There are drugs that help lower blood pressure, but they are not free of side effects, especially since lowering blood pressure below 110 mmHg can cause severe falls and fainting in some patients. Here are 5 ways to naturally lower your blood pressure. A change in lifestyle is an important element in preventing and treating hypertension.
- Exercise, meditation and yoga
Regularly do exercises such as brisk walking, endurance exercises such as cardio or even resistance exercise like weight training helps oxygen flow and helps the heart work less to pump blood. A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine showed that exercise promotes a consistent reduction in systolic blood pressure in people with hypertension. It is advisable to average 20 to 20 minutes of cardio a day if possible to maintain a good level of blood pressure. Then try to take on new challenges by trying to increase your speed or distance a little.
In addition to physical exercises, meditation activities such as yoga or tai chi help to better control breathing and thus better fight against stress. Indeed, stress increases the heart rate, which will narrow the blood vessels and promote high blood pressure. A few minutes of breathing exercises a day will help you relax and sleep better.
- Eat foods high in potassium
Foods high in potassium have a positive effect in lowering blood pressure. With sufficient intake of this nutrient, the kidneys will excrete more sodium through urination, which helps lower blood pressure. Preferred sources of potassium include bananas, potatoes, dried fruits, beans, fish, flax seeds, garlic, avocado and sweet potatoes. Following this logic, it is recommended to reduce sodium intake and not exceed 1500 mg per day to maintain good health.
- Eat dark chocolate
An Australian study shows that dark chocolate would help lower blood pressure. Cocoa, rich in flavonoids, promotes the relaxation of blood vessels and stimulates blood circulation. Consume a small square of dark chocolate, preferably between 60 and 70% cocoa and even more, around 6 g, per day, could thus help lower your blood pressure without drugs. Beware of excess, there are other ways to lower your blood pressure, chocolate consumption should not be your only and only recourse.
- Drink a little alcohol (an advice valid only for women)
Alcohol abuse is clearly harmful to health, but moderate consumption could have the opposite effect in women. This is revealed by a study from Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital which shows that light to moderate alcohol consumption, i.e. one glass of red wine or less per day, reduces the risk of hypertension in women, but increases this risk in men.
- Drink lemon juice beetroot
According to a study published in 2016 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology-Heart Failure, drinking a glass of beetroot juice a day is said to improve endurance and lower blood pressure. Another study published in 2018 in the scientific journal Journal of Cardiac Failure also revealed that the consumption of beetroot juice was linked to a significant increase in exercise duration, peak power and oxygen uptake during exercise.
Source:
Huseyin Naci: How does exercise treatment compare with antihypertensive medications? A network meta-analysis of 391 randomized controlled trials assessing exercise and medication effects on systolic blood pressure. British Journal of Sports Medicine
Karin Ried. Does chocolate reduce blood pressure? A meta-analysis. BMC Medecine
Coggan AR: Dietary Nitrate Increases VO2peak and Performance but Does Not Alter Ventilation or Efficiency in Patients With Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction.J Card Fail.
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