11 Science-Backed Ways to Lower Blood Pressure Naturally

What is High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is a serious medical condition that is generally misunderstood.

Other names include hypertension and HBP.

Blood pressure is characterized by blood pushing against the walls of your blood vessels.

When you have high blood pressure, the pressure in your arteries becomes higher than normal.

If left untreated, having higher than normal blood pressure can cause serious conditions such as heart disease, lead to a higher probability of heart attacks, and even raise your risk of developing a stroke.

All around, it’s important to make sure that you’re cautious about developing HBP.

Although high blood pressure cannot be cured completely, it can be managed, and many natural remedies can help keep it under control (1) and potentially lower your BP.

We will discuss why high blood pressure occurs, symptoms you will want to watch out for, and offer many natural remedies you can use to manage it.

Why does High Blood Pressure Occur

Many reasons account for high blood pressure.

One factor involves salt balance and kidney fluid.

The kidneys typically serve to help regulate the balance of salt in the body.

They do this by excreting potassium and also retaining water and sodium.

When imbalances occur in kidney function, high blood pressure will follow.

Another common cause of high blood pressure involves the sympathetic nervous system.

The functions of this system have a lot to do with regulating your blood pressure.

When imbalances occur, they can most definitely lead to high blood pressure, causing you many problems down the line.

Smoking, being overweight, and living a sedentary lifestyle can also contribute to a high BP.

Genetics can influence whether you’ll be more likely to develop the condition.

If you have sleep apnea or have an adrenal or thyroid disorder, you’ll also experience a higher chance of developing HBP.

If you experience these conditions or know a family member who struggles with HBP, it’s important to see a doctor as soon as possible.

What are the Signs of High Blood Pressure

While many claim that high blood pressure has no specific signs and the only way to know is if you get your pressure checked, certain symptoms can cause you to worry.

General symptoms of high blood pressure can include headaches, nosebleeds, and intense dizzy spells.

Extreme symptoms include strokes, heart attacks, and other cardiovascular issues (2).

What’s particularly dangerous is that you can have high blood pressure for years and not even know it.

While those symptoms mentioned above are common and indicate that you should have your blood pressure checked, they are not always present.

In fact, in most cases, there are no symptoms at all, so it would be wise for you to check your blood pressure occasionally to make sure you are completely healthy.

Shown below are the best natural remedies that are available for you to keep your blood pressure under control as much as possible.

Natural Remedies for High Blood Pressure

Basil

Basil is very tasty and delicious, so it will not be hard to incorporate this herb into your diet.

You can add basil to pasta, soup, salad, chicken, and many any other types of food.

Be sure to keep fresh basil in your home so that it is easily accessible.

While this herb can’t cure high blood pressure, it can definitely lower it, making you happier and healthier all around.

This is because basil manages levels of endothelins, which help control blood vessel constrictions. (3)

Flaxseed

Flaxseed is incredibly healthy for you.

It is filled with omega-3 fatty acids, which your body needs daily anyway.

In fact, these omega-3 fatty acids are said to lower your blood pressure, keeping it healthy and in proper balance.

This seed improves tolerance to glucose and also acts as an antioxidant.

A great way to incorporate flaxseed into your meals is by purchasing ground flaxseed or buying it whole and simply grinding it yourself.

You can add it to smoothies, brownies or cookies, and even the meals you cook for dinner.

Flaxseed is also delicious in a salad.

Garlic

Garlic is another great food for managing blood pressure.

Garlic is a great way to flavor most of your food, and it is easy to add it to your daily diet.

Chop up garlic and put whole pieces in your salad, or add it to spaghetti, lasagna, and other meals and casseroles.

Exercise

Regular exercise is healthy for you, as it is beneficial both physically and mentally in countless ways.

Exercise can also help you manage your blood pressure.

Working out at least thirty minutes a few times a week, you can be particularly beneficial.

You can go for a run, take a brisk walk in your neighborhood, go hiking, or grab your bicycle and go on a family cruise around the block or to the park.

You can work out in many ways without going to a gym if that is not something that appeals to you.

You can also purchase some affordable weights and a yoga mat and work out in your living room while catching up on your favorite television shows or movies.

Reduce Sodium

Simply cutting out sodium from your daily diet can help you reduce your blood pressure.

Here’s the nasty truth about sodium.

Elevated levels of sodium in your blood can influence your kidneys to retain more water.

Since your kidneys aren’t clearing fluids out of your blood as effectively as they should be, you’ll have more fluid in your blood, which means there’s more fluid that needs to pass through your blood vessels, increasing pressure as a result.

While you are probably like most people and love salt and salty foods, it can seem very difficult to eliminate it from your diet.

But it is worth reducing or cutting out sodium as a way to stay healthy and be able to live a longer and happier life.

Try cutting it out little by little.

For example, cut out one salty meal from your day and then gradually reduce salt intake in another meal as you become used to it.

