How To Treat High Blood Pressure Naturally?

High Blood pressure is a risky health condition. It can harm your blood vessels and organs. But the good thing is that you can effectively control high blood pressure at home. A healthy lifestyle may help you treat high blood pressure. Furthermore, it can also lower the need for medication.

In this article, we discuss some lifestyle changes that can bring down high blood pressure. These changes also help to reduce the risk of various diseases associated with high blood pressure.

1. Maintain a Healthy Body Weight

In overweight persons, the chances of hypertension are high. Maintaining a healthy body weight can lower the risk of developing high blood pressure. Studies show that weight loss of even 3% to 9% can help reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

Besides overall body weight, focus on losing belly fat too. It is because excess belly fat itself is a crucial risk factor for high blood pressure.

Eating below your maintenance calories can help you to decrease body weight. It thus prevents high blood pressure.

2. Reduce Sodium Intake

Too much sodium can raise blood pressure in people who are sensitive to its effects. But a modest reduction in sodium intake can treat high blood pressure.

American Heart Association recommends consuming sodium between 1500mg to 2300mg per day.

Here are three great ways to reduce your sodium intake. 

• Read food labels to watch the sodium content in packaged foods.
• Replace canned vegetables with fresh ones. 
• Use Himalayan Pink Salt as a replacement to table salt.

3. Do Exercise Regularly

Staying active is the most effective lifestyle modification to control blood pressure. It does this by easing blood flow through vessels.

 Consider doing aerobic exercises. These include walking, jogging, swimming, jumping rope, etc. Studies suggest exercising five days per week for at least 30 minutes per day.

 Exercise also helps you to maintain a healthy weight. Thus it indirectly lowers high blood pressure.  

4. Reduce Saturated And Trans Fat Intake

If you have high blood pressure, cut out saturated and trans fats from your diet. This significant change in diet will help to lower blood pressure.

Foods high in saturated and trans fats are red and processed meat, full-fat dairy products, baked and fried items, coconut oil, and palm oil.

Swap these items for the foods containing unsaturated fat and that too in moderation. Also, practice reading labels to keep an eye on percentage of each food ingredient.

5. Cut Down Caffeine Intake

Caffeine’s reaction to blood pressure varies from person to person. If your BP rises after drinking a cup of coffee, you are sensitive to caffeine. These people should try caffeine-free foods.

Higher amounts of caffeine are present in coffee, tea, and energy drinks. Limiting intake of these foods can help improve high blood pressure.

6. Eat Less Refined Carbohydrates

 A high intake of carbohydrates, especially refined ones, may raise blood pressure. It does this by increasing the level of blood sugar and insulin.

To control blood pressure, fix your carbohydrate intake based upon your needs and goals.

Taking carbohydrates from natural sources may help to keep blood pressure in check. These include whole grains, fruits, vegetables, pulses, and unsweetened dairy products.

7. Take Good Quality sleep

A good night’s sleep and midday nap appear to have a favorable effect on blood pressure reading. Quality sleep also helps regulate stress-related hormones.

National Sleep Heart Health Study recommends getting at least seven hours of sleep each night.

Most people have difficulty getting quality sleep. They should do these two things to improve their sleep.

• Take a maximum of 1-ounce unsalted pistachios 1 hour before bedtime.
• Massage your foot sole with olive oil, desi ghee, or any other good quality oil.

8. Limit Alcohol Intake

Heavy drinking can spike up your blood pressure. So limiting alcohol intake can prevent from hypertension.

Alcohol also contains calories. Long-term intake can lead to weight gain, which further raises blood pressure.  

For healthy men, limiting alcohol intake to no more than two drinks and women to no more than one drink per day may cause a modest reduction in high blood pressure.

Conclusion

Simple modifications to your diet, physical activity, and sleep treat high blood pressure, just like anti hypertensive drugs.