But even though tobacco and nicotine in cigarettes can cause temporary spikes in blood pressure, smoking itself is not thought to cause chronic hypertension. Instead, factors associated with smoking, like heavy alcohol consumption and lack of exercise, might be responsible. Nevertheless, quitting smoking may help you lower your blood pressure a bit, says Dr.
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And, of course, the other health benefits are countless. Research has consistently shown that dropping just a few pounds can have a substantial impact on your blood pressure. Excess weight makes your heart work harder. This extra strain can lead to hypertension, while losing weight lightens your cardiovascular workload. Research has found that consuming more than two drinks a day increases the risk of hypertension for both men and women. If you do drink, enjoy your alcoholic beverage with a meal, which may blunt its effects on blood pressure.
Nevertheless, Burg recommends that people with high blood pressure look into stress management and find an approach they will be able to practice consistently. Yoga is a great de-stressor. A New Delhi study recently found that yogic breathing exercises reduced blood pressure in people with hypertension, possibly through their effects on the autonomic nervous system, which governs heart rate, digestion, and other largely unconscious functions.
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But people should not think of yoga as providing the same benefit as aerobic exercise, Burg says. Coffee has some health benefits, but lowering blood pressure isn't one of them. Caffeine can cause short-term spikes in blood pressure, even in people without hypertension. If it increases by 5 or 10 points, you could be caffeine sensitive. Here are 15 natural ways to combat high blood pressure.
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Regular exercise helps make your heart stronger and more efficient at pumping blood, which lowers the pressure in your arteries. In fact, minutes of moderate exercise, such as walking, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise, such as running, per week can help lower blood pressure and improve your heart health 3 , 4.
What's more, doing even more exercise reduces your blood pressure even further, according to the National Walkers' Health Study 5. Walking just 30 minutes a day can help lower your blood pressure. More exercise helps reduce it even further. Salt intake is high around the world. In large part, this is due to processed and prepared foods.
For this reason, many public health efforts are aimed at lowering salt in the food industry 6. In many studies, salt has been linked to high blood pressure and heart events, like stroke 7 , 8.
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However, more recent research indicates that the relationship between sodium and high blood pressure is less clear 9 , One reason for this 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 If you already have high blood pressure, it's worth cutting back your sodium intake to see if it makes a difference.
Swap out processed foods with fresh ones and try seasoning with herbs and spices, rather than salt. Most guidelines for lowering blood pressure recommend lowering sodium intake. However, that recommendation might make the most sense for people who are salt-sensitive.
15 natural ways to lower your blood pressure
Drinking alcohol can raise blood pressure. While some research has suggested that low-to-moderate amounts of alcohol may protect the heart, those benefits may be offset by negative effects In the US, moderate alcohol consumption is defined as no more than one drink a day for women and two for men. If you drink more than that, cut back. Drinking alcohol in any quantity may raise your blood pressure.
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Limit your drinking to no more than one drink a day for women, two for men. Potassium is an important mineral. Modern diets have increased most people's sodium intake while decreasing potassium intake To get a better balance of potassium to sodium in your diet, focus on eating fewer processed foods and more fresh, whole foods. Eating fresh fruits and vegetables, which are rich in potassium, can help lower blood pressure. If you've ever downed a cup of coffee before you've had your blood pressure taken, you'll know that caffeine causes an instant boost.
However, there's not a lot of evidence to suggest that drinking caffeine regularly can cause a lasting increase In fact, people who drink caffeinated coffee and tea tend to have a lower risk of heart disease, including high blood pressure, than those who don't 15 , 16 , 17 , Caffeine may have a stronger effect on people who don't consume it regularly If you suspect you're caffeine-sensitive, cut back to see if it lowers your blood pressure Caffeine can cause a short-term spike in blood pressure, although for many people it does not cause a lasting increase.
Stress is a key driver of high blood pressure. When you're chronically stressed, your body is in a constant fight-or-flight mode. On a physical level, that means a faster heart rate and constricted blood vessels.
7 Home Remedies for Managing High Blood Pressure
When you experience stress, you might also be more likely to engage in other behaviors, such as drinking alcohol or eating unhealthy food, that can negatively affect blood pressure. Several studies have explored how reducing stress can help lower blood pressure. Here are two evidence-based tips to try:. Chronic stress can contribute to high blood pressure. Finding ways to manage stress can help. That's because dark chocolate and cocoa powder are rich in flavonoids, plant compounds that cause blood vessels to dilate A review of studies found that flavonoid-rich cocoa improved several markers of heart health over the short term, including lowering blood pressure For the strongest effects, use non-alkalized cocoa powder, which is especially high in flavonoids and has no added sugars.
Dark chocolate and cocoa powder contain plant compounds that help relax blood vessels, lowering blood pressure. In previous studies, losing 17 pounds 7. The effect is even greater when weight loss is paired with exercise Losing weight can 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.
Losing weight can significantly lower high blood pressure. This effect is even greater when you exercise. Among the many reasons to quit smoking is that the habit is a strong risk factor for heart disease. Every puff of cigarette smoke causes a slight, temporary increase in blood pressure. The chemicals in tobacco are also known to damage blood vessels. Surprisingly, studies haven't found a conclusive link between smoking and high blood pressure.
Perhaps this is because smokers develop a tolerance over time Still, since both smoking and high blood pressure raise the risk of heart disease, quitting smoking can help reverse that risk.
There's conflicting research about smoking and high blood pressure, but what is clear is that both increase the risk of heart disease. There's a growing body of research showing a link between added sugar and high blood pressure 30 , 31 , In the Framingham Women's Health Study, women who drank even one soda per day had higher levels than those who drank less than one soda per day Another study found that having one less sugar-sweetened beverage per day was linked to lower blood pressure And it's not just sugar - all refined carbs, such as the kind found in white flour, convert rapidly to sugar in your bloodstream and may cause problems.
One study on people undergoing statin therapy found that those who went on a six-week, carb-restricted diet saw a greater improvement in blood pressure and other heart disease markers than people not on a diet Refined carbs, especially sugar, may raise blood pressure.
10 Natural Ways to Lower Blood Pressure
Some studies have shown that low-carb diets may help reduce your levels. Participants experienced improvements in different markers of heart health, including blood pressure Another study assigned people with high blood pressure to a low-polyphenol diet or a high-polyphenol diet containing berries, chocolate, fruits and vegetables Those consuming berries and polyphenol-rich foods experienced improved markers of heart disease risk. Berries are rich in polyphenols, which can help lower blood pressure and the overall risk of heart disease. While these two behaviors could also fall under "stress reduction techniques," meditation and deep breathing deserve specific mention.
Both meditation and deep breathing are thought to activate the parasympathetic nervous system. This system is engaged when the body relaxes, slowing the heart rate and lowering blood pressure. There's quite a bit of research in this area, with studies showing that different styles of meditation appear to have benefits for lowering blood pressure 38 ,