High blood pressure, or hypertension, affects as many as 75 million Americans. If left untreated, hypertension can lead to heart disease, heart attack, or stroke.
Here are the best ways to lower your blood pressure and reduce the risk of health complications.
Common causes of hypertension include a lack of regular exercise, a high-sodium diet, being overweight, and smoking cigarettes. Working to make positive changes in these areas can have a big impact on your blood pressure, says Sanjiv Patel, MD, and cardiologist at MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center.
If you're overweight, losing even a small amount of weight can help lower your blood pressure. Shedding 10 pounds can drop your systolic blood pressure (the top number on your blood pressure reading) by as many as 10 to 12 points, Patel says.
For those with hypertension, research has found that regular physical activity can lower systolic blood pressure by an average of seven points and diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number in the reading) by an average of five points.
To get these benefits, Patel recommends at least 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity each day. This can be a combination of aerobic exercise like walking, jogging, or bike riding and strength training with low weights and high repetitions.
Reducing your sodium intake can also improve your heart health and lower your blood pressure. For reference, the FDA recommends that people with hypertension consume no more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day.
To decrease your sodium intake, steer clear of processed foods and don't add table salt to your meals. Research has found that the the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) which is low in sodium and rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy and lean meats can lower blood pressure in adults with hypertension.
Patel says the severity of hypertension and a patient's individual medical history determine the best course of treatment. These blood pressure levels range from:
According to Patel, how quickly you're able to lower your blood pressure depends on the lifestyle factors you're addressing, and how high your blood pressure is to begin with.
For example, if you have moderate to severe hypertension and begin exercising regularly, you are likely going to see a sharper reduction in your blood pressure when compared with someone who has mild hypertension and already works out regularly.
"It takes a few months to see good results, although some lifestyle changes can make a bigger impact," Patel says. "Blood pressure can drop by 10 to 20 points depending on what kind of change you're implementing."
Whether or not you notice any physical changes from lowering your blood pressure also depends on how you felt before. Many people don't notice any physical symptoms of hypertension, Patel says, but if you are someone who experienced headaches or blurred vision as a result of high blood pressure, those symptoms should go away once it's under control.
Even if you are able to lower your blood pressure, you'll need to continue monitoring it, because it can creep back up as you age. Overall, the key to lowering blood pressure with lifestyle changes is maintaining those healthy practices over the long-term.
"Lifestyles changes need to be permanent, not just for two or three months," Patel says. "Once you break that cycle, [your health] gets better and then you need to sustain that."
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How to lower blood pressure with a heart-healthy diet and exercise - Insider - INSIDER
