Lower Blood Pressure

Certain lifestyle changes, such as losing weight and exercising more, may help lower blood pressure. Other lifestyle changes that can help lower blood pressure include drinking less alcohol and reducing salt intake. Quitting smoking can help lower blood pressure, too. For those people who cannot lower blood pressure to a normal level through lifestyle changes, blood pressure medication can be prescribed.

 

Lower Blood Pressure: An Overview

Anyone can develop high blood pressure (also known as hypertension). In fact, 1 in 3 Americans (more than 65 million people) has high blood pressure. And unfortunately, in more than 90 percent of cases, the cause or causes of high blood pressure are not known. But hypertension research scientists have found certain lifestyle changes that can lower blood pressure. For those people who cannot lower blood pressure to a normal level through lifestyle changes, blood pressure medication can be prescribed.
 
By lowering blood pressure, people can reduce the long-term effects of high blood pressure, including:
 
 

Lower Blood Pressure Through Lifestyle Changes

Lifestyle changes are the first step in high blood pressure treatment.
 Lifestyle changes do help lower blood pressure, but they usually help improve a person's quality of life as well. It may take three to six months before your healthcare provider sees the full benefit of lifestyle changes on your condition. Some of these changes may include:
 
  • Losing weight
  • Exercising regularly
  • Reducing alcohol consumption
  • Cutting down on salt in your diet
  • Following a diet that emphasizes fruits and vegetables while reducing fats and cholesterol.
     
Other lifestyle factors that may influence blood pressure and that should be reduced or stopped completely include smoking and prolonged stress (see Smoking and High Blood Pressure or Stress and High Blood Pressure).
(Lower Blood Pressure Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD