Lower blood pressure

[purpleme12]

Has anyone managed to lower blood pressure by doing lifestyle things?

And if so what have you done that's either worked?

Please

I’ve always had “lower side of normal” BP when checked. Previously been told to increase salt intake, which I eat loads of anyway. I literally crave salty things! I think that helps keep it higher than official “low” BP.

I tend to find I go dizzy from my BP when I get up too quickly or don’t drink enough water.

What is your BP?

Never

Ive lost weight, gave up smoking, took up exercise cut back on alcohol , eat a non UPF diet - and whilst I will get a drop , the minute I come of meds it goes back up and Im back on meds within a few months

Been severely hypertensive since my mid 20's - hospitalised on more then one occasion

High ☹️

I never add salt to food when I get it. I don't add salt when I cook food either, even for seasoning.

So surely I can't eat a salty diet then if I'm not doing that?

This is what worries me

Is your blood pressure ok now? What is it now?

I'm feeling a bit worried and panicky

Fish oil contains the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, which can modestly reduce blood pressure. I religiously took capsules, ate plenty of salmon & sardines and ate stacks of soya. Walked more and meditated every day. I already ate a lot of fibre, so kept that up. My BP went back down. I would've quite happily taken amlodipine, had the side effects not persisted.

It did creep up again and, this time, it turned out I have high cholesterol. Taking statins does seem to have resolved the BP issue (fingers crossed!)

I don't like soya or sardines

I don't drive so I walk everywhere. Surely that must count for something?

Mine - on meds - hovers around the 120/80 ( im mid 60's )

Highest it has ever got is 220/195 - emergency admission to ITU aged 26 and fit as a fiddle

I just keep taking the meds

When it first started to rise I had dreadful symptoms which I didnt realise were the result of HBP and it was very scary and there were times it was so high I was scared to go to sleep

But I take my meds, I keep as fit and active and close to perfect BMI as I can and go get bloods done at least once a year and two checks with the nurses and no side effects now

it is a scary diagnosis - all we hear is "risk of stroke and heart attack " but managed, you will be fine

Unfortunately mine isn't as good as that

Mine was around 130/90 when medicated for years.

I lost significant weight on weight loss injections (BMI now 24-25), with significant diet changes too and it is now 90/60 unmedicated.

Now I need to eat salt/drink lots of fluids to try to keep it up.

I could drink more

What were your significant diet changes?

Cutting out salt, walking loads, losing weight all worked for me

I think I walk an ok amount?
I'm not overweight. Although I'm trying to lose lbs but I'm not having much success.
I have never added salt to any of my food and don't add it when I'm cooking either. So surely I can't have that much salt in my diet?

Yes. Lost a lot of weight an do a lot of exercise.

No, I've lost weight and am eating more healthily but it hasn't made any difference. My GP also tested me for everything under the sun and came to the conclusion that it is heredity.

On waking mine is 85/55. During the day it's 100/60. I have a lot of specialist imput, but have never been told it's a problem. It tanks when I'm sedated every three months causing a bit of drama (70/40), but it stabilises within an hour.

I walk a lot and have never added salt to my food, and I'm not overweight - I still have high BP.

What did he test you for?

Or is it just the usual blood tests you have done when you have high blood pressure?

It doesn't sound like you need to get yours lower surely

Thanks

Can I ask what your blood pressure is now?

Some people just have high BP with no direct obvious causes. My Mum is one of them. She is very slim, walks about 40 miles a week, eats a completely healthy diet, adds salt to nothing, eats plenty of fish, no UPF, has never smoked, has 2 glasses of wine per week, has no family history of it. Her BP was extremely high, so she reluctantly took the meds and it’s normal now.

Black seed oil was my saviour.

My BP steadily rose in 2024 and after having low BP all my life it was such a worry. I was put on meds when it was 179/101. They did nothing, so the ramapril was doubled. No change after a month, so doubled again to 10mg. Still no change and I was then prescribed amlodipine along with the 10mg ramapril. I felt awful from the side effects.

I remembered reading all the health benefits of black seed oil including lowering BP, so I tried it and it worked. Quite quickly too. I now don't take anything and when I did my BP yesterday it was 111/70

Good luck OP.

Mine isn't that low

In spite of taking tablets

Is black seed oil something you take in tablet form or something?

I’m so sorry, I was clearly tired last night. I thought you meant you had low BP 🤦🏼‍♀️ ignore me!

Interestingly I don’t feel salt is the enemy and there’s been some loose claims on that theory. Reducing processed foods therefore reducing sugar and salt is probably the best thing you can do.

When you say high, what is it? I know lots of people who say they have high blood pressure when it’s only very mildly elevated. Mine was 180 recently but generally hovers around 138, and no one seems bothered about that. I’m very slim, fit, no alcohol and vegan.