What to Drink to Lower Blood Pressure

What can I drink to lower my blood pressure?

Photos by Joy, Keith Williamson, Breville USA, and nicehotcupofT, on flickr.com

Guidance on lowering blood pressure often tends to focus on the foods that you can eat which lower blood pressure. Or the foods which you should avoid if you want to lower your blood pressure. But what about drinks? What you drink can have a significant effect on your blood pressure. So what to drink to lower blood pressure?

Well, the main thing is that you need to drink plenty. For healthy blood pressure, you need to be well hydrated at all times.

Even slight dehydration raises blood pressure. Not getting enough fluids reduces your blood volume and makes your blood thicker. The blood vessels constrict to conserve water in the blood and the heart has to work harder to pump it around. Not good.

So to start with, you can drink more water. Most of us don’t drink enough. 7-8 glasses of water a day is often recommended by health practitioners, though of course it depends on your size and lifestyle. (If you’re in hot weather and/or very active then you’ll likely need more fluids).

Super drinks to lower blood pressure?

However, there are also plenty of other healthy drinks you can take instead of, or as well as, water to keep you hydrated. Many of these also have specific benefits for blood pressure. After all, you’ve probably heard all about so-called superfoods in the media – foods that are so high in certain nutrients that they’re extra good for you. But what about superdrinks? Are there superdrinks which can help you lower your blood pressure? Yes, there are. Here’s just a handful to start with.

Hibiscus tea

Like berries and other red foods, hibiscus contains many anthocyanins and other substances with blood pressure-lowering properties. Scientists have now found that drinking a few cups of hibiscus tea a day can signficantly reduce high blood pressure. Get the kettle on!

Beetroot juice

Here’s another red drink which can reduce high blood pressure and even prevent it from developing in the first place.

Beetroot juice or beet juice (depending on which side of the Pond you live on) is rich in nitrates, which your body turns into nitric oxide, which keeps your blood vessels nice and dilated.

Beets also have anti-inflammatory properties. This is also useful as it’s increasingly recognised that chronic inflammation is linked to high blood pressure.

All the details here: Can I lower my blood pressure with beetroot juice?

Coconut water

Can coconut water help reduce high blood pressure? Yes it can. This is because it contains lots of salts and electrolytes – the substances your body needs to keep a good balance of fluids. As such, it’s also great for quenching your thirst after exercise or on a hot day.

Coconut water is also full of potassium, magnesium and vitamin C, all of which are important for healthy blood pressure.

Studies are now finding that even drinking a couple of glasses of coconut water each day can lower blood pressure. You can usually find it in health food shops, and regular shops are now stocking it more too. Just make sure it’s pure coconut water and not just coconut-flavoured and full of added sugars.

Juices and smoothies

Many fruits and vegetables have excellent blood pressure-lowering properties. And if you have a blender, you can chuck a load of these in and make them into a smoothie to drink.

Juicing is another way to do it, although juicers are very expensive, and you lose all the fibre from the fruits and vegetables.

So on balance, when it comes to what to drink to lower blood pressure, making smoothies is a healthier option, as well as a cheaper one!

Tea (black, green, rooibos)

tea and high blood pressure Drinks that lower blood pressure are not limited to these more obscure or exotic drinks. Even just drinking a couple of cups of normal black tea a day can lower your blood pressure, as well as your risk of heart attack and stroke.

Tea contains many antioxidants (particularly flavonoids) which help lower cholesterol levels and improve the health of your arteries and heart, amongst other things.

You might be wondering about the caffeine in tea though. Surely caffeine raises blood pressure? Yes, it does. So if you drink a lot of black tea, it might be worth switching to green tea some of the time. Green tea has less caffeine and more antioxidants. It’s definitely a ‘superdrink’ in terms of its multiple health benefits.

Rooibos tea also contains antioxidants yet is without caffeine so another good bet.

Also, if you’re a big coffee drinker, then try replacing some of your daily cups of coffee with a cup of tea. You’ll still get a wee buzz but tea has a refreshing clearness – good for the body and the mind!

Wine

Red wine has long been considered to be good for the heart and circulation. It contains many antioxidants, including resveratrol. These both protect the lining of the blood vessels and help them relax and dilate (through increasing nitric oxide production). All this promotes good blood flow and lower blood pressure.

alcohol and high blood pressure It has also been well documented that the French nation enjoys better cardio-vascular health than many other nations in the developed world. And this despite their fondness for culinary treats that are not exactly ‘health food’. This ‘French Paradox’ has largely been explained by their habit of drinking good red wine everyday with their main meal.

Resveratrol comes from the skin of red grapes so you can also get it by eating red grapes or drinking red grape juice (those red drinks again!). However, getting it via red wine is better because the alcohol in wine extracts and dissolves the resveratrol making it easier for your body to absorb.

Booze in general

What if you don’t like red wine but still like a drink? Well, it’s now established that some of the health benefits of red wine are also due simply to its alcohol content. Medical research does now show that moderate alcohol consumption is linked to lower risk of heart and cardiovascular problems.

There’s a couple of reasons for this. One is that alcohol helps increase the healthy type of cholesterol (high density lipoproteins) while protecting your arteries from damage from the unhealthy type (low density lipoproteins). The other is that it reduces the likelihood of blood clots forming (which can also cause strokes).

Moderate is the key word here. Drinking too much is bad for your blood pressure, as well as putting you at risk of many other health problems. (And that’s not even counting the hangover…)

What not to drink to lower blood pressure

So now you know how to drink your way to lower blood pressure 😉

However, the flip side of this is that there are also drinks that you need to avoid if you want to lower your blood pressure. It’s all very well eating healthy foods. But if you’re pouring loads of unhealthy drinks down your neck every day, then that’s going to definitely impact on your efforts at healthy eating.

So what not to drink? Well, ditch sodas and soft drinks (pop) for a start. They’re full of artificial sugars – and these are pretty much the worst things you can have for your blood pressure. If you’re not already aware of this, please read our article here: Sugar and high blood pressure

Soft drinks and sodas also often contain a lot of phosphorus which can deplete your body of calcium (essential for healthy blood pressure).

