How can I get my blood pressure down ASAP?

17 Effective Ways to Lower Your Blood Pressure Increase activity. Lose weight. Cut back on sugar. Eat more potassium. Eat less processed food. Stop smoking. Reduce stress. Try meditation or yoga. More items...

healthline.com - 17 Effective Ways to Lower Your Blood Pressure - Healthline

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Medications are just one way to lower your blood pressure. Explore additional options like exercise, potassium, dark chocolate, improving your sleep, and garlic. Also, discover substances to cut back on, like sugar and alcohol. High blood pressure (hypertension) is called the “silent killer” for good reason. It often has no symptoms but is a major risk of heart disease and stroke. And these diseases are among the leading causes of death in the United States ( 1 ). Almost half of U.S. adults have high blood pressure ( 2 ). Your blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury, which is abbreviated as mm Hg. There are two numbers involved in the measurement: Systolic blood pressure. The top number represents the force of the pressure when your heart pushes blood into the arteries throughout the rest of your body. The top number represents the force of the pressure when your heart pushes blood into the arteries throughout the rest of your body. Diastolic blood pressure. The bottom number represents the pressure in your blood vessels between beats, when your heart is filling and relaxing. Your blood pressure depends on how much blood your heart is pumping, and how much resistance there is to blood flow in your arteries. The narrower your arteries, the higher your blood pressure. Blood pressure lower than 120/80 mm Hg is considered normal. Blood pressure that’s 130/80 mm Hg or more is considered high. If your numbers are above normal but under 130/80 mm Hg, you fall into the category of elevated blood pressure. This means you’re at risk of developing high blood pressure (3). The good news about elevated blood pressure is that you can make changes to significantly reduce your numbers and lower your risk — without requiring medications. Here are 17 effective ways to lower your blood pressure levels. 1. Increase activity and exercise more A meta-analysis of 65 studies suggests that aerobic and resistance exercise can significantly lower blood pressure, especially for men ( 4 ). In a 2013 study, sedentary older adults who participated in aerobic exercise training lowered their blood pressure by an average of 3.9 percent systolic and 4.5 percent diastolic (5). These results are as good as some blood pressure medications. As you regularly increase your heart and breathing rates, over time your heart gets stronger and pumps with less effort. This puts less pressure on your arteries and lowers your blood pressure. How much activity should you strive for? A 2019 report by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association advises moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity for 40-minute sessions, three to four times per week ( 6 ). If finding 40 minutes at a time is a challenge, there may still be benefits when the time is divided into three or four 10- to 15-minute segments throughout the day ( 7 ). The American College of Sports Medicine makes similar recommendations (8). But you don’t have to run marathons. Increasing your activity level can be as simple as: using the stairs

walking instead of driving

doing household chores

gardening

going for a bike ride

playing a team sport Just do it regularly and work up to at least half an hour per day of moderate activity. One example of moderate activity that can have big results is tai chi. A 2017 review on the effects of tai chi and high blood pressure shows an overall average of a 15.6 mm Hg drop in systolic blood pressure and a 10.7 mm Hg drop in diastolic blood pressure compared with no exercise at all ( 9 ). A 2014 review on exercise and lowering blood pressure found that there are many combinations of exercise that can lower blood pressure ( 10 ). These exercises include: aerobic exercise

resistance training

high-intensity interval training

short bouts of exercise throughout the day

walking 10,000 steps a day Ongoing studies continue to suggest that there are still benefits to even light physical activity, especially for older adults (11). 2. Lose weight if you’re overweight If you’re overweight, losing 5 to 10 pounds can reduce your blood pressure. Plus, you’ll lower your risk of other potential medical problems. A review of several studies reports that weight loss diets reduced blood pressure by an average of 3.2 mm Hg diastolic and 4.5 mm Hg systolic (12). 3. Cut back on sugar and refined carbohydrates Many studies show that restricting sugar and refined carbohydrates can help you lose weight and lower your blood pressure. Sugar, especially fructose, may increase your blood pressure more than salt, according to one 2014 review. In trials lasting at least 8 weeks, sugar increased blood pressure by 5.6 mm Hg diastolic and 6.9 mm Hg systolic (13). A 2020 study that compared various popular diets found that for people who with more weight or obesity, low carb and low fat diets lowered their diastolic blood pressure by an average of about 5 mm Hg and their systolic blood pressure 3 mm Hg after 6 months ( 14 ). Another benefit of a low carb, low sugar diet is that you feel fuller longer, because you’re consuming more protein and fat. Best foods for high blood pressure

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5. Eat less processed food Most of the extra salt in your diet comes from processed foods and foods from restaurants, not your salt shaker at home ( 18 ). Popular high salt items include: deli meats

