March 04, 2024
It’s perfectly normal for your blood pressure to fluctuate throughout the day. Usually, it’s lower while you’re sleeping and higher when you’re physically active or under stress. But if your blood pressure remains elevated for a long period of time, it can negatively affect your health.
High blood pressure, also called hypertension, can lead to many serious medical issues, including heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure. Fortunately, there are many natural and common-sense measures to address it.
Eating a healthy diet that’s low in saturated fat and sodium, and rich in potassium, is an effective way to get high blood pressure under control.
The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) eating plan is a flexible diet that provides you with daily and weekly nutritional goals. DASH doesn’t require you to eat any special foods; instead, it recommends a diet rich in:
• Fruits and vegetables
• Whole grains
• Beans
• Fish
• Poultry
• Low-or-no-fat dairy products
• Nuts and seeds
• Vegetable oils
The DASH eating plan recommends limiting:
• Fatty meats
• Full-fat dairy products
• Sugar-sweetened beverages
• Sweets
• Salt
Being overweight increases your risk for high blood pressure, as does carrying too much weight around your waist.
If your body mass index is 25 or greater, losing 5 – 10 pounds can help reduce your blood pressure. Eating more healthily and exercising can help you achieve that.
Exercising also helps strengthen your cardiovascular system so it can more efficiently pump blood throughout your body. Additionally, it helps prevent plaque or the hardening of the arteries in your blood vessels.
Experts recommend adults get two-and-a-half hours of aerobic activity a week. That amounts to 30 minutes a day for five days. It can include walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, or dancing. Strength training is also recommended twice a week.
Chronic stress can increase your risk for high blood pressure. While it may be impossible to eliminate stress entirely, there are plenty of way to manage it, including:
• Focusing on the things you can control
• Acknowledging the positive things in your life, rather than what you don’t have
• Avoiding stress triggers; for example, giving yourself extra time when you’re driving somewhere in case you run into traffic
• Taking time to relax and do things you enjoy
• Practicing mindfulness, meditation, deep breathing, or yoga
• Talking to a mental health professional if necessary
Not getting enough sleep can lead to developing high blood pressure. You can improve your sleep by implementing these healthy sleep habits:
• Stick to a regular sleep schedule.
• Exercise early in the day.
• Don’t take naps longer than a half hour.
• Avoid drinking, eating, smoking, or caffeine close to bedtime.
• Limit mobile devices at your bedside.
• Make your bedroom a restful place for sleeping.
Nicotine causes your blood vessels to constrict, forcing your heart to work harder to pump blood. Smoking, vaping, chewing tobacco, and dipping snuff can all raise your blood pressure. Quitting these unhealthy habits can lower your blood pressure, improve the overall functioning of your circulatory and respiratory systems, and lower your cancer risk.
Drinking too much alcohol can also raise your blood pressure. If you do drink, limit your alcohol consumption so it’s in accordance with the CDC’s recommended daily limits.
High blood pressure poses many health risks, but there are many natural ways to reduce it that benefit your overall health. If you have high blood pressure, you should work with a health care provider to develop a plan to address it as soon as possible.
