Over half of all adults in the US suffer from high blood pressure. That’s a BP reading above 130/80 millimetres of mercury.
High blood pressure is also one of the largest risk factors for strokes and heart attacks – which are among the leading causes of death in the United States.
So we wanted to create a post that outlines the most effective, natural ways to reduce your blood pressure – without resorting to medication – to help you reduce your risk factors and lead a healthier life.
Bear in-mind though, there are levels of blood pressure where medication is not only unavoidable, but is absolutely critical. So if you’re taking readings at home, and you’re seeing consistent readings at 140/90 – you should speak to a medical professional to discuss treatment options. If your blood pressure climbs above 180/110 on more than one occasion, then you likely need urgent medical treatment and should visit your local medical centre or A&E department as soon as you can.
The methods in this video are more suited for those with moderately high BP readings, and are therefore suited for people who have the luxury of being able to bring this back in-line naturally, over time.
Each method discussed is backed with clinical evidence – so you can rest assured that if you follow these guidelines, you should see a noticeable improvement in your readings.
So let’s get started.
Number 1 is exercise. In a meta review of 65 studies, titled ‘Acute Effects of Exercise on Blood Pressure: A Meta-Analytic Investigation’ – researchers concluded that exercise can impact systolic blood pressure with a reduction between 0.56 or -4.8 mm millimetres of mercury and also lead to a reduction in diastolic blood pressure by between -0.44 or -3.2 mm millimetres of mercury.
They expanded on this to represent the significance of such reductions, to state that a reduction of 5 millimetres of mercury in systolic blood pressure led to a 14% and a 9% reduction in the likelihood of an individual suffering a stroke or coronary heart disease respectively.
Therefore, the reductions of 3 to 4 millimetres of mercury found in this meta-analysis confirm the importance of acute exercise as a non-pharmacological treatment of hypertension.
Number 2, and connected closely with number 1, is to lose weight.
A 2021 review titled ‘Long‐term effects of weight‐reducing diets in people with hypertension’ found that losing 5-10 lbs led to an average reduction in systolic blood pressure by 4.5 points, and an average reduction in diastolic blood pressure by 3.2 points.
Relating this back to the reduction in the risk of stroke and coronary heart disease – weight loss can lead to a significant reduction in mortality risk factors.
Number 3, reduce your sugar and refined carbohydrate intake.
In an amusingly titled review paper – and that’s rare, by the way – from 2014 called ‘The wrong white crystals’, researchers found fructose – in particular – to be more harmful in terms of its impact on blood pressure, than the more commonly villainised salt. In trials lasting at least 8 weeks, sugar increased blood pressure by 5.6 mm Hg diastolic and 6.9 mm Hg systolic.
Number 4, increase potassium, decrease sodium.
Sodium has long been known to have an adverse effect on blood pressure. A 2020 meta-analysis titled ‘Effect of dose and duration of reduction in dietary sodium on blood pressure levels: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised trials’ confirmed this when it analysed 133 studies across 12,197 participants.
They found that the mean reductions (reduced sodium v usual sodium) of 24 hour urinary sodium, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were 130 millimoles per litre, 4.26 mm Hg, and 2.07 mm Hg, respectively.
Potassium, on the other hand, has a doubly positive impact – since it lessens the effects of salt in your system and also eases tension in your blood vessels.
Do be cautious if you have kidney disease however, as increasing potassium levels can be dangerous in these circumstances.
You can either supplement with potassium, or opt for foods known to be rich in potassium such as fish, bananas, sweet potatoes, and avocados.
Number 5, if you’re a smoker, stop smoking.
In the long term, the chemicals in tobacco can increase your blood pressure by damaging your blood vessel walls, causing inflammation, and narrowing your arteries. The hardened arteries cause higher blood pressure.
Number 6, and probably the most difficult to achieve – since noone actively welcomes it – but try to reduce your stress.
Whilst it can be difficult to minimise your exposure to stress, we can improve the way in which we handle or process that stress, or reduce the time we hold onto it. Taking regular sauna sessions, listening to music, and meditating all carry study-based evidence to suggest they are helpful for reducing stress.