Even seemingly healthy drinks liked iced tea can be full of added sugars. So always check the label. And if in doubt, just make it yourself. Tea, ice, lemon, a touch of honey or maple syrup – tastier and healthier 🙂

And don’t kid yourself that drinks with artificial sweeteners are better. Aspartame has been linked to cancer and sweeteners like Mannitol and Sorbitol are converted by your liver into fructose which is particularly bad for you and your blood pressure.

So always check the labels of drinks to make sure they’re not full of sugars and sweeteners. If in doubt, stick to the drinks mentioned here!

What to drink to lower blood pressure, as well as what to eat, and what else you can do…

The drinks listed here are just some of the drinks that help lower blood pressure. However, they’re not the only ones. For more ideas on what to drink to lower blood pressure, you could consider getting a copy of our book: Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally – The Complete 9 Step Guide.

In this guide, we cover a range of other drinks which can lower blood pressure. And for the drinkers among you, we also give tasty tips on healthier alcoholic drinks you can have or make.

If your blood pressure is only slightly too high, then changing what you drink could make enough difference. However, if you’re blood pressure is really quite high then it’s likely you’re going to have to make a few more changes.

What you eat is of course extremely important. You are what you eat. And if you eat well, you can be well. Thankfully our guide covers many foods which are delicious as well as nutritious – so eating well can be a pleasure not a pain.

Being more active is another major factor in achieving and maintaining healthy blood pressure. But if you’re not a gym fanatic or yoga enthusiast, don’t worry. Our guide covers plenty different ways in which you can get yourself fitter, including one blood pressure-lowering exercise which you can do sitting on your sofa.

Relaxation – good deep relaxation – and generally getting your stress levels down is the final piece of the puzzle. Chronic stress contributes to high blood pressure (and poor health in general) and our guide gives you a variety of methods you can use to reduce stress and properly relax.

If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by all this, don’t worry. Our guide is clearly laid out in nine easy-to-follow steps. You’re given simple guidelines which you can follow entirely at your own pace. And there’s more detailed information in the appendices (along with recipe ideas) for those who want it.

The main thing is that lowering your blood pressure naturally can be enjoyable. Let us guide you through it 🙂

Effect of caffeine on blood pressure

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First, the bad news for coffee-lovers with high blood pressure. Caffeine raises blood pressure. And this effect of caffeine on blood pressure is stronger the higher your blood pressure is already.

So those with high blood pressure are most at risk from the blood pressure-increasing effects of caffeine.

Now the good news. There are ways you can keep drinking coffee while managing the amount of caffeine you’re getting.

Direct effect of caffeine on blood pressure

Caffeine can raise blood pressure through causing blood vessels to contract. It may also block a hormone which keeps arteries dilated (relaxed). And it may trigger the release of adrenaline which increases blood pressure.

Caffeine is also a diuretic, which means that it causes your body to eliminate more fluid than you actually drank. Since dehydration leads to higher blood pressure, caffeine also puts you at risk of higher blood pressure this way too.

You might think that this effect of a cup of coffee, or strong tea or another caffeinated drink, only lasts for an hour or two. However, caffeine can persist in the body for an entire day and keep affecting the body all this time. Caffeine consumed in the morning can affect you even when you go to bed.

And as well as raising blood pressure directly, caffeine can also increase your blood pressure through its other effects on your body too. Although one cup on its own is not a big risk, the effects are cumulative, so cup after cup, day after day, it adds up.

The converse of this is that any reduction you make in your caffeine intake also adds up – even small changes can have big effects in the long-term. So it’s a good idea to cut down your daily intake of caffeine.

Indirect effects of caffeine on blood pressure

Caffeine not only increases blood pressure directly but also contributes to indirect effects of caffeine on blood pressure. For example, caffeine increases the level of stress experienced physically and mentally. And of course it has long been known that stress contributes to high blood pressure…

Caffeine and stress and high blood pressure

Research conducted at Duke University in the US, showed that caffeine increased the levels of stress hormones in the body and amplified people’s perceptions of stress, as well as increasing heart rate and blood pressure.

Here’s how the experiment worked. Habitual coffee drinkers had their response to caffeine measured on two randomly chosen days. On one of these days they were given two capsules containing 250mg of caffeine in the morning and at lunchtime – the equivalent of about four cups of coffee in total. On another day they were given identical placebo capsules at the same times – so that they didn’t know which was which.

The days when they were given the caffeine capsules, the participants had significantly higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels throughout the day – and night, and also higher adrenaline levels (32% higher).

These physiological effects were highest at the points in the day when the participants reported feeling the most psychologically stressed.

In other words, according to Dr James D. Lane, the research professor leading the study,

The caffeine we drink enhances the effects of the stresses we experience, so if we have a stressful job, drinking coffee makes our body respond more to the ordinary stresses we experience. The combination of stress and caffeine has a multiplying, or synergistically negative effect.

Caffeine, stress and high blood pressure – what to do about it?

So caffeine not only contributes to higher blood pressure directly, but also intensifies the effect of any stress you experience. Stress is known to be a major contributor to high blood pressure. So that’s all the more reason to reduce the amount of caffeine you drink, or eliminate it entirely. And it’s probably a good idea to cut down on caffeine even if you don’t have high blood pressure!

And this is what the researchers recommend (Dr James D. Lane again):

I think that people who feel ‘stressed out’ should at least consider quitting caffeine to see if they feel better. Quitting caffeine could be particularly beneficial for people suffering from high blood pressure, just as diet and exercise can help keep blood pressure under control.

Most importantly, when you’re feeling stressed, don’t go for a cup of coffee. Try a relaxing herbal tea like camomile instead. Or if you really can’t give up coffee in times of pressure, go for decaf. You might be able to drink normal coffee at other times – this is all discussed below. But if you have high blood pressure you really need to lay off coffee when you’re stressed.

How much caffeine should I have?

Many sources recommend limiting your caffeine intake to 200mg caffeine per day. This is roughly the equivalent of two 12 ounce cups of brewed (non-espresso) coffee per day.

However, there are other factors to consider when figuring out what amount will suit you:

Personal Physiology

In general, the smaller and lighter you are, the more caffeine is likely to affect you. So you you’ll probably need to stick to a lower daily caffeine limit than 200mg.

At the other end of the scale(s), if you are overweight, caffeine is likely to have a greater effect on your blood pressure. So you will also need to keep to a lower daily caffeine intake.

