How to Naturally Reduce Blood Pressure

If you have hypertension (high blood pressure), you need to bring it down. High blood pressure not only makes you vulnerable for heart disease, it also makes you more at risk for a stroke, kidney disease and loss of sight. If your blood pressure is 140 over 90, or above, you may be in danger and you should be working towards lowering your blood pressure. Let the steps below serve to guide you on how to naturally lower your blood pressure.

Instructions

• 1

  Reduce your weight if you are overweight. High blood pressure is associated with obesity, and the more you weigh, the more your blood pressure rises.

• 2

  Eat foods rich in vitamin C, magnesium and calcium to lower blood pressure. Vitamin C rich foods include red bell peppers, oranges, grapefruit, tomatoes and spinach. Magnesium rich foods include flaxseeds, oats, bran and brown rice. Foods that contain calcium include milk, cheese and yogurt.

• 3

  Meditate to reduce stress that causes negative physiological changes in the body. Meditation relaxes the body. Relaxation reduces stress. In a study done on teenagers at the Medical College of Georgia, higher than normal blood pressure was lowered through TM (Transcendental Meditation), allowing the heart to work less hard.

• 4

  Go for reflexology. Reflexology balances the body by reducing stress and can help to lower high blood pressure by bringing blood pressure to a more normal state.

• 5

  Eliminate salt, as salt raises blood pressure. Salt is naturally found in many foods, so you don't need to add more.

• 6

  Don't drink alcohol in excess. As the body processes alcohol, blood pressure rises. Women can have one alcoholic beverage a day, and men can have two.

• 7

  Quit smoking if you smoke. Smoking increases your risk of heart disease.

• 8

  Be active by doing activities such as walking, bike riding, swimming and household chores. Do any one, or a combination, of these things thirty minutes a day to lower blood pressure.