How can I lower my blood pressure?

By Dr. Lou Ignarro • February 24, 2014 • Your Questions Answered

How can I lower my blood pressure?

Blood pressure greatly impacts heart health, so lowering it can be an important part of preventing or reversing heart disease. First, let’s look at what blood pressure is, and then I’ll offer some strategies for lowering your numbers.
The term “blood pressure” is used so frequently that it’s easy to overlook what it means. It’s actually pretty simple: Blood pressure is the pressure placed on the arteries as blood flows through them. The less flexible your arteries are, the harder the force against the arterial wall as blood moves through the vessels. Plaque buildup, sticky blood, inflammation—all of these make it harder for the blood to flow efficiently. That means your heart has to work harder to pump your blood, which puts more strain on the heart.
Improving the health of the endothelium is critical to lowering blood pressure. Your body contains 6 trillion endothelial cells that line 100,000 miles of blood vessels in a single layer; that continuous layer throughout the vascular system (the arteries, veins and capillaries) makes up the endothelium. The main job of the endothelium is to create the signaling molecule Nitric Oxide (NO), the most important molecule in the entire cardiovascular system. When the endothelium is healthy, it releases NO, which helps keep the blood vessels flexible, reduces inflammation, and causes the blood vessels to dilate, or widen, among other benefits.
Most of us have tried to blow up a long, thin balloon before—the kind balloon artists use to make animals and funny hats for children. If you take one right out of the bag, put it to your mouth, and attempt to blow it up, not much happens. But if you manually stretch the balloon with your hands to open it up and make it more elastic and flexible, and then attempt to blow it up again, what occurs? The balloon easily inflates.
Considering the balloon as a blood vessel and your breath as blood is a good analogy of a dysfunctional vessel. It’s incredibly difficult for blood to flow through a nearly closed, rigid vessel. Similarly, as stretching the balloon helps to inflate it, a healthy endothelium helps the blood vessel maintain elasticity and relaxes the muscular layer so the vessel can stretch to accommodate and respond to blood flow and pressure. The presence of NO causes the vessel to relax and contract as needed.
If you’re looking to improve the health of your endothelium and lower your blood pressure at the same time, here are some steps you can take:

• Exercise regularly. The CDC recommends 150 minutes of exercise per week, which figure out to about 30 minutes, five times weekly. Exercise creates shear stress on the endothelial wall, which stimulates NO production.
• Get your nutrients. A healthy diet is necessary to endothelial health. I recommend the Mediterranean diet because of the extensive research that proves it can prevent or reverse disease. Supplementing with endothelial-supportive nutrients like arginine, citrulline, vitamin E, vitamin C, and others can give your endothelium the nutritional boost it needs to function at its peak.
• Reduce stress levels. Too much distress over a long period of time—known as chronic stress—can have terrible effects. An in-depth study conducted by the University of Helsinki showed that “both chronic and acute stress may exert an effect on atherosclerosis in subjects with impaired endothelial responses.” On the other hand, reducing stress levels can improve endothelial health, which can help get those blood pressure numbers in check.
• Get plenty of sleep and rest. Inadequate sleep can result in high blood pressure and elevated blood sugar levels. It also impacts hormone levels and negatively affects the secretory functions of the endothelium, including NO production. So, more sleep and rest equals healthier blood pressure levels.
• Laugh more! Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore found that laughter causes the endothelium to dilate or expand in order to increase blood flow. Laughter and happiness are good for your life—and your blood pressure.

A healthy endothelium is necessary to lowering blood pressure. Do you have suggestions, advice or a personal story to share? If so, please take a moment to comment below.