has anyone managed to reduce their blood pressure naturally?

[HatethedarknightsQW]

I'm on BP medication in my late 50s. GP is thinking of increasing it. My readings are around 140/90.

I do weights 2 to 3 times a week. I walk 3 miles a day - more at the weekend. Do Pilates once a week. I lost a stone and a half over the last 2 years but I'm still I'm a stone and a half overweight.

I eat healthily, lots of fibre, occasional ready meal - maybe once a week. Portions too big though..

What's actually worked for you?

@Meadowfinch Yes I read that today (it occurs to me that possibly avoiding the Telegraph would also lower my blood pressure). I can definitely do more stairs. Just not running.

It's low impact but if your shoulders are also dodgy, like mine, they can be painful.

Mounjaro. Getting down to a healthy weight will make a big difference to your BP.

If you're eating lots of beetroot, just remember that you have been, and you don't have a deadly disease when you go to the loo.

Swimming of aquafit/aquarobics is good for knackered joints, as it's not weight-bearing, but if you have joint problems, you should avoid breaststroke - all that sideways flexing of hips and knees can be unhelpful.

Ditching caffeine lowered mine. It took about 8 weeks of headaches but it was so worth it.

Getting to a normal weight and lots of Pilates and weights sorted mine out. I now also do Hatha yoga, breathwork and meditation to help me reduce stress. I always thought it was a bit woo, but it has definitely made a difference.

Mine has stayed around 106/70 between my mid thirties to now aged 51 and two stone lighter. Just glad it hasn't gone stupidly low with weight loss, as it could be a bit too low in my 20s. I don't shy away from salt or caffeine. I've always been pretty fit even when I was heavier. I've done yoga all that time though I don't exactly lack stress in my life.

There was a post (on here I think, and I've not read all of these so apologies if it's been said) about how someone was struggling on meds, but quit their job and was able to have a normal bp with no pills at all! Probably combination of less stress, and more time to eat and exercise well, and socialise with friends and family-my trainer says everyone thinks about food, sleep, exercise and stress, but few realise how important time with f/f is.
Not saying everyone can quit work, but would reducing hours/changing role be something to consider?

I tried drinking beetroot juice and it's absolutely rank. Love eating pickled beetroot but I'm guessing a jar a day isn't that good for you.

Mine was extremely high, they tried to keep me in hospital as they were worried about my results, 189/113 .

Turns out I had sleep apnea. Started CPAP therapy, drink a glass of beetroot juice and a hibiscus tea every day, walk on a walking pad after every meal and my results are now perfect with no medication 3 months later.

Ive done all the natural stuff and it did help. But I have been on 2 codeine in the morning for osteoarthritis and my blood pressure seems to have lowered quite a bit since. Could be coincidence, but who knows?

I'm the same. My weight is okay, I walk for miles every day and my GP sent me for all sorts of tests. He eventually agreed that it is probably hereditary, my DM was on bp medication for years and her DM died from a stroke. I'm happy enough to take the meds.

This is great news for me !
I measured mine at home last night as needed for the GPs to renew my HRT prescription, as I have generally had low blood pressure it was a bit of a shock that it was 140/69. I do exercise but am a bit overweight and enjoy salted nuts and a few glasses of wine, I suspect the increase is because of stress of dealing with elderly DPs with dementia over past 18 months.
I am also going skiing in January and needed to do more wall sits anyway so double incentive.

I lowered mine by taking up daily yoga - gradually and over a year I reached normal range.

I think sometimes it's just part of who you are. My partner and I eat basically the same food (although I'm vegan and he's vegetarian) but his blood pressure tends to be high despite him being slim and mine tends to be healthy despite being a bit fatter than I should be. I'm more active throughout the day but he does more intense exercise. I haven't eaten meat since I was a child so that might have helped. He eats chia seeds every day and his blood pressure is still high. We just focus on being as healthy as we can and enjoying life.

My blood pressure during home tests (that the gp asked for) is usually around 140/80. I've been resisting the idea of meds for a while, and the GP has been ok with this, but this thread is making me think that my readings are high enough that I should go on meds. Can anyone offer insight about that?

