Today we're going to learn how to lower your blood pressure fast. In fact, these techniques can work within minutes.
Best part? These are 100% safe methods for treating hypertension. And not only do they work quickly, they also set you up for long term control of your blood pressure.
If that sounds interesting to you, keep reading.
Is It Possible?
Whenever you hear claims about “instant” solutions to long-term problems, skepticism is warranted.
This site is all about skepticism, but in this case the evidence is convincing. You can lower your blood pressure very quickly. But probably not in the way you think.
Most medical treatments revolve around medication and diet changes. Both can work, but it usually takes some time.
Related Reading: Does the Blue Heron Health high blood pressure program work?
The following quick ways to lower blood pressure work because they target your mind. The mind-body connection is incredibly powerful. The only safe methods to lower blood pressure immediately are those that start with the mind.
How To Lower Blood Pressure Instantly
We searched the web for techniques to reduce hypertension within a matter of minutes. We found that mindfulness-based strategies appeared again and again.
Our list only includes techniques that are easy for beginners. There are a lot of cool advanced mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) techniques out there that were too detailed for this post. But we recommend checking out people like Jon Kabat-Zinn to learn more:
So these are all simple things you can do right now to reduce hypertension. Let's take a look.
1. Buteyko breathing exercises
The Buteyko breathing method is a way of focusing your mind on the breath and controlling your breath's rate and volume.
You can actually go get instructed by a trained Buteyko teacher, but we found a small sample of how their exercises go from Dr. Mercola:
The following is a Buteyko breathing exercise that can help reduce stress, control anxiety and quell panic attacks. This sequence helps retain and gently accumulate carbon dioxide, leading to calmer breathing and reduced anxiety. In other words, the urge to breathe will decline as you enter a more relaxed state:
- Take a small breath into your nose, followed by a small breath out
- Then hold your nose for five seconds in order to hold your breath, and then release your nose to resume breathing
- Breathe normally for 10 seconds
- Repeat the sequence
2. Progressive Muscle Relaxation
You can do a guided progressive muscle relaxation to lower blood pressure. Doing this targets your autonomic nervous system and inhibits the fight-or-flight response.
Here's a simple stepwise approach you can follow, from National Jewish Health:
Follow this progression:
- Chest – Take a deep breath. Beginning with the abdominal area, fill the lungs with air while feeling the tension in the chest area from the” expanded lungs. Expire from the top of your lungs t6 your abdomen while relaxing.
- Right foot and lower leg – Keeping the heel down, curl the toes back until tension can be felt in the ankle and calf muscle.
- Right upper leg – Tense the top of the upper leg (quadraceps) and the bottom of the upper leg (hamstring).
- Left foot, lower leg and upper leg – Repeat the process identified in numbers 2 and 3.
- Right hand and forearm – With the palm down, lift the hand until tension can be felt in the top of the hand, the wrist and the forearm.
- Right upper arm – Tense the bicep and tricep.
- Right shoulder – Shrug the shoulder toward the ear and roll the head toward the shoulder so that shoulder and ear are touching.
- Left hand and forearm, upper arm and shoulder – Repeat the process identified in numbers 5, 6 and 7.
- Jaw area – Without damaging the teeth, bite down until tension can be felt in the jaw area.
- Mouth – Purse the lips as if whistling.
- Chin – Place the bottom of the tongue on the roof of the mouth and push upward.
- Forehead – Wrinkle the brow.
3. Use Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is trendy, but in this case it really works. Here are some suggestions from Healthline on how to incorporate it into your diet to reap the benefits:
- Add it to cooked popcorn.
- Drizzle it over meat or vegetables.
- Add it to a smoothie.
- Mix it with olive oil and herbs for salad dressing.
- Try it in a tea mixed with water and a bit of honey.
- Make a cayenne pepper tonic by adding 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar and 1/16 teaspoon cayenne pepper to a cup of water.
- Drink a shot of apple cider vinegar in place of coffee.
If you follow any – or even better, all – of these steps, you will almost certainly lower your blood pressure. You should always follow your doctor's advice if you have any questions or concerns.
