For many people, making these healthy changes can help keep blood pressure low and protect against heart disease and stroke.

The DASH Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension eating plan is a healthy diet plan with a proven record of helping people lower their blood pressure. Having overweight or obesity increases your risk for high blood pressure. To determine whether your weight is in a healthy range, doctors often calculate your body mass index BMI.

Doctors sometimes also use waist and hip measurements to assess body fat. Talk with your health care team about ways to reach a healthy weight, including choosing healthy foods and getting regular physical activity.

Physical activity can help keep you at a healthy weight and lower your blood pressure. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends that adults get at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, such as brisk walking or bicycling, every week.

Children and adolescents should get 1 hour of physical activity every day. Smoking raises your blood pressure and puts you at higher risk for heart attack and stroke. If you do not smoke, do not start. If you do smoke, quitting will lower your risk for heart disease.

Your doctor can suggest ways to help you quit. Do not drink too much alcohol, which can raise your blood pressure.

Men should have no more than 2 alcoholic drinks per day, and women should have no more than 1 alcoholic drink per day. Getting enough sleep is important to your overall health, and enough sleep is part of keeping your heart and blood vessels healthy.

Not getting enough sleep on a regular basis is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to search.

Español Other Languages. Prevent High Blood Pressure. Get more advice about lifestyle changes to prevent and reduce high blood pressure. Several types of medicine can be used to help control high blood pressure. You may need to take blood pressure medicine for the rest of your life.

But your doctor might be able to reduce or stop your treatment if your blood pressure stays under control for several years. It's really important to take your medicine as directed. If you miss doses, it will not work as well.

The medicine will not necessarily make you feel any different, but this does not mean it's not working. Medicines used to treat high blood pressure can have side effects, but most people do not get any.

If you do get side effects, do not stop taking your medicine. Talk to your doctor, who may advise changing your medicine. Angiotensin-converting enzyme ACE inhibitors reduce blood pressure by relaxing your blood vessels. Common examples are enalapril , lisinopril , perindopril and ramipril.

The most common side effect is a persistent dry cough. Other possible side effects include headaches , dizziness and a rash. ARBs work in a similar way to ACE inhibitors.

They're often recommended if ACE inhibitors cause troublesome side effects. Common examples are candesartan , irbesartan , losartan , valsartan and olmesartan. Possible side effects include dizziness, headaches, and cold or flu-like symptoms.

Calcium channel blockers reduce blood pressure by widening your blood vessels. Common examples are amlodipine , felodipine and nifedipine. Other medicines, such as diltiazem and verapamil , are also available.

Drinking grapefruit juice while taking some calcium channel blockers can increase your risk of side effects. Sometimes known as water pills, diuretics work by flushing excess water and salt from the body through your pee. They're often used if calcium channel blockers cause troublesome side effects, or if you have signs of heart failure.

Common examples are indapamide and bendroflumethiazide. Possible side effects include dizziness when standing up, increased thirst, needing to go to the toilet frequently, and a rash. You might also get low potassium and low sodium after long-term use.

You'll have regular blood tests to check for this. Beta blockers can reduce blood pressure by making your heart beat more slowly and with less force.

They used to be a popular treatment for high blood pressure, but now tend to be used only when other treatments have not worked.

This puts increased pressure on the delicate tissues in the arteries and damages the blood vessels. High blood pressure , or hypertension, affects about half of American adults, estimates the American College of Cardiology. Without visible symptoms, most people are unaware that they have high blood pressure.

Along with helping lower blood pressure, regular physical activity benefits your mood, strength, and balance. It also decreases your risk of diabetes and other types of heart disease. Start out slowly, then gradually pick up the pace and frequency of your workouts.

Not a fan of the gym? Take your workout outside. Go for a hike, jog , or swim and still reap the benefits. The most important thing is to get moving! The American Heart Association AHA also recommends incorporating muscle strengthening activity at least 2 days per week.

You can try lifting weights, doing pushups, or performing any other exercise that helps build lean muscle mass. Following the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension DASH diet can lower your systolic blood pressure by as much as 11 mm Hg.

The DASH diet consists of:. In some people, when you eat too much sodium , your body starts to retain fluid. This results in a sharp rise in blood pressure.

The AHA recommends limiting your sodium intake to between 1, milligrams mg and 2, mg per day, which is a little over half a teaspoon of table salt.