Age

Also, the older you get the more your blood pressure is likely to react to caffeine. This is especially the case once you’re over 70 or so.

Find out for yourself how caffeine affects your blood pressure

To get a rough idea how much caffeine may affect your blood pressure, check your blood pressure.

Do a blood pressure reading before drinking caffeine, then 30-60 minutes after drinking caffeine. If it’s 5-10 points higher, then you are likely to be sensitive to it.

If you don’t yet have a blood pressure monitor of your own then it’s a good idea to get one. Read more about that in our article here: (Why) do I need a blood pressure monitor?

But what if I have a good tolerance for caffeine?

It’s true that if you drink caffeine regularly, you may develop a tolerance to it, such that it doesn’t affect you quite as intensely as those who drink coffee only occasionally. So you might think that if you have a regular coffee habit, you don’t need to worry about its effect on your blood pressure.

This is not necessarily the case! Long-term studies have shown a clear relationship between the amount of coffee consumed daily and blood pressure levels, which suggest that you don’t become completely immune to caffeine’s blood pressure raising effects. And all the participants in the Duke University study described above were all habitual coffee drinkers, yet still showed significant increases in blood pressure, and signs of stress, after consuming caffeine.

So, however little you feel it affects you, better to be safe than sorry and cut down the caffeine.

How to reduce the effects of caffeine on blood pressure without drinking less coffee

If you drink a lot of coffee and have high blood pressure then it’s likely you’re going to need to drink less coffee. But there are other things you can do to try to reduce the effect of caffeine in blood pressure.

This is because the effect of caffeine intake may be exacerbated by other substances or activities which also increase your blood pressure. So:

Avoid caffeine before doing exercise or any highly energetic activity – hard labour, workouts, runs, brisk walks. These already raise your blood pressure, and the extra effect of caffeine can mean your heart has to work too hard. Stay away from caffeine for at least an hour before getting into it – drink water instead.

Don’t smoke and drink coffee – tobacco also raises blood pressure by constricting your blood vessels, so coffee and a cigarette aren’t such a perfect combination for your blood pressure!

How to drink less coffee (whilst not giving it up completely)

There are various ways to drink less caffeine without having to give up coffee completely.

One thing to keep in mind though is that it’s best to reduce the amount of caffeine you’re getting gradually – as a sudden drop in can give you mild withdrawal symptoms like headaches. Here’s what you can do:

Drink coffee that’s lower in caffeine

As well as simply drinking less cups of coffee, you can also lower your caffeine intake by switching to a lower-caffeine kind of coffee – if you really can’t bear to drink decaf!

In general, espresso coffees contain less caffeine than brewed/filter coffee, and coffee made from Arabica coffee beans contains half the caffeine of coffee made from robusta beans.

A good way to control your caffeine levels is to make your own coffee. Experiment with different flavours and methods to see what you like, and take the time to make a really good coffee that you’ll really relish and enjoy – quality rather than quantity – and with less caffeine!

The Beans: Robusta beans, which are usually used to make instant (or other low-grade) coffee, contain twice as much caffeine as Arabica beans, which are used in making espresso-based coffee. Gourmet coffees are usually Arabica beans, although some Italian espresso beans are Robusta.
Colour: Contrary to what you might think, darker coffee beans tend to contain slightly less caffeine because the longer time they are roasted for breaks down the caffeine molecules more (though this is a wee bit controversial, with some arguing that it doesn’t make much difference)
Grind: Finer grinds have a higher caffeine content.
Brewing Time: The longer coffee is brewed for, the higher the caffeine content. So press down the plunger in your cafetiere a bit sooner to slightly limit the caffeine.

NOTE: There’s a very informative article on the caffeine content of different types of coffee here: High Caffeine Coffee – Which Coffee is the Strongest?

Drink tea instead of coffee

You can also – wholly or partially – replace coffee with other less-caffeinated drinks like black tea and green tea. Remember that these still contain caffeine, though much less than coffee, so remember to factor in their caffeine content when figuring out how to stay under your daily caffeine limit.

More and more research is showing how tea has beneficial effects for blood pressure, as well as being lower in caffeine.

Tea is full of flavonoids, a type of antioxidant that’s good for the heart and circulatory system, among other things, and regular tea drinking is associated with lower blood pressure and risk of heart attack and stroke. Time for a cuppa!

As with coffee, the less time you brew the tea for, the less caffeine it will contain. So try steeping your teabag or tea leaves for a little less time each day, and get used to a slightly weaker tea.

Drink herbal teas and cordials

And of course you can replace coffee with non-caffeinated drinks like herbal teas and cordials. Herbal teas have many health benefits for blood pressure. Some, like camomile, are relaxing and so help your blood pressure indirectly by calming your stress levels. Others – such as hibiscus tea act directly to lower blood pressure.

Rooibos (pronounced “roybush”) is an increasingly popular South African tea which tastes a bit like black tea but contains no caffeine. Rooibos is particularly good in iced tea or Chai tea, so is a good tea alternative.

Lower your blood pressure naturally in other ways too

As we’ve seen, the effects of caffeine on blood pressure can be quite significant – but so can the effects of many other foods and drinks. So one of the most direct ways you can lower your blood pressure is to make a few changes to other things you eat and drink.

It’s not all about eating or drinking less of what you like, but a lot about adding good foods and drinks. There is actually a large choice of affordable natural ingredients that lower blood pressure. Many of these spices, herbs, berries, fruits, grains, vegetables, meats and drinks are available in local stores.

Of course there are other factors beyond diet (like fitness and stress) that affects your blood pressure. So the best way to lower your blood pressure without drugs is to apply a broader approach – covering all causes and cures with natural home-based remedies.

The guide contains simple and proven strategies for lowering your blood pressure and keeping it low through easy, effective and enjoyable changes in lifestyle.

These progressive steps are based on the principle that positive incremental change is always best in health matters.

Each chapter will take you further along the road of greater vigour and peace of mind (and a healthy blood pressure).

Click on the link below for more information:

Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally Guide

P.S. This guide shows you how to lower your blood pressure permanently and naturally without side-effects or complications.

Follow each step to get your blood pressure back in balance.

Choose between a wide range of delicious foods that reduce your blood pressure. Include a number of mental and physical exercises in your schedule for both relaxation and invigoration.

