Although high blood pressure, or hypertension, is usually a long-term condition, sometimes even absolutely healthy people can experience it because of stress, and lack of sleep or physical activity. In this case, there’s no need to rush to a hospital or take pills. Instead, you can try some simple techniques that will return your blood pressure back to normal.
We gathered 7 effective ways to reduce blood pressure quickly, without using any medication. And as a bonus, you’ll find an exercise that will help you to avoid this problem in the future.
7. Massage your ears and neck.
- Find the first point behind your earlobe and draw an imaginary straight line downward, to the center of your collarbone, where you will find the second point. Using your fingers, gently massage your neck with soft movements up and down this line. Repeat 10 times on both sides of your neck.
- The third point lies on your face at earlobe height, about 1/2 cm from your ear. Massage it on each side with your fingertips for about a minute in a counterclockwise movement.
Massaging these areas will relieve the tension in your neck muscles and restore proper blood flow to your brain.
6. Try acupressure.
How to do it:
- Place your thumbs at the base of your skull, in the depression on both sides of your spine.
- Activate both points simultaneously by applying a steady, but mild, pressure on them.
- In a minute or 2, you’ll feel that your headache has gotten much better.
5. Practice left nostril breathing.
How to do it:
- Sit on the floor or in a chair in a comfortable position with your back straight.
- Place your left hand on your abdomen.
- Close your right nostril with your right thumb.
- Take a deep breath through your left nostril, hold for a few seconds, then breathe out.
- Breathe slowly and deeply only through your left nostril for about 3-5 minutes.
4. Try hissing bee breathing.
Bhramari pranayama, or hissing bee breathing, will help you instantly ease your mind and get rid of the headaches and migraines associated with hypertension.
How to do it:
- Sit down on the floor in a comfortable position with your back straight.
- Place your index fingers on the cartilage of both ears.
- Take a deep breath in.
- As you exhale, make a humming sound, like a bee, and put mild pressure on your ear cartilage at the same time.
- Repeat this exercise 7-10 times.
3. Drink a glass of water.
How to fix it:
- Every time you start feeling symptoms of hypertension, drink a glass or 2 of pure water.
- Then wait for a couple of minutes.
Drinking water will help you to restore an adequate volume of blood in your body and reduce your blood pressure.
2. Relax in savasana.
How to do it:
- Lie down on your back and close your eyes.
- Try to relax every single muscle in your body.
- Rest in this pose for about 10-15 minutes.
Besides getting your blood pressure back to normal, it will also help bring balance to your nervous system.
1. Soak your feet in hot water.
How to do it:
- Take a bucket or a basin and fill it with really hot, but still tolerable, water.
- Sit down on a chair, apply an ice compress to the back of your neck, and put your hands and feet into the water.
- Soak your feet and hands in the basin for about 10-15 minutes.
This method can help you draw the blood down to your feet and away from your head so that your blood pressure will slowly go back to normal.
Bonus: An easy exercise to keep your blood pressure under control
How to do it:
- Take a stress ball and hold it in one of your hands.
- Squeeze the ball and then release it.
- Perform the exercise for about 6-7 minutes, then repeat with the other hand.
After a month, the level of your blood pressure should drop by 10%.
Do you suffer from high blood pressure? How do you usually keep it under control?