To decrease sodium in your diet, try using herbs and spices to add flavor to foods in place of salt. Processed foods also tend to be loaded with sodium.

Be sure to always read food labels and choose low sodium alternatives when possible. Weight and blood pressure go hand in hand. For people with overweight or obesity, losing even just 5 to 10 pounds can help lower blood pressure levels. In addition to reaching and maintaining a moderate weight, keeping tabs on your waistline is also critical for managing blood pressure.

The extra fat around your waist, called visceral fat, may negatively affect heart health and could lead to serious health problems in the long run, including high blood pressure. In general, men should keep their waist measurement to less than 40 inches while women should aim for less than 35 inches.

Each cigarette you smoke temporarily raises blood pressure for several minutes after you finish. If you smoke regularly, your blood pressure can stay elevated for extended periods of time. People with high blood pressure who smoke are at greater risk for developing dangerously high blood pressure, heart attack , and stroke.

Even secondhand smoke can put you at increased risk for high blood pressure and heart disease. Aside from providing numerous other health benefits , quitting smoking can help your blood pressure return to normal. Visit our smoking cessation center to take steps to quit today. Enjoying a glass of red wine with your dinner is perfectly fine.

In fact, red wine might even be beneficial for heart health when consumed in moderation. However, drinking excessive amounts of alcohol can lead to lots of health issues, including high blood pressure. What does drinking in moderation mean? The AHA recommends that men limit their consumption to two alcoholic drinks per day.

Women should limit their intake to one alcoholic drink per day. Stress can temporarily raise your blood pressure. Too much of it can keep your pressure up for extended periods of time. It helps to identify the trigger for your stress. It may be your job, relationship, or finances.

Your HBP deserves your attention. Work with your health care professional Your health care professional will help you make a plan to lower your blood pressure. Make a few lifestyle changes In many cases this will be your health care professional's first recommendation, likely in one of these areas: Maintain a healthy weight.

If you are overweight or obese, weight loss will help reduce your blood pressure. Eat healthier. Eat lots of fruit, veggies and low-fat dairy and less saturated and total fat. The DASH diet is geared toward reducing blood pressure. Reduce sodium. Ideally, stay under 1, mg a day, but aim for at least a 1, mg per day reduction.

Get active. Limit alcohol. Drink no more than one to two drinks a day one for most women, two for most men. If you do get side effects, do not stop taking your medicine. Talk to your doctor, who may advise changing your medicine.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme ACE inhibitors reduce blood pressure by relaxing your blood vessels. Common examples are enalapril , lisinopril , perindopril and ramipril. The most common side effect is a persistent dry cough.

Other possible side effects include headaches , dizziness and a rash. ARBs work in a similar way to ACE inhibitors. They're often recommended if ACE inhibitors cause troublesome side effects.

Common examples are candesartan , irbesartan , losartan , valsartan and olmesartan. Possible side effects include dizziness, headaches, and cold or flu-like symptoms. Calcium channel blockers reduce blood pressure by widening your blood vessels.

Common examples are amlodipine , felodipine and nifedipine. Other medicines, such as diltiazem and verapamil , are also available. Drinking grapefruit juice while taking some calcium channel blockers can increase your risk of side effects.

Sometimes known as water pills, diuretics work by flushing excess water and salt from the body through your pee. They're often used if calcium channel blockers cause troublesome side effects, or if you have signs of heart failure. Common examples are indapamide and bendroflumethiazide. Possible side effects include dizziness when standing up, increased thirst, needing to go to the toilet frequently, and a rash.

You might also get low potassium and low sodium after long-term use. You'll have regular blood tests to check for this.

This team may include your typical doctor or provider, a nutritionist, a pharmacist, and specialists for any conditions you may have, including those related to your heart.

If your high blood pressure is caused by another medical condition or medicine, it may improve once the cause is treated or removed. Watch this video to learn more about treatments for high blood pressure and how they work. Medical Animation Copyright © Nucleus Medical Media, All rights reserved.

Your healthcare provider may use a risk calculator to estimate your risk of having a stroke or heart attack or dying from a heart or blood vessel disease. This information can help you and your provider choose the best treatment to prevent long term complications.

For example, the Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease ASCVD Risk Estimator [external link] considers your cholesterol levels, age, sex, race, and blood pressure. It also factors in whether you smoke or take medicines to manage high blood pressure or cholesterol. If you have high blood pressure, your provider may recommend that you adopt a heart-healthy lifestyle to help lower and control high blood pressure.

