommendations for level of exercise you can do, especially when you begin. As your physical health improves, you can gradually work up to getting approximately 25 minutes of cardiovascular exercise three to four times a week.
Don’t forget that increasing activity is one of the natural ways to lower blood pressure too. Try to increase your level of activity throughout the day in addition to getting more strenuous exercise three to four times a week. For instance, take a stroll at night after work, park cars distances from place you want to shop, take the stairs instead of the elevator, and minimize couch potato lifestyle in preference to doing things that will burn more calories.
Most people looking to natural ways to lower blood pressure also are advised to try to lose weight, if they are overweight. Not all people who have high BP are overweight though. If you are carrying more pounds than you need, you may often be able to successfully lose weight by getting exercise and following the DASH diet. If this is not working, talk with your doctor about additional dietary changes you can make to promote weight loss.
The DASH diet focuses some on reducing salt intake, Some things you can do to reduce sodium intake in addition to this include not eating packaged or prepared foods unless they are low salt versions. Avoid fast foods, and even many restaurant foods, since these can be laden with salt. In moderate to expensive restaurants you can often order foods with salt omitted.
There are a few other natural ways to lower blood pressure. Getting appropriate sleep, at least eight hours a night, may help lower BP. People who work graveyard or midshift routinely have higher blood pressure. Consider moving to another shift if you work a night shift. Stress can keep BP high, and you should also look for ways to minimize stress in daily living.
