
Tips for Lowering Your Blood Pressure
Lifestyle changes can make a measurable difference. Find out just how much.
May 04, 2010
Jul 23, 2020
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Lifestyle Change | How | How Changes Can Affect Blood Pressure |
Lose weight | Maintain a normal body weight with a body mass index between 18.5 and 24.9. | Every 22 pounds lost lowers blood pressure by 5-20 mm Hg.* |
Change how you eat | Adopt a healthy eating program high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy, and low in saturated and total fat. This is called the DASH eating plan: Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. | Healthy food choices can lower blood pressure by 8-14 mm Hg. |
Cut back on salt | Limit sodium to no more than 2.4 grams a day—that's only 1 teaspoon a day. An easy way to do it? Nix prepared and fast foods, which are often loaded with extra sodium. | Reducing sodium can lower blood pressure by 2-8 mm Hg. |
Get off the couch | Add at least 30 minutes a day of aerobic activity such as brisk walking most days of the week. | Getting physically active can lower blood pressure by 4-9 mm Hg. |
Limit alcohol | Stop at two drinks or less (for men) or one drink or less (for women). A drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of liquor. | Reducing alcohol intake can lower blood pressure by 2-4 mm Hg. |
*mm Hg is the abbreviation for millimeters of mercury—the standard of measure for blood pressure.