In This ArticleView AllIn This ArticleWhat Is High Blood Pressure?4 Things Doctors Recommend
In This ArticleView All
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In This Article
What Is High Blood Pressure?
4 Things Doctors Recommend
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Nearly half of all adults in the U.S. are living with high blood pressure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).If you’re one of them, you might have heard that medication is the first line of defense. But medication isn’t the only way to bring down your numbers.
When it comes to managing high blood pressure, doctors are also firm believers in lifestyle changes, like eating a healthy diet and exercising. “It may take a few weeks for you to see the benefit, but there’s no doubt that lifestyle works,” saysEduardo Sanchez, M.D., M.P.H., FAAFP, Chief Medical Officer for Prevention for the American Heart Association. “These habits can complement the medicine you’re on, or even eliminate your need for them.”
So we spoke with doctors to learn their top four tips to lower high blood pressure—plus some other worthy moves to consider. Here’s what they told us.
High blood pressure (also called hypertension) develops when the blood flowing through your arteries pushes through at a higher-than-normal pressure—placing stress on your arterial walls. Over time, your arteries can become damaged, and that’s what ups your risk for heart attack and stroke.
Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury, or mmHg, for short. A healthy blood pressure is less than 120/80 mmHg. Your blood pressure is too high when you have a reading of 130/80 or higher. Anything in between is considered to be elevated, which may be a potential warning sign that your numbers are creeping up.
You Just Found Out You Have High Blood Pressure—Here Are 4 Things Doctors Recommend Doing First
1. Consider your eating habits
How do these diets work? “It seems to be a package,” saysLawrence Appel, M.D., M.P.H.,Director of the Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research at Johns Hopkins University. “It’s a combination of the foods you eat—an overall eating pattern—as opposed to single foods or individual nutrients in your diet.”
2. Watch your sodium
Taking the salt shaker off the table can help, but it isn’t the most important thing to do, says Sanchez. “Highly processed foods and foods you get from restaurants is where a lot of that sodium comes from,” he says. “So think about cutting back there.”
3. Get regular physical activity
Exercise can increase blood flow and strengthen your heart—both things that can reduce blood pressure. Research has found that multiple types of activity—including regular cardio exercise, high-intensity interval training, isometric exercise, and resistance training—may all benefit blood pressure.
Interestingly, isometric exercises—like planks and wall sits, where you hold the exercise versus moving through it—had an edge over some of the other types of exercise. Why? One theory: Squeezing your muscles to hold the exercise constricts the surrounding blood vessels and temporarily inhibits the flow of oxygen. Then, when you get out of the move, the release of pressure gives you a boost in blood flow.
4. Aim for a healthier weight
Even a little weight loss can be beneficial. “You don’t have to get to a completely healthy weight,” says Sanchez. “Just dropping some of that weight will result in a drop in systolic blood pressure anywhere from 5 to 20 mmHg.”
Research finds that losing around 5 pounds was associated with a 6-point drop in systolic blood pressure.So small wins can pay off in big ways.
Other Tips for Managing High Blood Pressure
Here’s a quick hit list of some other ways to reduce your blood pressure:
The Bottom Line
Just because you have high blood pressure doesn’t mean you can’t get those numbers down. Yes, some people will require medication. However, eating a healthy diet, keeping sodium in check, losing some weight and getting regular exercise are the four most effective lifestyle changes doctors recommend to help lower your blood pressure. The bonus is that these habits will help your health in so many other ways, from reducing your odds of other chronic conditions to giving you more energy to live your life.
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Sources
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.High Blood Pressure Facts.
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Edwards JJ, Deenmamode AHP, Griffiths M, et al. “Exercise training and resting blood pressure: a large-scale pairwise and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.”Br J Sports Med. 2023;57(20):1317-1326. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2022-106503
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Benefits of Quitting Smoking.