Following this guide will reduce, and in time, eliminate your need for blood pressure lowering medications.

This is a guide for good healthy living and will be beneficial for all – even if you don’t currently suffer from high blood pressure.

Can I Lower My Blood Pressure With Beetroot Juice?

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Beetroot juice for high blood pressure?

lower blood pressure with beet juice Beetroot juice. Not the first thing you think of when pondering how to quench your thirst. Probably also not the first thing you think of when wondering how to lower your blood pressure. Yet medical studies are showing that drinking beet juice for lower blood pressure could be a very good idea.

Beet juice for lower blood pressure: the evidence

Several recent studies have found that drinking beet (or beetroot) juice lowers blood pressure.

For example, researchers at Queen Mary University in London (UK) conducted a couple of studies with men and women with high blood pressure. The most recent study involved 64 men and women with high blood pressure. Half of them were given one cup (about 250ml or 8 ounces) of beet juice a day for four weeks while the other half got a placebo drink.

Those drinking the beet juice had their blood pressure lowered by an average of 8/4 mmHg (systolic/diastolic). It was also found that their blood vessels were able to dilate (expand) more readily and became less stiff compared to the other 32 people in the study who just got the placebo drink.

Rresearchers at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Australia found a cup of beetroot juice lowered systolic blood pressure by 4-5 mmHg in healthy men within a few hours of their drinking it. So drinking beet juice regularly may be good for preventing high blood pressure developing as well as for reducing high blood pressure once you have it.

How are beets good for blood pressure?

Beets, or beetroots, are full of naturally occurring nitrates which are converted by your body into nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is well known to lower blood pressure in a couple of different ways. Firstly, it relaxes the smooth muscle which lines the walls of your blood vessels. This allows the cavity in your blood vessels to expand, enabling blood to flow more easily.

Nitric oxide also seems to help control inflammation in the blood vessels, inhibiting the release of platelets (which enable clotting) and thus reducing the tendency of your blood to thicken and clot, again with the effect of improving blood flow.

(Obscure fact: Nitric oxide was named “molecule of the year” in 1992.)

The size of the blood pressure-lowering effect of beetroot is similar to that of blood pressure medications. And, unlike blood pressure drugs, drinking beet juice isn’t known to have difficult side-effects!

As Dr Ahluwalia, lead author of the London study, said, “This research has proven that a daily inorganic nitrate dose can be as effective as medical intervention in reducing blood pressure and the best part is we can get it from beetroot and other leafy green vegetables.”

Other benefits of beets

beetroot juice lowers blood pressure Beets also contain “betaine” – a nutrient which helps protect cells from stress and toxins (e.g., caused by pollution) and which reduces inflammation (inflammation is now thought to be a key factor in high blood pressure, and indeed many common modern diseases).

Beetroots are also rich in vitamin C and other antioxidants (like those which give them their deep colour) and potassium – all of which are helpful in lowering blood pressure.

Because of all these goodies, drinking beetroot juice regularly will boost your immune system and may also help limit some cancers. Drinking beet juice also seems to boost stamina during exercise, with one study finding folk who drank beetroot juice before exercising were able to keep going about 16% longer.

You can read more about beets and their multitude of health benefits in this excellent article here (did you know, beets are a good hangover cure and are also nicknamed ‘Nature’s Viagra’…?). The article also contains good cooking and recipe tips: Health Benefits of Beets (happyhappyvegan.com)

How much beet juice to lower blood pressure?

The researchers point out that more studies are needed into beet juice for lower blood pressure to discover how long-term these effects can be.

In the studies mentioned above, the blood pressure-lowering effect of the beet juice was the strongest a few hours after drinking it, but seemed to linger for up to a day, when people just had a single drink.

In the London study where they drank beet juice daily for four weeks the beneficial effects seem to wear off about two weeks after the study ended.

So it looks like need to keep drinking beetroot juice, or eating beets, regularly to keep up the beneficial effects on blood pressure. However, you don’t need to drink a huge amount of beetroot juice – a little often should do it.

Indeed, commenting on an earlier study, Dr Ahluwalia said “We were surprised by how little nitrate was needed to see such a large effect […] This study shows that, compared to individuals with healthy blood pressure, much less nitrate is needed to produce the kinds of decreases in blood pressure that might provide clinical benefits in people who need to lower their blood pressure.”

Where can I get beetroot juice for lower blood pressure?

Beet juice isn’t mainstream yet – though its healthy properties are becoming more widely known – so you’re best bet is to look in health food stores and high-end supermarkets.

Beet juice on its own is quite strong – it’s an acquired taste, you could say. So you can mix it with a little apple or orange juice to sweeten it a little.

You can also make your own – if you have (or get) a juicer or blender. A classic juice recipe is to blend beetroots with root ginger, carrots and apples. It’s unbelievably good for you and with enough of a zing to perk you up!

Do I have to drink beet juice? Can’t I just eat beets/beetroots?

No you don’t have to drink beet juice for lower blood pressure. You can get the same beet benefits by eating beetroot and/or by eating other foods which are rich in nitrates, such as leafy greens like kale, cabbage, spinach, lettuce, and leeks, string beans, carrots…

The amount of nitrate in the beetroot juice in the London study was about the same amount as that contained in two beetroots or a big bowl of lettuce.

Some ideas for eating beetroots/beets for lower blood pressure

Raw beets in salad

Raw beets are really good grated up in salads, with just a little olive oil, a dash of apple cider vinegar and herbs.

Slow-roasted vegetables

Or slow roast some beet(roots) along with other root vegetables for a delicious winter warmer. Some nutrients are lost in the cooking process but nitrates isn’t one of them, so cooked beetroots will give you as many nitrates as raw beets, though heating beetroots will mean you’ll lose some of their vitamin C and antioxidants.

Eat the beet greens

And eat the greens too – the beetroot leaves – as these are possibly even more nutritious than the beet roots. They’re nice sauteed gently with other leafy greens like spinach or chard (a tip from Dr Mercola – more info here: cooking beet greens).

Beetroot soup

Or make borscht – a delicious Russian beet soup.

One last thing – don’t be alarmed when you go to the toilet and everything’s pink… that’s just the beets coming through.

