We can get high blood pressure (hypertension) from various factors like age, lifestyle family history, poor eating habits,  etc. If you have been suffering from high blood pressure, and you are scared of taking medication because of the effects it has on the heart in the long run, then you should consider using natural ways to lower your blood pressure.

Your lifestyle plays a very important role in treating high blood pressure. You can avoid taking medication If you can control your blood pressure with a healthy lifestyle. Here are some lifestyle changes that you can make to lower blood pressure fast and keep it down.

How To Lower Blood Pressure Fast

1. Lose Weight:

For people who are overweight, losing weight can make a big difference to their heart health. High blood pressure always increases as you increase in weight. Being overweight can cause disruption of breath while you sleep (sleep apnea), which further increases your blood pressure.

Weight loss is one of the most effective lifestyles to lower your blood pressure fast. Losing even a small amount of weight can help reduce your blood pressure. In general, you may reduce your blood pressure by about 1 millimetre of mercury (mm Hg) with each kilogram (about 2.2 pounds) of weight you lose.

When you lose weight, you help your blood vessels do a better job of expanding and contracting, making it easier for the left ventricle of the heart to pump blood. In conclusion, how to lower blood pressure fast is by losing weight.

2. Stop Smoking:

Smoking has a very high chance of giving you high blood pressure. Among the numerous reasons to quit smoking,  the habit is a strong risk factor for heart disease.

Every cigarette smoke you puff causes a slight temporary increase in blood pressure. The chemicals that are found in tobacco are known to damage the blood vessels.

Since both smoking and high blood pressure raise the risk of heart disease, quitting smoking can help you lessen the risk of high blood pressure, and heart disease and improve your overall health. So therefore a great way to lower blood pressure fast is for you to quit smoking.

3. Reduce Stressful Activities:

I know we live in stressful times, even the country itself is very stressful. Workplace and family demands and more all contribute to the stress we face on a daily basis. However, finding ways to reduce your own stress is important for your health and your blood pressure because stress can cause high blood pressure.

There are lots of ways to relieve stress, so it is important to find what works for you. Practice yoga, sleep, deep breathing, take a walk, read a book, watch a movie or comedy, meet friends and lots more.

Stress is a key driver of high blood pressure, the more you stress yourself, the more your high blood pressure increases.

When you are always stressed, your body is in a constant fight which means a faster heart rate and constricted blood vessels.

When you experience stress, you tend to pick up an unhealthy lifestyle like drinking alcohol or eating unhealthful food that can highly affect blood pressure.

How to lower blood pressure fast is by relieving yourself of stress and finding out what works for you to ease off this stress.

4. Always Exercise:

Exercising is one of the numerous ways on how to lower your blood pressure fast. Exercising regularly for at least 30 minutes on a daily basis can help lower your high blood pressure. It is important for you to be consistent in exercising because if you stop, there is every possibility that your blood pressure can rise again.

If you have elevated blood pressure, exercising regularly can help you avoid developing hypertension and regular physical activity can bring your blood pressure down to a safer level  If you already have hypertension. Regular exercising helps make your heart stronger and more efficient when pumping blood, which lowers the pressure in your arteries.

Some aerobic exercises that can help to lower high blood pressure are dancing, walking, cycling, jogging swimming etc. Strength training can also help reduce high blood pressure. Aim at including strength training exercises at least two days a week. See your doctor about developing an exercise program.

In a 2013 study, older adults who practice aerobic exercise training lowered their blood pressure by an average of 3.9 per cent systolic and 4.5 per cent diastolic. These results are as good as some blood pressure medications.

As you regularly increase your heart and breathing rates,  your heart gets stronger and pumps with less effort over time. it puts less pressure on your arteries and lowers your high blood pressure.

You do not have to run marathons, you can increase your activity levels by:

• using the stairs
• going for a bike ride
• walking instead of driving
• doing household chores
• gardening
• playing team sports like football etc

Just do it regularly and work up to at least half an hour per day (30 mins).

Read Also:10 Exercises For A Flat Tummy And Hips

5. Reduce Salt Intake:

Salt is not your friend when it comes to blood pressure, your heart and overall body health. Salt intake is very high all around the world. In large parts of the world, it is due to processed and tin food, for this reason, lots of public health efforts are aimed at lowering salt in the food industry.

Heart Association recommends aiming for 1,500 mg of sodium (salt) in a day, and certainly no more than 2,300 mg (about a teaspoon). Tread with caution around packaged and processed foods, including secret salt food like bread, pizza, poultry, hot dogs, sandwiches etc.

