Reviewed by nutritionist Katey Davidson, RD, CPT
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Key points
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Your morning habits can affect your blood pressure.
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Take a deep breath to help start the call free of charge in your blood pressure.
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Also try to follow a dash diet, move daily, limit or avoid alcohol.
High blood pressure or high blood pressure can affect nearly half of the adults in the United States. If you have high blood pressure, you may know that medications, diet and lifestyle changes are key to reducing serious health complications such as heart attacks and strokes.
However, one often overlooked factor includes your morning routine that can support or hinder your blood pressure goals. Here are six expert-supported morning habits to set the tone of a healthier day.
1. Avoid screen time
If you tend to wake up and scroll your phone right away or check the news, it might be worth rethinking – especially if it tends to stress you out. Research links news consumption to increased anxiety, stress and mental fatigue. This includes not only traditional news media, but also your social media feeds that often provide constant headlines, opinions, and emotionally flooded content. Starting your day this way may increase baseline stress levels, resulting in greater stress and higher blood pressure throughout the day. Other acute stressors, such as heated comment threads or text messages, can also cause temporary elevation of blood pressure.
Instead, certified strength and condition experts Brooke Matheson, MS, CSCS recommends you take a relaxing walk, meditate, a warm bathtub or listen to soothing music. “Any activity you find that relaxing has the potential to activate the parasympathetic nervous system and lower blood pressure,” she said. Starting your morning with a calm mind can help you browse the rest of the day more easily.
2. Have some potassium for breakfast
“Potassium helps balance sodium levels in the body and supports vasodilation, which can naturally lower blood pressure.” Michelle Routhenstein, MS, RD, CDCES, CDN, Cardiology Nutrition and Heart Health Specialist. For guidance, try following a dashboard diet (dietary method to stop high blood pressure), which is low in sodium and is three times lower in sodium compared to the average diet.
Fortunately, many breakfast foods are high in potassium, such as potatoes, cantaloupe, Greek yogurt, apricots, orange juice, and many fruits and vegetables. Routhenstein recommends trying to add bananas to oatmeal, spin kiwis into smoothies or spread avocados over toast for more potassium in the morning meal.
3. go out
More time spent in nature is related to lowering blood pressure. The researchers are not sure why it helps outside, but they suspect it is a combination of stress relief, increased exercise and enjoyment.
The outside time in the morning may also help in other ways, especially on sunny days. “Morning sunlight can support vitamin D production, which plays a role in vascular flexibility and blood pressure regulation,” Lawrencetin said. It also helps regulate your circadian rhythm (or 24-hour clock), which is important for maintaining healthy blood pressure.
4. Monitor blood pressure
The only way to understand blood pressure is to monitor it regularly. Fortunately, blood pressure is relatively easy to track through the at-home blood pressure cuff.
“Blood pressure readings are just a set of numbers,” said Jeffrey Le Do, an interventional cardiologist. “What’s more important is the blood pressure trend. Measuring a blood pressure trend during the day and at night can provide valuable information that leads to a lower risk of heart disease in the future.”
Try to measure blood pressure at the same time of the day. Usually, the best time is the morning before you are busy with the rest of the day. However, if you get a reading of 180/120 mmHg or higher, seek medical help right away as this is considered a hypertension crisis.
5. Take a deep breath
Although breathing habits have been around for thousands of years as part of different cultures, today people are increasingly aware of their health benefits. According to Matheson, “Deep Diaphragmatic respiration activates your parasympathetic nervous system, which is the “rest and digest” side of your autonomic nervous system. This may have an immediate impact on your blood pressure as well as on your stress.”
A systematic review of breathing exercises found that they help lower blood pressure and lower heart rate. Fortunately, there are many guided meditation and respirator applications that can help you learn to regulate your breathing. Or you can practice alone, slowly inhaling in the morning and exhale in a calm space.
6. Limit caffeine intake
We’re not saying you can’t drink a cup of coffee or tea, especially if that’s your morning jam, but too much caffeine can cause problems. “The excess caffeine can trigger short-term spikes in blood pressure by stimulating the sympathetic nervous system and contracting blood vessels,” explains Routhenstein.
The key is to avoid too much caffeine and sit too much at a time. Fortunately, according to a review study, most people can safely handle about 1 to 3 cups of coffee without negatively affecting their blood pressure. In fact, coffee is a rich source of heart health-rich compounds such as chlorophylates that have been shown to lower blood pressure and may balance the effects of caffeine. Do you like green tea? It is also rich in phytochemicals, such as catechins, which can lower blood pressure.
Other things to do throughout the day to help lower blood pressure
While morning habits support healthy blood pressure, what you do later in the day is also important. Here are some other strategies to consider:
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sleep tight. Getting enough sleep is important for maintaining healthy blood pressure, as poor quality and irregular sleep can cause it to rise. Matheson points out the importance of getting quality sleep, which can be challenging for people with sleep apnea. “Breathing through the mouth increases blood pressure, so if you have CPAP, wear it. If you think you may have sleep apnea, do a test.”
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Pay attention to pressure. While it is important to relieve stress in the morning, keep this mindfulness all day long. To help unplug, LE recommends setting up an alarm every few hours to remind yourself to put down your phone, stand up and stretch, and even do some breathing exercises.
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Move your body. Regular exercise is important for your physical and mental health, including maintaining healthy blood pressure. While morning exercises are great, the most important thing is actually getting up and moving – regardless of the time of day or type of activity. “Don’t go too far with the details,” Matheson said. “Any exercise is beneficial.” Find what you like and keep your body moving all day long.
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Limit alcohol. Alcohol guidelines recommend that women should not exceed one cup per day and two for men. However, if you have high blood pressure, you may need to reduce further or consider waivers altogether. One study found that drinking just one drink per day may increase systolic blood pressure. Fortunately, alcohol-free cocktails are becoming more popular, so why not give it a try?
Our experts take
Managing blood pressure is key to preventing serious health complications such as heart attacks and strokes. A healthy lifestyle choice can make a difference in addition to taking any prescription medications – starting in the morning. Before you start, try limiting screen time, getting some morning sunshine, eating rich potassium, and taking a deep breath.
Incorporating these tips into your mornings and routine may help support healthier blood pressure levels. While they may be helpful, it is still crucial to have regular checkups with your doctor.
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