More ways to lower your blood pressure naturally

Eating or drinking beets is one thing you can do to help lower your blood pressure naturally, but if you’re blood pressure is high, then you’re probably going to need to do a bit more.

There are many many delicious things you can eat more of to bring down your blood pressure and improve your health in general, and there’s also a lot you can do activity-wise, from different kinds of exercise to techniques to reduce stress and relax more.

It’s not hard to make any of these changes, but it can be a bit overwhelming knowing where to start, which is why we’ve put together a book: Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally – The Complete 9 Step Guide.

As the title states, it’s a step-by-step guide to lowering your blood pressure naturally, through making simple changes in what you eat and drink, how you go about your day, and how you unwind and relax (and if you don’t, then it’s time to start).

You can do each step at your own pace – one a week, one a month – or use it as a handbook to dip in and out of – whatever suits.

It’s a fully up-to-date and thoroughly comprehensive guide, giving you everything you need to know about reducing blood pressure without drugs in a straightforward easy-to-follow format.

Image credits: Schadenfreude Iola, Food Thinkers, UGA College of Ag & Environment all via Flickr.com

Beet juice for lower blood pressure: some references:

https://www.qmul.ac.uk/media/news/items/smd/146262.html

https://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/news/20121212/beetroot-juice-blood-pressure

https://newsroom.heart.org/news/drinking-cup-of-beetroot-juice-daily-may-help-lower-blood-pressure

https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/01/25/beets-health-benefits.aspx

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23231777

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitric_oxide

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/Press_releases/2003/10_17_03.html

What Does the Science Say? Taking an Evidence-Based Look at the Impact of Caffeine on Blood Pressure

Does Caffeine Raise Blood Pressure?

Caffeine gives you a jolt of energy – this is why many people drink a cup of coffee or tea in the morning or when they are feeling tired. Thus, it would be natural to assume that caffeine does, in fact, cause your blood pressure to rise. So, does the science hold up and if so, just how high does your blood pressure get?

Since there is already quite a lot of information on caffeine and blood pressure, some Swiss and American scientists decided to take a different look at things. For their experiment, they choose individuals without any hypertension issues. Of these, only six drank coffee regularly.

However, what really made this experiment stand out was that the scientists ran different scenarios with the participants. At different times during the experiment, the participants were independently given:

triple espresso
decaffeinated triple espresso
250mg of caffeine via IV
a placebo

So, what did the results show?

Well, interestingly enough, blood pressure levels didn’t rise for all participants! Non-coffee drinkers experienced an increase in systolic pressure readings on average by 13 mm Hg and diastolic pressures by 7 mm Hg. Habitual coffee drinkers, however, didn’t show any changes.

A different study conducted in 2016, gathered a total of 1329 participants. The individuals were between the ages of 20 and 60. Also, 13.5 percent of the participants were already diagnosed with high blood pressure.

In this study, the results were a little different. It appeared that caffeine didn’t have any impact on diastolic blood pressure in participants. However, systolic blood pressure did increase with all the participants.

This is conclusive evidence that yes, caffeine does cause blood pressure to rise. This increase is especially noticeable with non-coffee drinkers and individuals who are susceptible to blood pressure factors.

How Long Does Caffeine Affect Blood Pressure?

So, it is an accepted fact that caffeine can cause blood pressure to rise shortly after drinking coffee or a similarly caffeinated beverage. Let’s take a look at long the blood pressure stays up after the caffeine is consumed.

Well, research has been done in this department as well. However, it should be noted that the effects can vary from one person to another. Based on one experiment, though, blood pressure can rise around 30 minutes after ingesting it.

This will peak after an hour or two. Then, depending on the person, it may take around three to four hours – or more for your blood pressure to come back to normal again.

Long-Term Caffeine Consumption – How Does It Impact Blood Pressure?

As mentioned, a short increase in blood pressure isn’t something to be all that alarmed about. What most people want to find out is whether caffeine has a prolonged impact on blood pressure. After all, a continuously high blood pressure reading isn’t good.

According to cross-sectional studies, this doesn’t appear to be the case. Researchers found that habitual coffee drinkers don’t experience long-term increases in their blood pressure. This means that once your body becomes used to the effects of caffeine, your blood pressure doesn’t go up anymore.

That isn’t what is really intriguing, though. The same study found something else. Apparently, many habitual coffee drinkers notice a decrease – not a dangerous one – in their blood pressure. This suggests that with time, caffeine can actually help to lower your blood pressure!

Can Caffeine Cause Hypertension?

The research suggests that caffeine doesn’t have a long-term impact on your blood pressure. Nevertheless, let’s tackle another question – can caffeine cause hypertension? Is it possible that a high enough consumption can actually trigger the medical condition?

Well, there are researchers that considered the possibility, but the evidence proves otherwise. Now, on the one hand, those that don’t drink coffee appear to be at a lower risk of developing hypertension than those who drink up to 3 cups of coffee a day.

However, the same study revealed that individuals who drank closer to six cups a day had less risk of developing hypertension than people who drank three cups of coffee a day. Based on this information alone, it would appear that drinking more coffee had better outcomes.

Effect of Caffeine on High Blood Pressure Patients

Finally, if caffeine causes an increase in blood pressure, does it mean that it is dangerous for individuals who have already been diagnosed with the condition? The research was conducted on participants who had hypertension.

As with everyone else, those with hypertension experienced a rise in blood pressure after 3 hours. Once this time had elapsed, though, their levels returned back to original readings. However, this effect only lasted for a couple of weeks.

Once the participants became habitual coffee drinkers, their blood pressure didn’t increase. In this sense, they were just like healthy individuals who had also become accustomed to a certain amount of caffeine. Despite this, it is best for individuals diagnosed with hypertension to keep their caffeine consumption to a minimum.

As you can see, science does have the answers when it comes to the effect of caffeine on blood pressure. The answers might surprise you – if you are a habitual coffee drinker, you don’t actually have to worry about an increase in blood pressure for too long!

About the author

Allison Jones is a writer for the website CoffeeUrban. CoffeeUrban is a place built for coffee enthusiasts. You will easily find coffee maker & beans reviews, brewing tips, as well as some interesting pieces of coffee facts.

