How to Lower Diastolic Blood Pressure

Following a Heart-Healthy Diet

Eat a diet comprised of healthy whole foods. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, nuts, seeds, legumes, low-fat dairy products, and foods high in potassium naturally help improve heart health and lower diastolic blood pressure. Start consuming more whole foods, and cut back on foods that are processed and high in sugar and fat. Aim to reduce your intake of processed carbs and foods. Instead, have high-quality lean protein, such as fish, chicken, and grass-fed beef. Eliminate or limit your consumption of sweets to 5 servings or fewer per week. Foods rich in potassium can help balance out the effect of sodium, so consider eating more potassium-rich fruits and vegetables in particular, including oranges, avocados, beans, greens, potatoes, and tomatoes.

Reduce your sodium intake. Excess sodium consumption causes water retention and forces your heart and arteries to work harder to pump blood throughout your body. Consume no more than 1,500 mg of sodium per day. Use sea salt instead of table salt, which often contains man-made additives that can worsen your health. Keep in mind that one teaspoon of table salt contains 2,300 mg of sodium on average. The average person consumes about 3,400 mg of sodium daily--more than twice the recommended amount. Excess sodium can cause your body to retain water, which increases the amount of work your heart and blood vessels must do. As a result, excess sodium increases your diastolic blood pressure just as it increases your systolic blood pressure. Check food labels and recipes, and stick with foods that contain 140 mg or less of sodium per serving. Limit salt, MSG, baking soda, baking powder, disodium phosphate, and any compound with "sodium" or "Na" in it. Rely on other herbs, spices, and naturally flavorful ingredients to enhance the taste of food instead of reaching for the salt.

Consume less or eliminate alcohol. Studies show that moderate alcohol consumption can improve heart health, but consuming more than one or two alcoholic beverages per day increases blood pressure and has adverse health effects. Lower your alcohol intake, and consult with your healthcare provider for recommendations on alcohol consumption. Note that "one drink" equals 12 oz of beer, 5 oz of wine, or 1.5 oz of 80-proof liquor.

Reduce or completely cut out your caffeine intake. Caffeine is linked to higher diastolic blood pressure levels, which occurs when caffeine blocks the hormone responsible for keeping arteries widened. Reduce your current caffeine intake, and switch from drinking coffee, energy drinks, and sodas to natural white, green, and black teas when you need an energy boost. Technically, caffeine may or may not have a significant effect on your blood pressure. If you don't drink it often, caffeine can cause a dramatic spike in overall blood pressure, but it generally has a less significant effect if you've been consuming it regularly for an extended period of time. Check your blood pressure within 30 minutes of drinking a caffeinated beverage; if either diastolic or systolic blood pressure increases by 5 to 10 mmHg, that's too much, and you should look at cutting back. If you decide to reduce your caffeine, take several days to do so and lower your average consumption to about 200 mg daily--roughly two 12 oz (355 ml) cups of coffee.

Avoid or reduce your consumption of red meats. Regular consumption of red meats increases diastolic blood pressure and your risk for developing heart disease. This is due to the high fat content in meat, which raises cholesterol and increases your blood pressure. Stop frequently eating red meats such as beef and steak, and switch to eating healthier meats such as chicken, turkey, and fish.

Avoid sugar and sugary beverages. Sweets can make your blood pressure higher over time, so try to cut sugary snack foods and drinks out of your diet. Try having healthy alternatives when you want to snack and stick to drinking water or unsweetened drinks. If you still have a sweet tooth, enjoy some dark chocolate instead since it can help lower your blood pressure.

Increase your intake of omega-3 fatty acids. Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids can improve heart health and are effective at lowering blood pressure and reducing your risk for heart disease. Examples of foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids are walnuts, salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines, and tilapia. Ideally, you should get 2 to 3 servings of healthy fat daily. While omega-3 fatty acids are a good choice, just about any monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fat can help your diastolic blood pressure. This includes many plant-based oils, including olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, and sesame oil. Avoid foods containing saturated fats and trans fats since these have a negative effect on your blood pressure. This includes fried and heavily processed foods.

Improving Your Lifestyle

Exercise for at least 30 minutes most days of the week. Exercise helps strengthen your heart muscles, improves blood flow, and allows your heart to pump more easily with less effort. Find a physical activity you don’t mind doing and add that activity to your daily routine. Start walking, running, cycling, dancing, or swimming, or work with your healthcare provider on developing an exercise routine that works best for you. Keep in mind that the type of exercise you do will impact how much you'll need. In general, try to perform 75 minutes of vigorous exercise or 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week, but check with your doctor first to determine what your heart can handle. If you have existing heart problems, for instance, vigorous exercise may put too much additional strain on your heart; your doctor may advise moderate exercise until your overall health improves.

Lose excess weight. Individuals with thick waistlines and a high body mass index (BMI) of 25 or higher often have high diastolic blood pressure readings since their hearts have to work harder at pumping blood throughout their entire bodies. Focus on losing weight by exercising regularly and eating healthier foods, and consult with your healthcare provider about other effective weight-loss treatments. If you're notably overweight, losing as few as 10 pounds (4.5 kg) can dramatically improve your blood pressure numbers. Also note that carrying extra weight around your waistline can have an especially strong impact on your blood pressure. As a general rule, aim to have a waist measurement less than 40 inches (102 cm) as a male or 35 inches (89 cm) as a female.