Lots of studies have linked high salt intake with high blood pressure and heart disease, including stroke. One reason for this occurrence may be genetic differences in how people process sodium. About half of people with high blood pressure and a quarter of people with normal levels seem to have a sensitivity to salt intake.

If you already have high blood pressure, it is advised to cut back your sodium(salt) intake to see if it makes a difference. Throw out processed foods and replace them with fresh ones and try seasoning with herbs and spices rather than salt. Instead of salt, Increasing your potassium intake can also lower your blood pressure.

Potassium helps to lessen the effects of salt in your system and also eases tension in your blood vessels. Diets rich in potassium may be harmful to people with kidney disease, so it is recommended to talk with your doctor before increasing your potassium intake.

It’s easy to eat more potassium. So lots of foods are naturally high in potassium. Here are a few:

• foods low in fat, like milk and yoghurt
• fish
• fruits, like, avocados, apricots, bananas and oranges
• vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, potatoes, tomatoes, greens, and spinach

Some people respond to salt differently. Some people are salt-sensitive, meaning that a higher salt intake increases their blood pressure. Others are salt-insensitive. They can have a high salt intake and excrete it in their urine without raising their blood pressure. Even a small reduction in the sodium in your diet can improve your heart health and also reduce your blood pressure by about 5 to 6 mm Hg if you have high blood pressure.

To decrease sodium (salt) in your diet, consider these tips:

• Read food labels before you pay. If possible, choose low-sodium alternatives of the foods and beverages you normally buy.
• Eat less processed foods. Only a small amount of sodium occurs naturally in foods. Most sodium is added during processing.
• Don’t add salt to your food because just 1 level teaspoon of salt has about 2,300 mg of sodium. Use herbs or spices to add flavour to your food.
• Ease into it. If you feel you can not drastically reduce the sodium in your diet suddenly, then cut back gradually. Your palate will adjust over time.

In all, reducing your sodium (salt) intake in your food is a great way on how to lower blood pressure fast.

6. Eat Magnesium Rich Food: 

Magnesium is an important mineral that helps the blood vessels to relax thereby reducing high blood pressure. Eating a magnesium-rich diet is a recommended way to lower blood pressure fast.

You can introduce magnesium-rich food into your diet by consuming vegetables, dairy products, legumes, chicken, meat, and whole grains etc.

7. Take Tea Not Caffeine:

How to lower blood pressure fast in your heart is by avoiding caffeine. To reduce your high blood pressure, it is essential to reduce your intake of coffee. Coffee is a very delicious tea, but it does more harm than good. Caffeine in coffee tea increases blood pressure. Instead of coffee, you can take hibiscus tea (zobo). Daily intake of zobo tea helps greatly in reducing your high blood pressure. 

8. Reduce Alcohol:

Most people take alcohol. Alcohol has its own benefits, but when taken in excess, it can cause great damage to your body system. Drinking alcohol can raise your blood pressure. In fact, alcohol is linked to 16% of high blood pressure cases around the world.

In advanced countries, moderate alcohol consumption is defined as no more than one drink a day for women and two for men. Too much booze is known to raise blood pressure, but having just a little bit can be helpful to the stomach and heart. Taking alcohol has a direct relationship with blood pressure. Moderate alcohol intake is important. While a glass of red wine may offer some health benefits, moderation isn’t just for hard liquor. Regular and heavy intake of alcohol can increase blood pressure dramatically.

9. Always Eat A Healthy Diet:

You do not have to go to India to learn how to lower blood pressure fast. The secret is to eat a healthy diet at all times. 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 blood pressure fast by up to 11 mm Hg if you have high blood pressure. This kind of eating plan is known as DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet. The DASH diet is rich in:

• vegetables
• fruits
• whole grains
• lean sources of protein

It is also low in:

• saturated fats
• Sodium
• trans fats
• added sugars

Following the (DASH) Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet can lower your blood pressure by as much as 11 mm Hg systolic. The DASH diet consists of:

• eating fruits, whole grains and vegetables.
• eating lean meats, low-fat dairy products, nuts and fish.
• eliminating foods that are high in saturated fats, such as processed foods, fatty meats and full-fat dairy products.

It also helps to cut back on desserts and sweetened beverages, such as juice and soda.

10. Monitor Blood Pressure At Home:

Getting a mini blood pressure checker machine is an important tool that every home should have. Home monitoring of blood pressure helps keep tabs on your blood pressure, makes sure your lifestyle changes are working, and alert you and your doctor of potential health problem. Blood pressure monitors are available in most pharmacies and without a prescription. Regular visits with your doctor are also key to lowering blood pressure fast. It is important to check it daily.

Conclusion

How to lower blood pressure fast can sometimes be a bit tricky, so it is advised to always see your doctor before you start any diet.

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