Number 7 – you’re going to like this one – eat dark chocolate.
A review of studies on dark chocolate has found that eating one to two squares of dark chocolate per day may help lower the risk of heart disease by lowering blood pressure and inflammation.
The benefits are thought to come from the flavonoids present in chocolate with more cocoa solids. The flavonoids help dilate, or widen, your blood vessels.
So, sorry, milk and white chocolate lovers – eating more of these varieties aren’t going to deliver the same benefit (and probably send blood pressure in the opposite direction due to their sugar content).
Number 8, drink hibiscus tea.
A recent 2022 meta-analysis concluded that hibiscus is linked with a reduction in cardiovascular risk factors through both a decrease in blood pressure, and also a reduction in bad cholesterol.
Note, it doesn’t have to be in tea form – some of the studies performed on hibiscus used hibiscus supplements in the form of capsules.
Number 9, get good, restful sleep.
Your blood pressure typically dips down when you’re sleeping. If you don’t sleep well, it can affect your blood pressure.
A 2017 study titled ‘Short- and long-term health consequences of sleep disruption‘ concluded that people who experience sleep deprivation, especially those who are middle-aged, have an increased risk of high blood pressure.
Regularly sleeping for fewer than 5 hours a night led to the most severe impact on blood pressure, and the optimal sleep range for controlling blood pressure was found to be between 7 and 9 hours per night.
Number 10, take a garlic supplement.
A 2016 meta analysis titled ‘Garlic Lowers Blood Pressure in Hypertensive Individuals, Regulates Serum Cholesterol, and Stimulates Immunity: An Updated Meta-analysis and Review’ found that for people with high blood pressure, garlic supplements reduced their systolic blood pressure by up to about 5 mm Hg and reduced their diastolic blood pressure as much as 2.5 mm Hg.
Number 11, take a fish oil supplement.
A meta-analysis of fish oil and blood pressure found a mean blood pressure reduction in those with high blood pressure of 4.5 mm Hg systolic and 3.0 mm Hg diastolic – likely caused by fish oil’s blood thinning properties, allowing blood to move more freely through the arteries.
Number 12, drink more water.
When your body is dehydrated, it releases higher amounts of a chemical called vasopressin. Vasopressin helps your kidneys retain water, which can prevent you from losing more water through urination. At the same time, it causes your blood vessels to constrict, which then causes your blood pressure to increase.
Remaining hydrated also keeps blood viscosity in-check and therefore allows easier movement through the arteries.
Number 13, supplement with citrulline or arginine.
We’ve produced a couple of popular videos on the benefits of citrulline and arginine, and to summarise their effects – both supplements basically are vasodilators, leading to the expansion and widening of blood vessels, which, in turn, creates less resistance in blood flow and ultimately, lower blood pressure.
Number 14, reduce alcohol intake.
A 2020 review (succinctly) titled ‘Effect of alcohol on blood pressure’ found that although drinking more than 30 grams of alcohol may initially lower blood pressure, after 13 hours or more, systolic blood pressure increased by 3.7 mm HG and diastolic blood pressure increased by 2.4 mm Hg
Alcohol intake can also exacerbate dehydration, which may be partly to blame for alcohol’s effect on blood pressure.
And finally, number 15, and a somewhat controversial recommendation (since it’s known to be harmful in other areas of health) – don’t, limit your blue light exposure.
A 2018 study by the University of Surrey in the UK discovered that blue light increased levels of nitric oxide which is an important signalling molecular that protects the cardiovascular system.
It’s believed that blue light releases from the skin into the blood stream where it relaxes the blood vessels, increasing blood flow and decreasing blood pressure.
Blue light is emitted through many electronic devices such as smartphones, computer screens, and televisions – and has been known to disrupt sleep patterns, accelerate skin aging, and be detrimental to eye health. So this is more a recommendation to bear in-mind that blue light might not be ALL bad – but maybe don’t actively try to increase your exposure to it given its numerous other downsides.
So there you have it – our top 15 natural methods for decreasing blood pressure.