More Ways to Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally

For coffee enthusiasts, it’s good to hear that you don’t have to give up coffee to lower your blood pressure (unless you drink ridiculous amounts every day). Indeed, with research suggesting that long-term coffee drinking may even slightly decrease blood pressure, you might be considering taking up coffee drinking.

Nonetheless, coffee does cause a short-term increase in blood pressure – which you should be careful of if your blood pressure is extremely high. In any case, there are many other ways you can lower your blood pressure. There are a lot of drinks, including tea and green tea, which contain ingredients known to lower blood pressure. And there are a good number of foods which can reduce blood pressure. There is also a huge variety of different kinds of activities to make you fitter, which will help your blood pressure. And there are a range of different ways to alleviate stress, which can be another cause of high blood pressure.

If you’ve researched this a bit already, you’ll know that there’s a lot of information out there on lowering blood pressure naturally. However, to make it easy, we’ve put together a step-by-step guide:

Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally – The Complete 9 Step Guide

As the (highly imaginative) title suggests, the guide is arranged into nine steps which you can follow at your own pace. Each step is easy to follow and gives clear guidance on the different aspects of lowering blood pressure naturally.

There are tips on different kinds of exercise to lower blood pressure. (Even gentle walking can help, and there’s also a blood pressure-lowering exercise that you can do on your sofa.)

There’s loads of info on good foods and drinks for lowering blood pressure, along with a few recipes.

And we outline a host of techniques to de-stress.

The guide is designed to be easy to follow and to help you live a healthier and happier life. Lowering your blood pressure doesn’t have to be about denial. There are enough tasty foods, refreshing drinks, enjoyable activities and relaxing practices to keep you going – with lower blood pressure – for a lifetime…

Hypertension, Red Wine and Resveratrol – What’s the Link?

Hypertension and red wine – but what kind of red wine?

Photo by Heather Katsoulis on flickr.com

As far as I know, there’s no particular type of red wine which is best for hypertension. However, darker red wines tend to have higher resveratrol content. Say a Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, or Pinot noir (my favourite).

I have to admit that before learning of the beneficial qualities of red wine I was not a big drinker of wine. Now I buy a bottle or two a week and have learned a few lessons on buying wine.

First, don’t be fooled by price alone. Expensive wine is not necessarily the best wine and cheap red wine is not necessarily the worst. On the contrary, some of the cheaper red wines seem to have the most pleasant taste.

On a TV program this spring, wine tasting experts had to taste and rank various popular red wines on the market – blind (they weren’t allowed to see what brand of wine they were tasting). They all agreed on the best tasting wine. And it turned out to be one of the cheapest! So much for price as an indication of quality!

To get a great tasting red wine I would suggest you experiment with various types. Make a list of what you drink – the good, bad and ugly – so you know what to pick and what to avoid.

What if I don’t like red wine? Any alcohol will do!

If red wine really isn’t your cup of tea, you can get resveratrol in plenty of other foods and drinks too. Red grapes and grape juice are the obvious ones. However, any of the red, blue and purple coloured fruits (especially berries) tend to contain resveratrol and other powerful antioxidants. You can even mix your red wine with a little red grape juice and/or throw in some berries to make it all a bit more fruity. Frozen berries and juice mixed with red wine make a lovely cooling sangria in the summer.

There’s also some evidence that just the alcohol in alcoholic drinks is beneficial for the heart and blood pressure – in moderate amounts of course ;).

Beyond red wine – other pleasurable ways to reduce hypertension

If you’re serious about lowering your blood pressure, there’s a lot more you can do than just drinking a wee bit of wine. For a start there are many many foods and drinks which are beneficial for high blood pressure. These include fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains, herbs, spices, teas, juices, and yes, alcoholic drinks. And certain kinds of chocolate. Lowering your blood pressure naturally really doesn’t have to be about self-denial.

You just have to know which of the good things in life are genuinely good for your health – and you’ll be surprised by how many of them are. We (my partner Alison and I) have summarised them in our new book which contains everything you need to know about lowering your blood pressure without medications. Have a look at it here:

Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally – The Complete 9 Step Guide

It’s packed with tasty tips on how you can adjust your diet to lower your blood pressure. It also includes different kinds of exercise you can do to bring your blood pressure down. Some of these you can even do while sitting down watching TV. And it gives tips on how to easily integrate these into your daily life – the point being (again) that you don’t have to suffer to lower your blood pressure naturally – you can enjoy it ?

As well as diet and exercise, another major cause of high blood pressure is stress. So the book also contains a range of techniques you can use to lower your stress levels and just generally relax more.

Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally: Step 1

2 comments

This webpage is a companion to Step 1 of our book:
Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally – The Complete 9 Step Guide

Step 1 discusses the kinds of drinks that lower your blood pressure, as well as the kinds of drinks which raise it. In other words, which drinks you’d be good to get more of, and which drinks are definitely best avoided. You might be surprised at some of the suggestions!

Click here for more information on the book: Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally

Drink To Your Health: Drinks that lower blood pressure

Coconut Water

Coconut water is not only incredibly refreshing but also naturally full of electrolytes to help you maintain or restore a good fluid balance, which is important for healthy blood pressure. And it’s far far far better for you than sweetened soft drinks and sports drinks.

It’s becoming more popular so you can find coconut water in many supermarkets and grocery stores, and also most health food shops.

Beet(root) Juice

Studies are showing that beet (or beetroot) juice is another of the drinks that lower blood pressure. It’s also much lower in sugars than fruit juice, which makes it a healthier refreshing choice. Keeping sugar consumption low is vital for lowering blood pressure.
Read more about it here: Can I lower my blood pressure with beet juice?

Beet juice isn’t mainstream yet – though its healthy properties are becoming more widely known – so you’ll probably only find it in health food stores.

Coffee and caffeine content of drinks

For a general overview of the caffeine content of various popular drinks:

Good informative overview of caffeine in coffee and tea (Coffee Gear Spy)
Brief overview (Healthline.com)
More comprehensive listing (University of Utah)

Specific and up-to-date caffeine content figures for drinks (and foods) from many major coffee shops, outlets and brands:
Caffeine database (Caffeineinformer.com)

Tea

Drinking tea has been found to be very good for blood pressure, due to its high antioxidant content. Green tea especially is excellent, and also black tea. Herbal teas are also helpful in lowering blood pressure, especially relaxing teas to calm you down. Hibiscus tea is now also known to have blood pressure-reducing properties.

