Treating High Blood Pressure Naturally: Lifestyle

Regardless of whether or not you are on medication for your high blood pressure, changes to diet, lifestyle and environment - as well as holistic therapies - can significantly enhance your improvement and increase the effectiveness of your current treatments.

Simple, easy to incorporate lifestyle changes can have a significant impact on your overall health and wellness and provide an effective means to lower your blood pressure. Any activities or changes that increase circulation and decrease tension and stress will be beneficial to your health and will support your efforts as you battle hypertension.

Here are some tips on ways you can change your lifestyle and see immediate improvement in your blood pressure and overall health:

1. Get organized and clutter-free - Reduce stress by creating an organized, clutter-free environment at work and home. Stacks of bills, piles of work and mountains of laundry are stress-creating visuals and constant reminders that there is always more to be accomplished.

2. Stop smoking - The correlation between smoking and hypertension is well-documented, as is the connection between smoking and increased risk of heart disease and stroke (also related to high blood pressure).

3. Change your birth control method - If you are taking birth control pills or have a hormone-releasing IUD, talk to your healthcare provider about other options. Hormone-based birth control methods increase your risk of blood clots and stroke, particularly if you smoke

4. Improve your sleep - Studies show that inadequate sleep has an effect on many ailments, including high blood pressure and stress.

5. Exercise - Exercise improves circulation and strengthens the heart, thus improving its function. It also supports maintaining a healthy weight and improves cardiovascular health.

6. Maintain a healthy weight - Obesity is one of the causes of high blood pressure and increases your risk of stroke, heart disease and other related ailments. Reduce your risk by losing weight, if necessary, and maintaining a healthy weight and eating plan.

7. Decrease stress any way you can - Delegate, learn to say no, take a moment to breathe - do whatever you need to do to reduce the stress in your life. Stress is a major factor in hypertension and it can, quite literally, kill you.

8. Limit alcohol consumption - Like smoking, the connection between excessive alcohol consumption and high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease is well documented. Reduce your alcohol consumption to improve overall health and wellness and to reduce your risk of these ailments.

9. Move your body - Stretching, yoga, Tai Chi, Qi Gong and even walking all are stress reducing activities that improve circulation and release tension.

10. Stop to smell the roses, literally - Sure, you should make time to enjoy the little things in life, but stopping to smell the rose might offer some benefits that you weren't aware of - aromatherapy, particularly lavender - can reduce stress and lower blood pressure naturally.

11. Meditate - Mediation has been scientifically proven to lower blood pressure, as well as to reduce stress (which influences blood pressure). No special tools or training are needed to begin a meditation practice. Simply sitting quietly and focusing on your breath is a great way to start and will prove beneficial to your overall health and well being.

12. Incorporate holistic therapies - Sound therapy, color therapy, acupuncture, energy healing, guided imagery and many other holistic therapies and treatments are beneficial to your overall health and will support your efforts to lower your blood pressure.

For more ideas on ways to improve high blood pressure, see my Associated Content articles titled, "Treating High Blood Pressure Naturally: Diet," "Improve your Health with Simple Changes to your Home," and "Treating High Blood Pressure Naturally: Holistic Therapies and Treatments."