I'm a healthy weight and do a lot of exercise, including yoga, body combat, dog walking and a bit of running. I'm also very anxious/depressed and taking anti-depressants.

My really bad habit is chaotic comfort eating, and perhaps drinking alcohol too frequently.

Because I sweat LOADS I'v not been careful to keep salt low, but I've no reason to believe my salt consumption is particularly high.

😂

I can believe that beetroot is helpful, because I've once-or-twice juiced it myself and felt the incredible dizziness and general awfulness that you get if you glug it fast.

So I will try using it. Having said that, though, I eat a lot of it already (even grew my own this summer) but still have high BP. I guess you need to be using it very frequently/consistently to get the benefit.

Thanks for this thread. I measured my Bp yesterday after boasting of having had it in the healthy range over the summer (post DM going into care home). It was back up to 145/84. Darn it.

I do have a bad cold (could that make a difference? ). So I need to keep checking before I go to GP.

This thread has made me rethink about lifestyle factors though. I have recently lost the habit of avoiding the lift and I live on 6th floor. Also grandson is obsessed with the bus so I am no longer pushing him home slightly uphill in his buggy. It was a 30-minute workout. He is however so cute - even the drivers love him.

Caffeine intake has crept up again. Decaf does not hit the spot but it could be a combination.

Would getting rid of the final 3 kg to get down to 57 kg make a difference? I do need to make the effort - but balancing too much food restriction when I also have osteoporosis is tricky.

I love beetroot - I really should eat it daily.

So thanks again for the thread. BP is so complicated - constant vigilance is clearly necessary.

It’s the Omega 3. Olive oil, oily fish, rapeseed oil, walnuts will have a similar effect or supplements.

OP weight loss will help the most. Followed by a cardioprotective diet like the Mediterranean diet. Make sure salt is under 6g a day (including salt already in food).

If you have a cold you may be dehydrated which definitely does affect blood pressure.

Home tests are often lower than at the surgery. 140/80 is still in the stage 2 hypertension range. 120/60 is normal. I’d be aiming to get under 130/80 before I’d relax.

@ThreeNewWords I resisted medication for months. One GP I saw reckoned I could lower my BP with lifestyle changes. That seemed to have required too much time exercising. I don’t mind walking for a purpose - so will walk for an hour a day if I am going somewhere - but not just for the sake of it.

I tried other lifestyle changes, reducing weight, salt, alcohol and caffeine. Nothing really changed.

Medication has helped - still needs tweaking. Medication has not had a negative impact on me - I know that there can be side effects but so far so good. I don’t notice that I have taken anything. That is the thing about BP - it is a silent killer. It has to be pretty drastic to notice changes.

I had a huge wake up call when I went for a medical for life assurance and was turned down. Had no idea I had high blood pressure. Was slim and very active.
However, I was 63, going through huge stress at the time with a toxic divorce, parent dying and very stressful job and major house remodeling that had me nomadically living with various friends and in Travelodges.
My father had a mini stroke aged about 60 but I had not given that any thought in relation to me.
I resisted meds because a friend who is in on them warned be that once you are on, you are on for life. And when I looked into the side effects a major and common one seemed to be that it can reduce your energy for exercise, and without exercise my life would not be worth living / it really is the thing that makes me happiest.
So I went for the chia seeds and beetroot juice, reduced alcohol, drank loads of water quit my job, the divorce was settled and I did lots of skiing, took up rowing and met a lovely kind and funny man who is good at sex 😂
A year later my blood pressure was normal even though I was very nervous being treated again!
And I got the life assurance.
Two years later the doc treated my blood pressure when i was there for another reason and she was delighted, says it was the best she’d seen that day. I was surprised because I have put weight on and do drink more than I used to, but the lack of stress has clearly had a positive effect.
This thread has been another wake up call -thank you!!! Will now restart the regular testing at home and when they always offer it in Boots 😃

Running every day, drinking less alcohol, walking, vege juices