Tea and Herbal Tea Suppliers

The companies listed below sell a good range of teas – mostly herbal teas but also black and green teas.

As well as looking for teas containing a specific herb, you can find great blends designed for specific purposes – bedtime and sleep teas, relaxing teas, detox teas, anything you want.

Yogi teas sell great green, black and rooibos teas as well as doing fantastic chai teas and a lovely ginger and lemon tea.

Hibiscus Tea

Hibiscus tea can be a bit trickier to find, although it does feature as an ingredient in a variety of herbal tea blends. Some good quality teas can be bought online, or you can buy loose hibiscus to make your own tea blends, with the delicious recipe ideas in Step 1, or invent your own.

Celestial Seasonings’ Red Zinger tea contains hibiscus.

So drink up… to your health!

Send us your ideas and suggestions

If there are other websites, resources or products you’ve found useful and you think would be useful to others, please email them to us and we’ll include them: simon [at] highbloodpressurebegone.com

NOTE: This page is designed to be a companion page to Step 1 of our guide, ‘Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally’. As such, it only contains supplementary resources rather than being a full discussion of how to drink your way to lower blood pressure.

For more information on drinks that lower blood pressure, you can further browse this website or, of course, buy the guide..!

Click here for details: Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally – The Complete 9 Step Guide

Coffee and High Blood Pressure

The effects of caffeine on blood pressure

Coffee photo by https://goodstock.photos

Caffeine raises blood pressure through causing blood vessels to contract. It may also block a hormone that keeps arteries dilated, and can trigger the release of adrenaline which increases blood pressure.

Caffeine has also been shown to intensify your physical and mental experience of stress: a study at Duke University in the US showed that caffeine increased the levels of stress hormones in the body and amplified perceptions of stress. Since stress can cause high blood pressure, this means the worst thing you can do when you’re feeling stressed is grab a cup of coffee!

Persistence of the effects of caffeine and caffeine tolerance

You might think that the effect of a cup of coffee, or other caffeinated drinks, only lasts for an hour or two. It’s true that a cup of coffee generally raises blood pressure for no more than a few hours. However, caffeine can persist in the body for an entire day, with continued effects. Caffeine consumed in the morning can be affecting you even when you go to bed at night.

If you drink caffeine regularly, you’ll probably develop a tolerance to it, such that it doesn’t affect you quite as intensely as those who drink coffee only occasionally. So you might think that if you have a regular coffee habit, you don’t need to worry about its effect on your blood pressure.

However, this is not necessarily the case. Some studies show that drinking coffee regularly isn’t associated with raised blood pressure. However, other long-term studies have shown a relationship between daily amount of coffee consumed and blood pressure levels. So not everyone becomes immune to the blood pressure-raising effects of caffeine.

Also, the participants in the Duke University study described above were all habitual coffee drinkers, yet still showed significant increases in blood pressure, and stress, after consuming caffeine.

Some benefits of coffee for high blood pressure

The relationship of coffee and high blood pressure isn’t clear-cut. As well as studies giving somewhat mixed results, some suggest that some of the ingredients in coffee can benefit high blood pressure. Coffee contains antioxidants (such as polyphenols) and also some potassium. Since these substances are known to be good for the cardiovascular system, some thus argue that coffee can be good for your blood pressure.

Have a look at our guest post by Allison Jones of CoffeeUrban.com for an overview of some of the key scientific studies on caffeine and high blood pressure: What Does the Science Say? Taking an Evidence-Based Look at the Impact of Caffeine on Blood Pressure

How much coffee should I drink if I have high blood pressure?

It’s up to you to decide how much coffee you can have if you have high blood pressure. Some recommend limiting your caffeine intake to 200 mg (0.007 ounces) caffeine per day for healthy blood pressure. This is roughly the equivalent of two cups of brewed coffee per day. If you have high blood pressure, then this guideline could be worth following – especially if you’re specifically trying to lower your blood pressure, rather than just maintain it at its current level.

Keep in mind though that two cups per day may still increase blood pressure too much for some. Each person’s sensitivity to caffeine is different, and can change.

You can try to assess the short-term effect of caffeine by taking blood pressure readings. Take a reading first at rest before having any caffeine, and again about 30-60 minutes afterwards (repeat on several different days to get averages). If your readings go up 5-10 points after caffeine then it’s likely you’re sensitive to it.

However, this doesn’t measure any subtle ongoing effects that caffeine may be having on your blood pressure. So if you’re trying to lower your blood pressure, better to keep your caffeine intake on the low side.

Personal factors relating to coffee and high blood pressure

When figuring out what amount of caffeine is healthy for you, you also need to consider personal characteristics and other activities which exacerbate the effects of caffeine. These include:

Your blood pressure: The effect of caffeine is stronger the higher your blood pressure is already. So those with the highest blood pressure are most at risk from the blood pressure-increasing effects of caffeine.

Your age: The older you get – especially once you’re over 70 – the more your blood pressure is likely to react to caffeine.

Your size and weight: In general, the smaller and lighter you are, the more caffeine is likely to affect you, so you’re likely need to observe a lower daily caffeine limit. On the other hand, if you are overweight, caffeine is likely to have a greater effect on your blood pressure, so you will also need to be careful.

Exercise: Avoid caffeine right before doing exercise or any highly energetic activity. Exercise already raises your blood pressure, and the extra effect of caffeine can mean your heart has to work too hard. Stay away from caffeine for at least an hour before getting into serious exercise. Drink water (or coconut water) instead.

Smoking: Tobacco raises blood pressure by constricting your blood vessels, so coffee and a cigarette aren’t such a perfect combination.

Stress: Stress increases your blood pressure, and caffeine in turn increases your feeling of stress!

How to get less caffeine

Lower your caffeine intake gradually

If your current caffeine intake is much higher than a few daily cups of coffee, then be aware that a sudden drop in your caffeine intake can cause mild withdrawal symptoms, such as headaches, fatigue, irritability, and anxiety.

You can make the transition easier by reducing your caffeine intake over the course of a week or more.

As well as just cutting the number of cups of coffee you drink, there are other ways you can reduce the caffeine you’re getting, such as changing the kind of coffee you drink or switching to other drinks that are lower in caffeine or don’t contain caffeine at all.

