Whatever your age, your diastolic blood pressure is a clue to the health of your heart. The diastolic reading is the bottom number in your blood pressure test. It measures the heart's pressure at its lowest point, when it is resting between heartbeats. According to the Mayo Clinic, a diastolic reading of 90 or above is high, but even a reading between 80 and 89 may put you at risk for heart attack or stroke. A high reading is a message, from your heart, telling you to make some lifestyle changes. There are simple ways to decrease your diastolic blood pressure without medication.
Instructions
Step 1
Eat more fish! Omega-3 fatty acids, found in algae and cold-water fish (such as, sardines, rainbow trout, mackerel, salmon, tuna, and shellfish) can lower diastolic pressure. A 2007 study published in "The Journal of Nutrition" found that the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) lowered the diastolic blood pressure in both men and women, aged 40 to 65 years--even in moderate doses.
Step 2
Improve your diet with heart-healthy foods like fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products. Eliminate or decrease salt and alcohol, as these may increase your blood pressure. Potassium is an important nutrient for regulating diastolic blood pressure. Make sure you have adequate amounts in your diet. Foods high in potassium include apricots, bananas, lima beans, avocados, oranges, spinach, prunes and tomatoes.
Step 3
Drink several cups of hawthorn tea (Crataegus laevigata) each day. Herbs known as hypotensives can lower diastolic pressure when consumed daily, over a period of time. Hawthorn is one of the most important hypotensives in western herbal medicine, and acts as a tonic on the heart. In his book, Medical Herbalism: The Science and Practice of Herbal Medicine (pg. 542), herbalist David Hoffmann explains that hawthorn works specifically on the heart muscle and normalizes the heart's contractions.
Step 4
Start doing mild aerobic exercise daily. Walking, jogging, climbing stairs, swimming or using a treadmill, for 30 minutes each day, will tone your heart muscles and decrease the pressure inside your arteries; thus, lowering your diastolic blood pressure.
Step 5
Learn to manage stress. Although it is something that everyone has to live with, there are many ways to control and to prevent stress from leading to heart disease and stroke. Techniques and practices like meditation, yoga, tai chi and deep-breathing exercises can all help. Art, music and dance are creative ways to relieve stress and lower diastolic blood pressure.
Tips and Warnings
- Make herbal teas from the whole dried herb. Herbal teas include more plant constituents and work better, when the whole herb is used. You can also get omega-3 from fish oil supplements. Be sure to find a brand that purifies the oil, since many fish contain high levels of toxins.
- Talk to your doctor before making an exercise plan, to make sure your heart is healthy enough to do aerobics. Consult with your doctor, if you are taking heart medication, before taking hawthorn or any other herbal or mineral supplement.
Things You'll Need
- Omega-3 supplements
- Hawthorn tea
- Fruits and vegetables
References
- Mayo Clinic
- "The Journal of Nutrition"; Low-Dose Docosahexaenoic Acid Lowers Diastolic Blood Pressure in Middle-Aged Men and Women; Hannah E. Theobald, Alison H. Goodall, Naveed Sattar, Duncan C. S. Talbot
- Medical Herbalism: The Science and Practice of Herbal Medicine, David Hoffmann, 2003
