10 ways to manage high blood pressure
without medicine
By making some lifestyle changes,
you can lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk
of heart disease.
If
you have high blood pressure, you may wonder
if you need to take medicine to treat it. But
lifestyle changes also play a big
role in treating the condition. Managing
blood pressure with a healthy lifestyle might prevent, delay or lessen the need
for medicine.
High blood pressure also is called
hypertension. Here are 10 lifestyle changes that can lower blood
pressure and help keep it down.
1.
Lose extra
weight and pay attention to your waist size
Weight loss in people who are overweight is the strongest
lifestyle factor that
can lower blood pressure. If you're overweight or have obesity, losing even a small amount of weight can help lower blood pressure.
Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). In general, blood pressure
might go down by about 1 mm Hg with each kilogram (about 2.2 pounds)
of weight lost.
The
size of the waistline is important, too. Having too much weight around the
waist can raise the risk of high blood pressure. The greater the waist measurement, the greater the health risk, including
high blood pressure. In general:
Men are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 40 inches (102 centimeters).
Women are at risk if their waist measurement is greater
than 35 inches (89 centimeters).
2.
Eat healthy foods
Choose whole grains, fruits,
vegetables and low-fat
dairy products. Eat less
saturated fat, trans fat
and cholesterol. Choose nutrients such as potassium, calcium, magnesium and fiber.
A healthy
diet can lower the top number in a blood pressure reading, called systolic
pressure, by up to 11 mm Hg. Examples of eating plans that can help manage
blood pressure are the Dietary
Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH)
diet and the Mediterranean diet.
3.
Exercise regularly and stay active
Regular aerobic exercise can lower high blood pressure
by about 5 to 8 mm Hg. It's
important to keep exercising to keep blood pressure from rising again. Try to get 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity or 150 minutes of moderate physical
activity per week.
Exercise also can help keep blood pressure that's slightly above the normal blood pressure category, called elevated
blood pressure, from turning into hypertension.
Some examples of aerobic exercise that
can help lower blood pressure are walking, jogging, cycling, swimming
and dancing.
Strength training also can help lower blood pressure. Try to do strength training exercises at least two days a week. Talk with a healthcare professional about
setting up an exercise program
for you.
4.
Lower sodium in your diet
Less
sodium in the diet can improve heart health and blood pressure
in most people. Sodium's
effect on blood pressure varies
among groups of people. Limit sodium to 2,300 milligrams (mg) a day or less. But for most
adults, limiting sodium to 1,500
mg a day or less is better.
Doing that may lower high blood pressure
by about 5 to 6 mm Hg.
To lower
sodium in the diet:
Read food labels.
Look for low-sodium or no-sodium foods and drinks.
Eat fewer processed foods. Only a small amount of sodium
is natural in foods.
Most sodium is added during processing.
Don't add table
salt. Use herbs or spices
to add flavor to food.
Cook your own food. Cooking
your food lets you manage
how much sodium you put in it.
Use a potassium-based salt substitute. This not only helps lower sodium but adds potassium to your diet.
5.
Limit alcohol
Drinking too much alcohol can make your blood pressure go up. And alcohol can keep
blood pressure medicines
from working well.
If you choose to drink alcohol, limit how often you drink and keep the amount small. For overall health, drink one or fewer drinks a day. Do not drink every day. The less you drink, the better. One drink equals 12 fluid ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor.
6.
Don't smoke or vape
One of the best things you can do for your heart health is to stay away from
tobacco or nicotine products. This includes electronic cigarettes and vaping devices. 
Tobacco and nicotine raise blood
pressure. Not using these products may lower your risk of heart disease and improve overall health.
Also stay away from the smoke from a
burning cigarette or pipe and the smoke a tobacco user breathes
out. Such smoke is called secondhand
smoke.
If you
need help quitting, talk with your
healthcare team about programs or treatments that can help.
7.
Get a good night's sleep
Getting fewer than seven
hours of sleep
every night for weeks can affect blood pressure. Conditions that can disturb sleep include sleep apnea, restless
legs syndrome and
sleeplessness, also called insomnia. Being overweight also can cause pauses in breathing
while you sleep,
a condition called sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea raises blood pressure.
Adults should try to get 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night. Let your healthcare professional know if you often have trouble sleeping. Finding
and treating the cause can help improve sleep. But if you don't have sleep apnea or restless legs syndrome, follow these simple tips for getting
more restful sleep.
Stick to a sleep schedule. Go
to bed
and wake
up at
the same
time each
day. Try to keep the same schedule on weeknights and on weekends.
Make where you sleep restful. Keep the sleeping space cool,
quiet and dark. Do something
that relaxes you in
the hour
before bedtime. That might
include taking a warm bath or doing relaxation exercises. Turn off screens such as your TV, phone and computer screen.
Watch what you eat and
drink. Don't go to bed hungry or too full.
Try not to have large meals close to bedtime. And don't use nicotine, caffeine and alcohol close to bedtime.
Take shorter naps.
If napping during
the day helps you, keep naps to 30
minutes or less, and take them earlier in the day.
You may sleep
better at night.
8.
Ease stress
Long-term stress may play a part in
high blood pressure. But more research is needed to tell if lowering stress can help bring down blood pressure.
The American Heart Association
suggests meditation and deep breathing
exercises to help lower stress.
Connecting with friends and family
also may help lower stress. Think
about joining a support group. You may find that talking about your health concerns with others in similar situations can help.
9.
Track your blood pressure at home and get regular checkups
Check your blood pressure at home to
help make sure that your lifestyle changes are
working.
You can buy a home blood pressure
monitor without a prescription at many stores.
Talk with a healthcare professional about checking your
blood pressure at home
before you start. Learn how to check
your blood pressure. And track your
blood pressure so you can see the pattern
over time.
Regular visits with a healthcare professional are an important part of
blood pressure management. Ask your healthcare professional how often you need checkups.
10.
Manage your cholesterol and blood sugar
High
blood sugar and high levels
of "bad" non-HDL
cholesterol do not affect blood pressure directly. But they do raise the risk of heart
disease. Non-HDL cholesterol is your total cholesterol minus your "good" HDL cholesterol.
Some
of the same healthy habits
that help lower
blood pressure also help manage cholesterol and blood sugar. Eat healthy, exercise
more, lose extra weight and don't
Making lifestyle changes takes time. Some days it might feel challenging. So ask
your family or friends for support when you need it. Support
can come in many
ways. Friends or family may drive you to healthcare checkups or exercise with you to keep
your blood pressure low.
REFERENCE
1.
Johnson RJ, et al. Nonpharmacologic prevention and
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2024. https://www.clinicalkey.com.
Accessed June 30, 2026.
2.
AskMayoExpert. Hypertension (adult). Mayo Clinic; 2023.
3.
Jones DW, et al. 2025 AHA/ACC/AANP/AAPA/ABC/ACCP/ACPM/AGS/AMA/ASPC/NMA/PCNA/SGIM guideline for the prevention,
detection, evaluation, and management of high blood pressure in adults: A report
of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines. Journal of the American
College of Cardiology. 2025; doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2025.05.007.
4.
Medical review (expert
opinion). Mayo Clinic.
April 13, 2026.
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Piano MR, et al. Alcohol
use and cardiovascular disease: A scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2025; doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000001341.
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Life's essential 8. American Heart Association. https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-lifestyle/lifes-essential-8. Accessed June 30,
2026.
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Lloyd-Jones DM, et al. Life's essential 8: Updating and
enhancing the American Heart Association's construct of cardiovascular health:
A presidential advisory
from the American
Heart Association. 2022; doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000001078.
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