Drink less coffee

The simplest way – drink less cups of coffee and/or drink smaller cups of coffee.

Drink coffee that’s lower in caffeine

In general, espresso coffees contain less caffeine than brewed/filter coffee, and of course decaffeinated coffee contains the least of all. (Espresso based drinks like latte, cappuccino etc., may be made with one or two shots, depending on the café/barista/outlet. So ask before you order to make sure you’re not getting more caffeine than you realize.)
See the links at the bottom of this page for details of the caffeine content of different drinks.

Drink tea instead of coffee

Replace coffee with other less caffeinated drinks, like black and green tea. As well as containing less caffeine, they also contain substances which can actually help lower your blood pressure.

There are also, of course, loads and loads of drinks which don’t contain any caffeine at all. Some of these, like tea, also have blood pressure-lowering properties. These include herbal tea and unsweetened cordials, as well as juices and smoothies. You can read more about these in our article: What to drink to lower blood pressure

Drink your way to lower blood pressure

There are many delicious drinks which can actually help lower your blood pressure, as well as just not raising it. You’ll find the most comprehensive overview of these in our book:

Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally – The Complete 9 Step Guide.

Also, while you can drink your way to lower blood pressure to some extent, you’ll almost certainly need to adjust your diet and maybe other aspects of your lifestyle as well. If you want to seriously and sustainably lower your blood pressure for the long-term, then you’ll need to be quite active regularly. You’ll also need to make sure you’re not too stressed out too much of the time.

This might sound like quite a big ask, but it can actually be quite a straightforward process if you just take it one step at a time. Our book will help you do just that. Each step focuses on different aspects of lowering blood pressure naturally and gives you clear guidance on how to do it. You can follow the steps at whatever pace best suits you. There’s no deadline or race.

There’s also no terrible hardship to go through. Lowering blood pressure naturally absolutely does not have to be a life of denial. You can still eat chocolate, drink alcohol, and eat red meat and butter (in moderation of course), along with plenty of other tasty and nutritious foods.

There are plenty of ways to get more exercise in your everyday life which are enjoyable and suit your natural interests – you don’t have to be a yoga or gym fanatic (unless you want to).

As for stress reduction, who doesn’t want to learn how to relax more? The book outlines myriad techniques you can use so you can try different methods and find which you most enjoy.

All in all, by lowering your blood pressure naturally, you’re moving to a healthier and thus naturally more enjoyable life. What are you waiting for?

Click here for details: Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally – The Complete 9 Step Guide

Coffee and high blood pressure: some references

Coffee and caffeine content of drinks

For a general overview of the caffeine content of various popular drinks:

Good informative overview of caffeine in coffee and tea (Coffee Gear Spy)
Brief overview (Healthline.com)
More comprehensive listing (University of Utah)

What can I drink to lower my blood pressure?

Super drinks to lower blood pressure?

Hibiscus tea

Beetroot juice

Coconut water

Juices and smoothies

Tea (black, green, rooibos)

Wine

Booze in general

What not to drink to lower blood pressure

What to drink to lower blood pressure, as well as what to eat, and what else you can do…

Direct effect of caffeine on blood pressure

Indirect effects of caffeine on blood pressure

Caffeine and stress and high blood pressure

Caffeine, stress and high blood pressure – what to do about it?

How much caffeine should I have?

Personal Physiology

Age

Find out for yourself how caffeine affects your blood pressure

But what if I have a good tolerance for caffeine?

How to reduce the effects of caffeine on blood pressure without drinking less coffee

How to drink less coffee (whilst not giving it up completely)

Drink coffee that’s lower in caffeine

Drink tea instead of coffee

Drink herbal teas and cordials

Lower your blood pressure naturally in other ways too

Beetroot juice for high blood pressure?

Beet juice for lower blood pressure: the evidence

How are beets good for blood pressure?

Other benefits of beets

How much beet juice to lower blood pressure?

Where can I get beetroot juice for lower blood pressure?

Do I have to drink beet juice? Can’t I just eat beets/beetroots?

Some ideas for eating beetroots/beets for lower blood pressure

More ways to lower your blood pressure naturally

Beet juice for lower blood pressure: some references:

Does Caffeine Raise Blood Pressure?

How Long Does Caffeine Affect Blood Pressure?

Long-Term Caffeine Consumption – How Does It Impact Blood Pressure?

Can Caffeine Cause Hypertension?

Effect of Caffeine on High Blood Pressure Patients

About the author

More Ways to Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally

Hypertension and red wine – but what kind of red wine?

What if I don’t like red wine? Any alcohol will do!

Beyond red wine – other pleasurable ways to reduce hypertension

This webpage is a companion to Step 1 of our book: Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally – The Complete 9 Step Guide

Step 1 discusses the kinds of drinks that lower your blood pressure, as well as the kinds of drinks which raise it. In other words, which drinks you’d be good to get more of, and which drinks are definitely best avoided. You might be surprised at some of the suggestions!

Click here for more information on the book: Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally

Drink To Your Health: Drinks that lower blood pressure

Coconut Water

Beet(root) Juice

Coffee and caffeine content of drinks

Tea

Tea and Herbal Tea Suppliers

Hibiscus Tea

So drink up… to your health!

Send us your ideas and suggestions

NOTE: This page is designed to be a companion page to Step 1 of our guide, ‘Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally’. As such, it only contains supplementary resources rather than being a full discussion of how to drink your way to lower blood pressure.

For more information on drinks that lower blood pressure, you can further browse this website or, of course, buy the guide..!

Click here for details: Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally – The Complete 9 Step Guide

The effects of caffeine on blood pressure

Persistence of the effects of caffeine and caffeine tolerance

Some benefits of coffee for high blood pressure

How much coffee should I drink if I have high blood pressure?

Personal factors relating to coffee and high blood pressure

How to get less caffeine

Lower your caffeine intake gradually

Drink less coffee

Drink coffee that’s lower in caffeine

Drink tea instead of coffee

Drink your way to lower blood pressure

Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally – The Complete 9 Step Guide.

Coffee and high blood pressure: some references

Coffee and caffeine content of drinks

This webpage is a companion to Step 1 of our book:
Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally – The Complete 9 Step Guide