After a while, you will find that you do not even miss it at all (5).

Hibiscus

One of the best natural remedies for lowering your blood pressure is hibiscus.

Sipping on hibiscus can help you manage blood pressure and keep it at a healthy level.

Hibiscus is used by many cultures around the world to manage blood pressure, and there is no reason for you not to do the same.

Hibiscus can draw out sodium from the bloodstream, which lowers pressure.

A great way to include hibiscus in your diet is by sipping on it.

Try adding hibiscus with hot water, honey, lemon, and cinnamon sticks.

Sip hibiscus once or twice a day for the best results.

Coconut Water

Another amazing and highly effective natural remedy for managing blood pressure, in general, is sipping on coconut water each day.

Coconut water is not only delicious but also super healthy and nutritious for your body.

This water is found in the shell of unripe coconuts and has many benefits.

The magnesium and potassium in coconut water help keep your muscles functioning normally and increase blood circulation.

You can add it to other drinks, as it will typically taste great with anything.

You can also add it to your smoothies for some added liquid and taste as well as include it in your diet.

Just juice some fruit and veggies, and then add coconut water to the juice.

You may become addicted, so don’t blame me!

Watermelon

Another great natural remedy that will help keep blood pressure in line is eating a watermelon every day.

Many claim that eating watermelon in the morning has helped lower their blood pressure throughout the day.

The reason might have something to do with the fact that melons contain many healthful properties including the amino acids L-citrulline and L-arginine shown actually to help dilate blood vessels and reduce cardiac stress.

Watermelon is delicious and goes great with any meal.

If you cannot eat it for breakfast, have it for an afternoon snack or in your salad for lunch.

You can even try juicing it and drinking it for breakfast or lunch or adding it to meals with chicken or other meats.

While it is beneficial to include it in other meals, you should eat it in the morning before consuming anything else.

For best results, eat it on an empty stomach.

Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate helps keep your blood pressure at a healthy level.

As it turns out, dark chocolate and other cocoa products can help increase nitric oxide, which naturally occurs in our bodies.

Nitric oxide helps coax receptors in our blood vessels to dilate, which can help reduce blood pressure.

You can actually indulge in that chocolate dessert right now, as long as you make sure it is dark chocolate and not milk chocolate.

You can even melt dark chocolate and drizzle it on what you eat for breakfast or put add it to a smoothie.

I’m sure you will find it easy to include dark chocolate in your daily diet (8).

Just be sure to eat dark chocolate in moderation.

Limit Alcohol Consumption

We all like to knock back the occasional drink, but if HBP is something you’re dealing with, you may want to consider limiting your alcohol intake.

If you’re a woman or a man over sixty-five, consider limiting your alcohol intake to just one drink a day.

If you’re a man younger than sixty-five, try not to drink more than two alcoholic beverages a day.

Drinking more than moderate amounts of alcohol a day can actually raise your BP by several points.

And if you take medication to manage your condition, alcohol might make your medication less effective at actually helping reduce your BP.

We know, it doesn’t sound like a lot of fun, but your body (and your BP) will certainly thank you for it.

Meditate and Reduce Stress

Stress can kill you.

Literally.

We already know that high levels of stress can weaken your immune system and contribute to higher rates of developing health conditions such as heart disease.

As you can expect, it can also contribute to HBP.

Chronic stress can cause your blood vessels to contract.

And we know that tighter blood vessels, since there’s less room for blood to flow as normal through your vessels, can contribute to higher blood pressure levels.

Reducing stress, as well as eating well and getting more exercise, is key when trying to keep your blood pressure under control.

Meditation is one of the best ways to reduce stress.

The health benefits are wide and varied.

Studies have found that meditation can reduce anxiety and stress. (9)

Try meditating for a few minutes every day and you’ll notice a big difference in a pretty short period.

There’s also plenty of other ways you can help reduce stress throughout your daily life.

Practice deep breathing exercises whenever you begin to feel overwhelmed.

Light candles and stretch periodically to help get you in the right mindset.

Exercising, which we talked about earlier, can even help reduce stress by releasing positive, mood-enhancing endorphins.

Practice effective time management techniques to make sure you can keep yourself from feeling overwhelmed. (10)

Conclusion

High blood pressure is never an easy condition to grapple with.

When you consider the numerous health conditions that high blood pressure can contribute to, it’s important to get your condition under control before too late.

But luckily, while there’s never a single, easy solution for solving high blood pressure issues overnight, there are plenty of easy things you can do today in order to reduce your BP.

Herbal supplements, simple dietary changes, exercise, and reducing stress can not only help you feel better, but you’ll find that you’ll see incredible results in a relatively short period when it comes to your blood pressure.

Blood pressure is intimately tied in with your overall health.

Be sure to receive regular checkups from your doctor and keep an eye on your blood pressure.

Your body will thank you for it.