“Exercise strengthens your heart muscle so it can pump blood more efficiently,” says preventive cardiologist Seth Martin, MD, associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.
Eating foods rich in potassium—sometimes called the “un-salt”—can lower blood pressure, says cardiologist Harlan Krumholz, MD, professor of medicine at Yale School of Medicine and director of the Yale Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation in New Haven, CT.
If you’ve started taking blood pressure-lowering medication but still aren’t seeing reduced numbers, it could be that you’re missing a dose here and there.
It’s the single most important lifestyle change you can make if you’re looking to lower your blood pressure, says Dr. Krumholz. Aim to eat a diet that’s rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, skinless poultry and fish, nuts and legumes, and non-tropical vegetable oils.
Consuming flaxseed may lower blood pressure, suggests a review of studies published in a 2015 issue of The Journal of Nutrition. Sprinkle on your oatmeal or yogurt at breakfast, and over soup or salad later in the day.
The AHA recommends using a home blood pressure monitor if you have high blood pressure. It’ll help your doctor determine whether treatments are working.
Smoking is a proven risk factor for heart attack and stroke, but experts are still trying to get a handle on its connection to high blood pressure.
Drinking alcohol increases your odds of high blood pressure, especially if you drink excessively, according to a study published in 2018 in PLoS One.
Research links prolonged sitting with obesity and a cluster of conditions—increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol levels—that make up metabolic syndrome.