How to lower your blood pressure naturally: 8 top tips

Keeping your blood pressure in a healthy range is one of the best things you can do for your heart.

High blood pressure often has no symptoms, but over time it can increase your risk of heart attack, stroke and kidney disease. So, it’s important to get your blood pressure checked regularly and know your numbers.

If you’ve been told your blood pressure is high, or you simply want to look after your heart, there’s a lot you can do through everyday lifestyle changes.

Taking any medication you’ve been prescribed alongside creating healthy habits can help reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

You can also take your blood pressure at home and record your readings in a blood pressure chart or diary. It allows you to keep track of your blood pressure and share the readings with your GP or nurse in future appointments. It can also help keep you motivated.

1. Cut down on salt

Eating too much salt makes your body hold on to extra water, which can raise your blood pressure. Much of the salt we eat comes from processed foods, ready meals, soups, sauces and processed meats, rather than the salt shaker.

Checking food labels and choosing products lower in salt can make a significant difference — look for green for salt on the traffic light label where you can.

Cooking from scratch and flavouring food with herbs and spices instead of salt can also make a difference over time.

2. Eat a balanced diet

A healthy, balanced diet helps keep your heart and blood vessels healthy. Aim for plenty of fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, lean proteins and healthy fats.

The DASH diet and Mediterranean-style diet have been shown to support healthy blood pressure. So, you might want to try eating in a similar way by having more fruit and vegetables, choosing wholegrains, including unsalted nuts, seeds or pulses, and using small amounts of unsaturated oils.

Small swaps, like choosing unsalted nuts or adding an extra portion of veg, can really add up over time.

• Find out the best and worst foods for high blood pressure

3. Keep a healthy weight

It’s natural for your weight and body shape to change throughout your life. But keeping to a healthy weight can help lower your blood pressure.

You can work out if you’re a healthy weight by checking your body mass index (BMI) or your waist-to-height ratio.

Focus on steady, sustainable changes rather than quick fixes – like making healthy food swaps and trying to include a bit more movement in your day. 

For more support with managing your weight, speak to your GP or pharmacist.

4. Take regular exercise

Being active not only helps you maintain a healthy weight, but it also strengthens your heart, helping it pump blood more easily and reducing pressure on your arteries. This in turn helps reduce your blood pressure.

Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate activity each week, such as brisk walking, cycling or swimming. You can break this up into shorter sessions – even 10 minutes at a time counts. The key is finding something you enjoy and can stick with.

• Find out the best exercises for heart health
• Get fit at home with this low intensity 10-minute workout

5. Ease stress and anxiety

Stress can cause temporary spikes in blood pressure. But over time, long-term stress may also contribute to unhealthy habits like poor diet, inactivity or drinking more alcohol – all of which can impact your blood pressure.

Simple techniques like deep breathing, getting outside, or talking to someone you trust can help you manage stress.

Building regular moments of calm into your day can support both your mental wellbeing and your heart.

• Get tips for coping with anxiety

6. Get enough good quality sleep

Sleep plays an important role in keeping your blood pressure healthy. Not getting enough rest, or having poor-quality sleep, can affect how your body regulates blood pressure.

Aim for around 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night, where possible, and try to keep a regular sleep routine. Reducing screen time before bed and creating a calm sleep environment can help improve sleep quality.

7. Avoid or limit alcohol

Drinking too much alcohol can raise your blood pressure over time.

It can stop receptors in the brain that help regulate blood pressure from working properly, which stops your body from responding to changes in blood pressure and can lead to long-term high blood pressure.

If you do drink, try to stick within the recommended guidelines of 14 units of alcohol per week (about 6 medium glasses of wine or 6 pints of average strength beer) and include some alcohol-free days each week.

Cutting back gradually and choosing lower-alcohol options can make it easier to stay within these limits.

8. Quit smoking

Smoking damages your blood vessels and raises your risk of heart disease.

Over time, the chemicals in cigarettes can begin to clog your arteries and reduce the space for blood to flow properly. Smoking also causes an instant rise to your heart rate and blood pressure.

Stopping smoking has many immediate and long-term benefits for your heart and overall health, including:

• lowering your risk of heart attack
• improving your sense of smell and taste
• being able to fight off colds and flu more easily.

• Find a stop smoking service near you