How To Treat High Blood Pressure At Home

6. Stop Smoking

Although it is often easier said than done, giving up smoking is a proven way to reduce blood pressure. Every cigarette smoked increases blood pressure for several minutes after it is finished. Regardless of age, anyone who quits smoking will see an increase in life expectancy. Seek professional help if attempts to quit have failed in the past. Doctors may be able to prescribe medication or nicotine patches to help kick the habit.

5. Reduce Sodium

Reducing dietary sodium levels by even a small amount may lower blood pressure by up to eight milligrams of mercury. People with high blood pressure are advised to limit sodium intake to less than two thousand three hundred milligrams each day. Limiting sodium intake to include less than one thousand five hundred milligrams each day is recommended for people with a greater salt sensitivity, including people over the age of fifty-one, African-Americans, and anyone who has been diagnosed with diabetes, chronic kidney disease or high blood pressure.