How to Lower High Blood Pressure

There are a number of articles on this website that cover different ways to treat high blood pressure in detail. This article is designed to give you an overview of lowering high blood pressure. Click on the links you see below for greater detail on an area that may be of particular interest to you.

You can bet this is the first choice of your doctor.

Step one is to be selective about what you eat. There are a number of foods that are blood pressure friendly. As you can guess, they come mainly from the fruit and vegetable categories. But, to the surprise of some, dark chocolate can also help you reduce high blood pressure. Potatoes deserve consideration - in moderation, of course. Potatoes are high in carbohydrates, which isn't such a good thing. But they're also high in potassium, which is a good thing for people with blood pressure issues. Click on surprising foods that lower blood pressure for more tips.

Also be sure to read our article on salt and blood pressure and blood pressure, whole grains and bran.

Lowering high blood pressure through lifestyle changes 

Exercise is another big factor in lowering high blood pressure. Just focusing on diet without exercise won't be enough for most people. Excess weight - as little as 10 pounds above recommended body weight - greatly increases your risk of high blood pressure.

Talk to your doctor before starting any exercise program and make sure you're healthy enough for any vigorous physical activity you undertake.

Cut out cigarettes and tobacco products. It's been scientifically established for more than half a century that smoking damages your cardiovascular system, raising your risk of heart disease, heart attack or stroke.

Be careful about alcohol. There's evidence that a little alcohol may actually be good for you. Red wine, for instance, helps raise your HDL or "good cholesterol" levels.

But generally speaking, it's probably best to keep down your use of alcohol. Some people can drink alcohol without an affect on their blood pressure. This is not true of everyone.

Medical professionals say women should limit their alcohol intake to 1 drink per day, and men should keep it down to 2 (a drink in this case means one ounce of "hard stuff," 4-5 ounces of wine, or one 12 ounce can of beer).

Medications

For any number of reasons, many people have no success with lifestyle changes. Their next best option is blood pressure medication.

There are a number of medications that help lower high blood pressure. They generally fall into these categories:

ACE inhibitors: Angiotensin II is a chemical that causes your blood vessels to constrict. ACE "inhibitors, logically, reduce the amount of angiotensin II your body makes. Since your blood vessels are less constricted, your heart doesn't have to exert as much force to pump blood through your body (it's this force that's measured when you take a blood pressure reading).

ARBs: These drugs work by blocking the effect of angiotensin II on cells

Alpha-blockers: These drugs help your blood vessels stay open, which means your heart has to strain less to work efficiently).

Beta-blockers: These drugs block the effects of adrenaline.

Calcium channel blockers: Calcium does a lot of good things in your body, but it sometimes has the bad effect of narrowing your blood vessels. Calcium channel blockers help prevent your blood vessels from constricting by blocking calcium from entering your cells.

Diuretics: These drugs help reduce the amount of extra sodium and fluids in your body, which facilitates circulation (lowering blood pressure in the process).

Combinations: Sometimes medications work together. Your doctor, for instance, may prescribe combinations.

Try to relax

In today's stressed-out, hectic, 24/7 world, this can be tough. However, many studies have shown that relaxation and biofeedback can have a positive effect in helping you lower your high blood pressure.