6 simple steps to help lower your blood pressure

Hypertension (more commonly known as high blood pressure) often has zero symptoms, but that doesn’t mean it’s not serious.

High blood pressure affects more than one in 3 Australians over 18.¹ But there are few warning signs that you might have it.

“It’s known as the silent killer,” says Heather Ko, a Bupa dietitian.

Thankfully, blood pressure is easy to check. And with some smart lifestyle changes, you can keep yours down.

As your heart pumps, the blood in your body puts pressure on the walls of your arteries. Blood pressure is the measurement of that force.

Blood pressure is recorded in 2 ways:²

• systolic blood pressure: The first, larger number that appears on a millimetres of mercury (mmHg) blood pressure reading. It measures pressure as your heart beats and pumps blood.
• diastolic blood pressure: The second, smaller number. It measures pressure between heartbeats when your heart is relaxed.

Everyone’s targets can be different, but the general blood pressure range is:

• optimal: less than 120/80 mmHg
• normal: 120-129/80-84 mmHg
• high-normal: 130-139/85-89 mmHg
• high: over 140/90 mmHg.²

When your blood pressure is consistently high, it can damage the internal lining of your arteries. This can make you “more susceptible to plaque formation,” Ko says, and increase your risk of developing chronic health conditions, such as:

• heart disease
• peripheral vascular disease (narrowed blood vessels affecting circulation)
• stroke.

Hypertension can also lead to:

• heart attack
• heart failure
• kidney failure.²

Various factors may put you at a higher risk of high blood pressure. These include:

• obesity
• lack of exercise
• smoking
• a diet high in salt
• drinking too much alcohol
• having a high blood cholesterol level
• diabetes
• a family history of high blood pressure.¹

Even without these risk factors, it’s hard to tell if you might have high blood pressure without a test.

Thankfully, taking a measurement is easy. Your GP can test your blood pressure, or you can track your blood pressure at home with a chemist-bought monitor.

If you’re testing yourself, Ko suggests doing so first thing in the morning, before you’ve eaten, had coffee, exercised or taken any medication.

“This is the time of day when blood pressure is at its highest, when our bodies naturally release stress hormones like cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline, and, some evidence suggests, the time when most strokes and heart attacks tend to occur,” she says.

Before taking your blood pressure, Ko recommends sitting quietly for 5 minutes with your feet flat on the floor, your legs uncrossed, your measuring upper arm bare, and your back and arm supported.

“Don’t measure your blood pressure if you feel uncomfortable, stressed or in pain,” she adds.

Ko also suggests taking 2 measurements, one minute apart, to establish an average.

It’s recommended that healthy people over 18 check their blood pressure at least every 2 years.² Those at higher risk (which includes people with a history of cardiovascular disease, stroke or heart attack) should get their blood pressure checked at least every 12 months depending on their doctor’s recommendation.

If your blood pressure is consistently high, your doctor may put you on a hypertension medication (such as an ace-inhibitor or angiotensin receptor antagonist).

But there are also ways to naturally help lower your blood pressure.

Most Australians eat too much salt. It’s the sodium in salt (about 40%) that’s responsible for its trademark taste and is a potential health hazard.

Too much sodium can create an excess of water in your blood stream, which “increases the volume of blood passing through your blood vessels, thereby raising your blood pressure,” Ko says.

The maximum recommended sodium intake for a healthy adult is around 2 grams per day (or about one teaspoon of salt).³

If you suspect your salt intake is too high, Ko suggests “skipping the saltshaker and instead flavouring your foods with herbs and spices”.

Be sure to check sodium levels in processed and packaged foods on the nutritional labels. These hidden salts can make up as much as 75% of our sodium intake.³

“Rich in potassium and fibre”, fruit and vegetables “have been shown to assist in reducing blood pressure,” Ko says.

If you have high blood pressure, you might consider the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stopping Hypertension), which recommends (along with other dietary groups) eating 4 to 5 serves of vegetables and 4 to 5 serves of fruit each day.⁴

Obesity is a risk factor for hypertension. By dropping any unwanted kilos of body fat, you can naturally lower your blood pressure and reap the other health benefits of being a healthy weight.

Speak to your GP about healthy ways to lose excess weight.

Alcohol is known to raise blood pressure.⁵

According to current guidelines, adults should have no more than 4 standard drinks on any single day, and no more than 10 standard drinks a week.

If you’re looking to reach this target (or get below it), Ko suggests switching alcoholic drinks for non-alcoholic options, such as zero-alcohol beer or a homemade mocktail.

Regular aerobic physical activity can help lower blood pressure.

Walking, jogging, swimming, cycling and any form of exercise that elevates your heart rate for a short time can help to lower blood pressure within 3 months when done regularly.⁶

If you’re new to exercise, start slowly with a short walk every day and build up from there.

When we’re stressed or anxious, our bodies release hormones like cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline, which cause the heart to beat faster and blood vessels to constrict. That means the “same volume of blood in our bodies must now pass through much narrower blood vessels, putting greater pressure on our artery walls,” says Ko.

To reduce stress levels Ko suggests: “Talk to a friend, meditate, listen to music, walk in nature, practise mindfulness. Focus on your mental health and try to relax whenever possible.”