Your diastolic blood pressure is the lower number of your blood pressure reading. It tells the story of your pressure against the arteries in between beats, when your heart is at rest. A high diastolic blood pressure is 90 and higher, according to Dr. Arthur Schoenstadt of eMedTV. This can lead to a heart attack, stroke and organ damage when left untreated.
Step 1
Add exercise into your daily routine. Exercise is an extremely effective way to lower blood pressure because it stimulates nitric oxide in your body, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center, or UMMC. This substance helps keep the blood vessels open, allowing more blood to flow through them. This helps keep your blood pressure within healthy levels. MayoClinic.com recommends 30 to 60 minutes a day, most days of the week. Aerobic exercises such as walking and swimming make a noticeable difference.
Step 2
Remove the salt from your diet. Salt increases your blood pressure because it makes you retain fluid. This fluid retention increases your blood volume, resulting in a higher force of blood beating against the artery walls. Over time, your blood pressure rises. MayoClinic.com points out that those with high blood pressure should consume no more than 1,500 mg per day.
Step 3
Watch the numbers on the scale. As the numbers on your scale increase, so too does your blood pressure. When you take care to lower your weight, your diastolic number typically follows, according to MayoClinic.com. The site adds that losing as few as 10 pounds can make a difference.
Step 4
Drop your unhealthy habits. Smoking and drinking, whether they be social or daily habits, are enemies of your blood pressure.
Smoking increases your blood pressure temporarily, but if you smoke consistently through the day, your blood pressure remains elevated. MayoClinic.com explains that for every cigarette you smoke, your diastolic pressure increases by 10 points for a minimum of one hour. Talk to your doctor about products to help you quit.
Drinking more than three drinks in one day may have an adverse impact on your blood pressure, interfering with the flow of blood to and from the heart, according to UMMC. Having more than four drinks in a row is binge drinking, according to MayoClinic.com. This causes a rapid and major increase in diastolic blood pressure.
Step 5
Eat less fat and cholesterol. Both UMMC and the American Heart Association concur that eating less saturated fat and cholesterol is an excellent way to lower blood pressure. Replacing these items with whole grains, fruits and vegetables can decrease your blood pressure by as much as 14 points, says MayoClinic.com. To make it easier, prepare your shopping list ahead of time to avoid buying junk food. Read food labels--this ensures you know how much fat and cholesterol is in everything you buy.
