Medically reviewed guide · Last updated: 23 June 2026 · Reading time: approx. 13 min

Lowering blood pressure naturally: what really helps

High blood pressure remains unnoticed for a long time but increases over time the risk of heart attack, stroke and heart failure and is therefore considered one of the most significant risk factors of all. The good news: a large part can be influenced through the lifestyle, and the most effective measures are astonishingly well documented by studies. This guide shows which steps can lower the blood pressure by how many millimetres of mercury, mmHg for short, from the DASH diet over sport to salt reduction. It also makes clear, however, where the natural measures reach their limits and when medicines are indispensable. Important beforehand: this guide does not replace medical advice, and prescribed blood pressure reducers should never be stopped on one's own. Its aim is to place the effective measures with honest figures, so that you can realistically assess what one's own lifestyle can achieve and where its limits lie.

Why the lifestyle can achieve so much

The blood pressure is given in two values, the upper systolic value with the heartbeat, when the heart ejects the blood, and the lower diastolic value in the relaxation phase of the heart. Permanently increased values burden vessels and organs and are an important risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Treacherous is that high blood pressure mostly causes no noticeable complaints and therefore often remains unnoticed for years, while it causes damage in the background. The special thing about high blood pressure is that it can often be clearly influenced through the lifestyle. Unlike with many other illnesses, the most effective measures are not secret tips but well-studied cornerstones: diet, exercise, salt, weight and alcohol. Exactly this is the encouraging message, because it means that everyone can themselves contribute a considerable part to their own blood pressure control.

Decisive here is a realistic understanding of the magnitudes. Each individual measure often lowers the upper blood pressure value by only a few mmHg. That sounds little at first, but the key lies in the combination: the effects of several measures add up, so that from several small steps together a relevant lowering arises. Exactly this interplay is often underestimated, because one tends to look at each measure individually. By way of comparison, a single blood pressure medicine lowers the value on average by about 7 to 8 mmHg. Several consistently implemented lifestyle measures can in sum come into a similar magnitude, precisely with slightly increased values. This makes the lifestyle a real lever and not a mere complement, even if it alone does not suffice with strongly increased values.

The most effective measures with concrete effects

The best-documented form of diet with high blood pressure is the DASH diet, whose abbreviation stands for the dietary approach to stop hypertension. It relies on a lot of fruit, vegetables, wholegrain products, legumes, nuts and low-fat dairy products and at the same time reduces salt, sugar, red meat and heavily processed foods. In studies it lowered the upper blood pressure value by on average about 8 to 11 mmHg, in combination with a low-salt diet even clearly more strongly. With this it even exceeded in some investigations the effect that would be expected from a single medicine. The likewise heart-healthy Mediterranean cuisine with a lot of vegetables, olive oil and fish works in a similar direction. Common to both forms of diet is the high proportion of plant-based, little processed foods and the conscious doing-without of too much salt, which makes them a good basis for the whole family.

Regular endurance sport is the second pillar and can lower the upper value by about 5 to 9 mmHg. Recommended is moderate, dynamic training on several days per week, for example around 30 minutes on five days or in total about 90 to 150 minutes per week. Especially suitable are aerobic endurance sports such as brisk walking, walking, running, cycling or swimming, while very intensive strength sport with pressed breathing can let the blood pressure rise strongly in the short term. Even everyday movement such as climbing stairs or regular walks counts and is for many an easier entry than a fixed sports programme. The third pillar is the salt reduction: anyone who lowers the daily salt amount to the recommended about 5 grams can reduce the upper value by approximately 5 to 6 mmHg, especially if they are salt-sensitive. The largest part of the salt thereby often comes not from the salt shaker but hidden from bread, sausage, cheese and ready products, which is why a look at these foods is especially worthwhile.

Weight, alcohol and the role of measuring

The body weight too plays a big role. Overweight, above all abdominal fat, is an important risk factor for high blood pressure. Even a moderate, lasting weight loss therefore often has a positive effect several times over, because it can at the same time improve blood sugar, blood fats and the general cardiovascular risk. Per kilogram of weight loss the upper blood pressure value sinks by about 1 to 2 mmHg, so that even a moderate loss of a few kilograms can have a noticeable effect. Especially the abdominal, visceral fat is considered unfavourable, which is why the waist circumference is often more meaningful than the pure weight on the scales. Since weight loss can be well combined with more exercise and a DASH diet, these measures strengthen each other. With alcohol it applies: larger amounts can increase the blood pressure, which is why with high blood pressure a restrained handling or abstinence is sensible. Anyone who reduces their consumption thereby does something good not only for the blood pressure but also lowers the risk of other illnesses, from cardiac arrhythmias to liver problems. The doing-without of smoking too is important for the vascular health, even if it does not directly permanently lower the blood pressure. Smoking damages the vessels and additionally increases the cardiovascular risk, so that a smoking stop, precisely with high blood pressure, means an especially big gain for the health.

An important basis for all of this is regular measuring. Only those who know their values can recognise changes and assess the success of measures. A simple blood pressure diary, whether on paper or digital, helps to recognise patterns and make progress visible. Sensible is the self-measurement at home with a tested upper-arm device, after a short rest phase and while sitting, ideally on several days in the morning and evening. Individual increased values are no reason for worry, since the blood pressure fluctuates over the course of the day. Meaningful is only the course over several measurements, which at the same time forms a good basis for the medical conversation. Important here is a correct technique: sit calmly, rest the arm loosely at heart height, do not speak during the measurement and come to rest for a few minutes beforehand, since even small mistakes can distort the values.

How to tackle it sensibly

The most effective way is rarely the radical all-round blow but the stepwise, lasting change. It helps to begin with one or two measures that fit well into everyday life, for example regular walks and fewer ready meals, and to let these become a habit before the next one is added. Since the effects add up, every single step is worthwhile, even if it seems small on its own. Patience is important here, because clear changes often show only after a few weeks. Realistic, permanently sustainable habits bring in the end more than short-term, strict programmes that one gives up again after a few weeks. With already existing high blood pressure or pre-existing conditions, the approach should be coordinated with the medical practice, especially before one begins with more intensive sport. This way it can be ensured that the chosen measures fit one's own situation and bring no unwanted risks.

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In sum it applies: with the natural lowering of the blood pressure, above all the well-documented cornerstones work, whose effects add up. A DASH diet, regular endurance sport, less salt and the reduction of overweight can together achieve a relevant lowering and with slightly increased high blood pressure sometimes help to avoid medicines. Important is to keep the values in view through regular blood pressure measuring. With clearly increased values, the lifestyle does, however, not replace a therapy, and a prescribed blood pressure reducer such as ramipril must never be stopped on one's own. The right way is determined individually by the medical practice. Anyone who, however, starts early on their own habits, measures regularly and implements the well-documented measures step by step has good chances of improving their blood pressure noticeably and lastingly.