Are There Natural Ways to Lower Blood Pressure? | Ask Cleveland Clinic’s Expert

High blood pressure (hypertension) is called the “silent killer” for good reason. It often has no symptoms but is a major risk of heart disease and stroke. And these diseases are among the leading causes of death in the United States (1Trusted Source).

Almost half of U.S. adults have high blood pressure (2Trusted Source).

Your blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury, which is abbreviated as mm Hg. There are two numbers involved in the measurement:

• Systolic blood pressure. The top number represents the force of the pressure when your heart pushes blood into the arteries throughout the rest of your body.
• Diastolic blood pressure. The bottom number represents the pressure in your blood vessels between beats, when your heart is filling and relaxing.

Your blood pressure depends on how much blood your heart is pumping, and how much resistance there is to blood flow in your arteries. The narrower your arteries, the higher your blood pressure.

Blood pressure lower than 120/80 mm Hg is considered normal. Blood pressure that’s 130/80 mm Hg or more is considered high.

If your numbers are above normal but under 130/80 mm Hg, you fall into the category of elevated blood pressure. This means you’re at risk of developing high blood pressure (3).

The good news about elevated blood pressure is that you can make changes to significantly reduce your numbers and lower your risk — without requiring medications.

Here are 17 effective ways to lower your blood pressure levels.

https://www.healthline.com/health/high-blood-pressure-hypertension/lower-it-fast