Everything You Need to Know About Managing High Blood Pressure Naturally

One of the best things you can do to manage your high blood pressure is to maintain a healthy diet. This doesn’t necessarily mean eating less, it means keeping a balanced diet. A balanced diet includes fruit and vegetables, especially those high in nutrients. This includes dark, leafy greens like spinach and kale, which are easy to include in sauces and pasta dishes.

In 2015, researchers at the British Heart Foundation also found that beetroot juice could significantly lower the blood pressure of people with high blood pressure.

Other foods such as whole grains like brown rice, oats, and whole meal bread are also more nutritious than their starchy alternatives, such as pasta and white bread. 

Looking for a good place to start? Simply reducing alcohol consumption and the amount of saturated fats you consume can have a huge impact. Saturated fats are present in lots of processed foods such as butter, cheese and processed meats.

Staying active and pumping blood around your body at a healthier rate is one of the most effective ways to control your blood pressure and improve your overall health and well-being. By being more active, you’ll also find it easier to manage your blood pressure in other ways, such as getting a better night’s sleep, decreasing stress, and improving your mood, which will help you find the motivation to eat healthier.

Although it’s not the cause of high blood pressure for everyone, tackling obesity is the number one way to lower your blood pressure and it reduces pressure on your vital organs and gives your body the space to function as it should.

Learn more about our weight management service.

Getting into exercise can be quite daunting, so we recommend you start simple. Regular strolls are good for not only your blood pressure, but also your lungs, legs, and mental health. If you’re looking for something more advanced, swimming benefits your entire body, and you’ll feel refreshed after each session!

Experiencing episodic or chronic stress can have an impact on your blood pressure. Even if you don’t have high blood pressure, continued stress could increase your risks of hypertension in the future. There are techniques you can use to decrease stress if you find that it is taking its toll on your health. Some examples include:

• Reduce alcohol and caffeine
• Spend time outdoors
• Get seven to eight hours sleep
• Avoid social media
• Have some me time

Sleep is important for the body in many ways. It helps speed up the healing process and allows your heart to rest. Your heart rate drops significantly when you sleep because you’re not using as much energy, therefore your blood pressure can also drop up to 20% lower than during the day – this is called nocturnal dipping. Allowing your heart time to rest is important for your blood pressure. If you’re sleep-deprived, your heart and other vital organs experience more pressure and less rest time.

You should aim for seven to eight hours of sleep every night. Napping is also good for your body's recovery.

Stopping smoking is one of the best things you can do for your health and blood pressure by improving oxygen levels in your blood. Smoking can increase the risk of heart attacks caused by the chemicals you inhale clogging up your arteries and making it harder for your heart to pump blood around the body.

We understand that quitting smoking isn’t easy. There is free help available, speak to your Rowlands pharmacist for advice and guidance to quit. We will also help you find your nearest stop-smoking service so that you can speak to an advisor as soon as possible.