canned soup

pizza

chips

other processed snacks Foods labeled “low fat” are usually high in salt and sugar to compensate for the loss of fat. Fat is what gives food taste and makes you feel full. Cutting down on — or even better, cutting out — processed food will help you eat less salt, less sugar, and fewer refined carbohydrates. All of this can result in lower blood pressure. Make it a practice to check nutrition labels. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a sodium listing of 5 percent or less on a food label is considered low, while 20 percent or more is considered high ( 19 ). 6. Stop smoking It can be difficult to do, but it’s worth it: Stopping smoking is good for your all-around health. Smoking causes an immediate but temporary increase in your blood pressure and an increase in your heart rate (20). In the long term, the chemicals in tobacco can increase your blood pressure by damaging your blood vessel walls, causing inflammation, and narrowing your arteries. The hardened arteries cause higher blood pressure. The chemicals in tobacco can affect your blood vessels even if you’re around secondhand smoke. A study showed that nonsmokers who were able to go to smoke-free restaurants, bars, and workplaces had lower blood pressure than nonsmokers in areas that had no smoke-free policies affecting public places ( 21 ). 7. Reduce excess stress We live in stressful times. Workplace and family demands, national and international politics — they all contribute to stress. Finding ways to reduce your own stress is important for your health and your blood pressure. There are lots of ways to successfully relieve stress, so find what works for you. Practice deep breathing, take a walk, read a book, or watch a comedy. Listening to music daily has also been shown to reduce systolic blood pressure (22). A 20-year study showed that regular sauna use reduced death from heart-related events (23). And one small 2015 study has shown that acupuncture can lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure (24). 8. Try meditation or yoga Mindfulness and meditation, including transcendental meditation, have long been used — and studied — as methods to reduce stress. Yoga, which commonly involves breathing control, posture, and meditation techniques, can also be effective in reducing stress and blood pressure. A 2013 review on yoga and blood pressure found an average blood pressure decrease of 3.62 mm Hg diastolic and 4.17 mm Hg systolic when compared with those who didn’t exercise. Studies of yoga practices that included breath control, postures, and meditation were nearly twice as effective as yoga practices that didn’t include all three of these elements (25). 9. Eat some dark chocolate Yes, chocolate lovers: Dark chocolate has been shown to lower blood pressure. But the dark chocolate should be 60 to 70 percent cacao. A review of studies on dark chocolate has found that eating one to two squares of dark chocolate per day may help lower the risk of heart disease by lowering blood pressure and inflammation. The benefits are thought to come from the flavonoids present in chocolate with more cocoa solids. The flavonoids help dilate, or widen, your blood vessels (26). 10. Try these medicinal herbs Herbal medicines have long been used in many cultures to treat a variety of ailments. Some herbs have even been shown to possibly lower blood pressure. However, more research is needed to identify the doses and components in the herbs that are most useful. Always check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking herbal supplements. They may interfere with your prescription medications. Here’s a partial list of plants and herbs that are used by cultures throughout the world to lower blood pressure: black bean (Castanospermum australe)

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cat’s claw (Uncaria rhynchophylla)

celery juice (Apium graveolens)

Chinese hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida)

ginger root

giant dodder (Cuscuta reflexa)

Indian plantago (blond psyllium)

river lily (Crinum glaucum)

roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa)

sesame oil (Sesamum indicum)

tomato extract (Lycopersicon esculentum)

tea (Camellia sinensis), especially green tea and oolong tea

umbrella tree bark (Musanga cecropioides)

11. Make sure to get good, restful sleep Your blood pressure typically dips down when you’re sleeping. If you don’t sleep well, it can affect your blood pressure. People who experience sleep deprivation, especially those who are middle-aged, have an increased risk of high blood pressure ( 27 ). For some people, getting a good night’s sleep isn’t easy. These are some of the many ways to help you get restful sleep ( 28 ): Try setting a regular sleep schedule.

Spend time relaxing before bedtime.

Exercise during the day.

Avoid daytime naps.

Make your bedroom comfortable. The 2010 national Sleep Heart Health Study found that regularly sleeping fewer than 7 hours a night and more than 9 hours a night was associated with an increased rate of high blood pressure. Regularly sleeping fewer than 5 hours a night was linked to a significant risk of high blood pressure long term (29). 12. Eat garlic or take garlic extract supplements Fresh garlic or garlic extract are both widely used to lower blood pressure. A meta-analysis found that for people with high blood pressure, garlic supplements reduced their systolic blood pressure by up to about 5 mm Hg and reduced their diastolic blood pressure as much as 2.5 mm Hg ( 30 ). According to a 2009 clinical study, a time-release garlic extract preparation may have a greater effect on blood pressure than regular garlic powder tablets (31). 15. Drink less alcohol Alcohol can raise your blood pressure, even if you’re healthy. It’s important to drink in moderation. According to a 2006 study, alcohol can raise your blood pressure by 1 mm Hg for each 10 grams of alcohol consumed (38). A standard drink contains 14 grams of alcohol. What constitutes a standard drink? One 12-ounce beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits ( 39 ). Moderate drinking is up to one drink a day for women and up to two drinks per day for men ( 40 ). A review found that although drinking more than 30 grams of alcohol may initially lower blood pressure, after 13 hours or more, systolic blood pressure increased by 3.7 mm HG and diastolic blood pressure increased by 2.4 mm Hg (41). 16. Consider cutting back on caffeine Caffeine raises your blood pressure, but the effect is temporary. In a 2017 study, the systolic blood pressure of 18 participants was elevated for 2 hours after they drank 32 ounces of either a caffeinated drink or an energy drink. Blood pressure then dropped more quickly for the participants who drank a caffeinated drink ( 42 ). Some people may be more sensitive to caffeine than others. If you’re caffeine-sensitive, you may want to cut back on your coffee consumption, or try decaffeinated coffee. Research on caffeine, including its health benefits, is in the news a lot. The choice of whether to cut back depends on many individual factors. One older study indicated that caffeine’s effect on raising blood pressure is greater if your blood pressure is already high. This same study, however, called for more research on the subject (43).

healthline.com - 17 Effective Ways to Lower Your Blood Pressure - Healthline

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