Changing habits can be hard. To help make lifelong heart-healthy changes, try making one change at a time. Add another change when you feel comfortable with the previous one. When healthy lifestyle changes alone do not control or lower high blood pressure, your healthcare provider may prescribe blood pressure medicines.

These medicines act in different ways to lower blood pressure. When prescribing medicines, your provider also considers their effect on other conditions you have, such as heart disease or kidney disease.

Keep up your healthy lifestyle changes while taking these medicines. The combination of medicines and heart-healthy lifestyle changes can help control and lower your high blood pressure and prevent heart disease.

Talk to your healthcare provider if you have any concerns about side effects from the medicines. They may change the dose or prescribe a new medicine. To manage high blood pressure, many people need to take two or more medicines.

This is more likely in African American adults. Try guided meditation or deep breathing. Bottom line: Both meditation and deep breathing can activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps slow your heart rate and lower blood pressure.

People with low calcium intake often have high blood pressure. For most adults, the calcium recommendation is 1, milligrams mg per day. However, some people, including older adults, may need more In addition to dairy, you can get calcium from collard greens and other leafy greens, beans, sardines , and tofu.

Here is a list of calcium-rich plant-based foods. Bottom line: Calcium-rich diets are linked to healthy blood pressure levels. You can get calcium by eating dark leafy greens, tofu, and dairy products.

Some natural supplements may also help lower blood pressure. Here are some of the main supplements that have evidence behind them:. Read more about supplements for high blood pressure. Bottom line : Researchers have investigated several natural supplements for their ability to lower blood pressure.

Magnesium is an important mineral that helps blood vessels relax. Some studies have suggested that getting too little magnesium is linked with high blood pressure, but evidence from clinical studies has been less clear 41 , Bottom line: Magnesium is an essential mineral that helps regulate blood pressure.

It can be found in a wide range of whole foods, including legumes and whole grains. Long-term lifestyle changes, such as reducing salt intake and managing stress, are the best way to bring blood pressure down. An immediate way to reduce stress is to get active, stretch, and practice deep breathing.

A small study found that people who drank an additional two bottles of water on top of their usual daily intake experienced decreased systolic blood pressure. However, more research is needed to support this finding. While medication is one way to treat the condition, there are many natural techniques that can help, including eating certain foods.

Read more about foods that help lower blood pressure. Managing your blood pressure through the methods in this article may ultimately help you lower your risk of heart disease.

Read this article in Spanish. Coffee can affect blood pressure in different ways. Learn more about coffee's effects on blood pressure and whether people should be drinking it….

Low blood pressure is not usually an emergency. However, if it co-occurs with certain other symptoms, a person may need to contact a doctor. Low blood pressure can increase the risk of stroke. Sudden drops in blood pressure can also cause transient ischemic attacks or ministroke.

People can reduce their blood pressure in ways including diet, exercise, and medication. Find out how long it takes to lower blood pressure here. My podcast changed me Can 'biological race' explain disparities in health?

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Medical News Today. Health Conditions Health Products Discover Tools Connect. Medically reviewed by Dominique Fontaine, BSN, RN, HNB-BC, HWNC-BC — By Kerri-Ann Jennings, MS, RD — Updated on November 16, Exercise Sodium Cut alcohol Potassium Caffeine Stress Dark chocolate Lose weight Quit smoking Sugar and carbs Berries Meditation Calcium Supplements Magnesium FAQ Summary Someone may be able to lower their blood pressure in a number of ways.

Walk and exercise regularly. Reduce your sodium intake. Drink less alcohol. Eat more potassium-rich foods. Cut back on caffeine. Learn to manage stress. Eat dark chocolate or cocoa. Find HBP Tools and Resources.

Blood Pressure Toolkit. Help us better understand heart health by choosing to share your Apple Watch data. The Study is a meaningful opportunity to contribute to health research. In this free all-in-one learning tool , you can learn the risks of high blood pressure and how self-monitoring can help get it under control.

Explore on your own time and download free information along the way. Home Health Topics High Blood Pressure Changes You Can Make to Manage High Blood Pressure. Know your numbers. By adopting a heart-healthy lifestyle, you can: Reduce high blood pressure.

Prevent or delay the development of high blood pressure. Enhance the effectiveness of blood pressure medications.