Lower Blood Pressure with Lifestyle Changes

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a serious health condition that can increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, and other health problems. Fortunately, there are lifestyle changes you can make to help lower your blood pressure and improve your overall health.

  1. Exercise regularly: Regular physical activity can help lower blood pressure and improve cardiovascular health. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise per week. Examples include brisk walking, cycling, swimming, or jogging.
  2. Maintain a healthy weight: Being overweight or obese can increase your risk of hypertension. Losing even a small amount of weight can help lower your blood pressure. Aim for a healthy body mass index (BMI) between 18.5 and 24.9.
  3. Eat a healthy diet: Eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein sources, and low in saturated and trans fats, can help lower blood pressure. The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet is a good example of a healthy eating plan for people with hypertension.
  4. Limit alcohol consumption: Drinking too much alcohol can raise blood pressure. Men should limit their alcohol intake to no more than two drinks per day, and women should limit their intake to no more than one drink per day.
  5. Quit smoking: Smoking can damage your blood vessels and raise your risk of hypertension. Quitting smoking can help lower your blood pressure and improve your overall health.
  6. Reduce sodium intake: Consuming too much sodium can raise blood pressure. Aim for no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day, or even less if you have hypertension.
  7. Manage stress: Chronic stress can increase blood pressure. Find ways to manage stress, such as deep breathing, yoga, meditation, or spending time in nature.

If lifestyle changes alone aren’t enough to lower your blood pressure, your doctor may recommend medication. However, lifestyle changes are still important to help manage hypertension, even if you’re taking medication. Making healthy lifestyle changes can also have additional health benefits beyond lowering blood pressure, such as reducing your risk of other chronic diseases and improving your overall quality of life.