Stop smoking cigarettes. Nicotine in cigarettes narrows your arteries, hardens artery walls, and increases your risk for blood clots, heart disease, and stroke. Stop smoking as soon as possible to lower your diastolic blood pressure, and consult with your healthcare provider about effective smoking cessation methods if you experience difficulty with quitting.

Try intermittent fasting. Rather than eating whenever you feel hungry, set a time during the day where you don’t eat anything. Try starting with 1 or 2 days during the week where you fast for an 8-hour period. On days when you aren’t fasting, stick to a healthy diet, but don’t restrict any calories. Avoid fasting if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, have type 1 diabetes, or suffer from eating disorders.

Reduce and manage stress. When under stress, your body releases chemicals and hormones that temporarily narrow your blood vessels and cause your heart to beat faster. Long-term stress increases your risk for major heart problems such as stroke, heart attack, and heart disease. Identify your stressors, and eliminate them from your life to lower diastolic blood pressure. Avoid stressful activities, such as watching too much TV and overloading on information. Relaxing activities, such as yoga and meditation, could potentially reduce your blood pressure as well. While there are many ways to reduce stress, some ideas you can start putting into practice right away include identifying and avoiding your stress triggers, taking 20 minutes daily to enjoy a relaxing activity you enjoy, and practicing gratitude.

Check your cholesterol regularly. Regardless of your weight or size, it’s important to check your cholesterol regularly. High cholesterol can increase your blood pressure, so get screened each time you visit the doctor, especially if you’re over 40.

Take a magnesium supplement. Magnesium is an important mineral that can help muscle and nerve function, as well as lower your blood pressure. Aim to have about 300–400 mg of magnesium every day so you maintain healthy levels in your body.

Seeking Medical Treatment

Understand your blood pressure numbers. The top number of your blood pressure reading is your systolic blood pressure (pressure when your heart beats). The bottom number is your diastolic blood pressure (pressure in between beats). As such, practices aimed at lowering your systolic blood pressure will usually lower your diastolic blood pressure, as well.

Track your diastolic blood pressure regularly. This allows you to determine whether your diet and lifestyle habits are effective at lowering blood pressure, and can be done using a blood pressure cuff at home, the pharmacy, or your doctor’s office. High diastolic blood pressure readings come in at 90 mmHg or higher, while those at risk for high blood pressure have diastolic blood pressure readings between 80 and 89 mmHg. The normal diastolic blood pressure range is between 70 and 80 mmHg, though it may be lower if you are young or if you exercise very often. If you've been diagnosed with high blood pressure--either overall high blood pressure or high diastolic blood pressure only--start by checking your blood pressure twice a day for a week (once in the morning and once in the evening). Afterward, switch to two or three times a week. Once your blood pressure is under control, you can ease back to once or twice a month. Keep in mind that it is possible to have a diastolic blood pressure that is too low. If you have abnormally low diastolic blood pressure, it means that your heart is no longer pumping enough blood to reach all your vital organs. This may be due to strenuous exercise, but also to more serious conditions, such as anorexia nervosa. As a result, you may inadvertently increase your stroke and heart attack risk.

Consult your doctor. Even if you manage to track and lower your diastolic blood pressure at home, it’s still a good idea to consult with your doctor or another healthcare provider about your heart health. Together, you and your doctor can work out a treatment plan that can improve and maintain your health with regards to blood pressure concerns. Your doctor will be able to guide you on ways to manage your overall heart health while lowering your diastolic blood pressure, and can also advise you on how to lower your diastolic blood pressure to a healthy level without reducing it too far. Talking to your doctor about your blood pressure is always recommended, but it's especially important if you have a chronic illness/condition or if you're taking any medication.

Take prescription medications for blood pressure. Visit your healthcare provider to receive prescriptions for drugs that can help manage and lower your blood pressure. Combining prescription drugs with healthy lifestyle changes has been proven effective at helping you lower diastolic blood pressure. The exact medication your doctor prescribes may vary, typically based on other health concerns you may have. Thiazide diuretics are the most commonly prescribed drug for relatively healthy people. If you have other heart problems or a family history of heart trouble, your doctor may prescribe a beta-blocker or calcium-channel blocker. If you have diabetes, heart problems, or kidney disease, your doctor may consider an ACE inhibitor or Angiotensin II receptor blocker. Note that you generally won't need medication if you only have elevated diastolic blood pressure without also having elevated systolic blood pressure. Diet and lifestyle changes are usually enough to address the problem, but it's still a good idea to consult your doctor, especially when diet and lifestyle changes have yet to fix things.

Follow your treatment plan as recommended by your healthcare provider. This helps prevent or delay complications associated with high blood pressure and lowers your risk for related health problems. For example, if your doctor recommends exercising several times per week to lower blood pressure, make physical activity a priority so you can become healthier. On a similar note, if your doctor prescribes medication and that medication has negative side effects, ask your doctor about reducing the dose or switching, but do not stop taking your medication without consulting your doctor first. Follow-up with your doctor every few months after going on blood pressure medication. There may be a point at which you can stop taking the medication and manage your blood pressure through other means.