Majority of the senior citizens are considered to have high blood pressure, which can lead to heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, loss of eyesight and Alzheimer's. So it is important to reduce the risk of getting such conditions by effectively and successfully lowering blood pressure. 

Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury, which is abbreviated as mm Hg. There are two measurements involved,  

• Systolic blood pressure. The top number represents the pressure in the blood vessels when the heart beats. 
• Diastolic blood pressure. The bottom number represents the pressure in the blood vessels between beats, when the  heart is resting.

These measurements are based on how much blood is pumped by the heart, and how much the arteries are resistant to the blood flow.  The normal blood pressure is considered to be lower than 120/80 mm Hg, when blood pressure is higher than 130/80 mmHg it is considered as high blood pressure, when it is in between 120/80mmHg and 130/80 mmHg, it is considered elevated blood pressure, which means the person is under the risk of getting high blood pressure. 

If your blood pressure is high your doctor may prescribe medication to control your blood pressure. But when a person falls into the category of elevated blood pressure, lifestyle changes can significantly reduce the blood pressure without requiring medication.  Even when you are on medication to control high blood pressure, there are easy lifestyle modifications that help you to lower your blood pressure and make you feel better. 

Stress causes blood pressure to spike. Stress is an unavoidable consequence of life. Workplace and family demands, politics and social situations, all contribute to stress. You should find ways to calm down to reduce your stress. It is important to your health.   Studies show that yoga and meditation can help lower blood pressure. Practicing breathing exercises, taking a walk, reading a book, painting or watching a comedy are some of the things that you can do to reduce stress. Listening to music every day is also effective to lower the blood pressure. Expressing gratitude to others can help reduce your stress. 

Changing the way you eat is important to lead a better life. Try to have a DASH diet, DASH diet means a Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension. The DASH diet emphasizes low sodium foods, fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy, whole grains, fish, poultry, beans, fewer sweets and red meats.

Keep a food diary and keep on checking what you are eating. Avoid foods high in saturated fat and  cholesterol, and eat more whole grains, lean poultry,fruits and vegetables. Passion fruit leaves have a medicinal property to lower blood pressure effectively. You can add coconut stir fried passion fruit leaves into your diet.  

Eat less processed foods, they give extra salt into your meal. Another thing you should pay attention to is that foods labeled as “low fat” are high in salt & sugar. Fat is what gives food taste, and  when food is low fat, to compensate for the loss, the manufacturers increase the sugar and salt content of the product.  Always check labels before buying food. 

Eat foods with high potassium and low sodium content. Potassium can reduce the tension in the blood vessels and lessens the effects of salt. But people having kidney diseases should limit their potassium intake because a diet rich in potassium will be harmful to them.

For examples for foods rich in potassium are, fish, yogurt, tapioca, bananas, avocados, oranges, sweet potatoes, potatoes, tomato, green leafy vegetables like spinach, mung beans, etc

Dark chocolate that contains  60 to 70 percent cacao has been shown to lower blood pressure. The benefits are thought to come from the flavonoids present in chocolate with more cocoa solids. The flavonoids help dilate, or widen, your blood vessels.   

(https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/food-features/dark-chocolate/)

Fresh garlic or garlic extract are both widely used to lower blood pressure..  

High amounts of sugar can raise your blood pressure as well as inflammation in your body. A study conducted in 2010, compared low carb diet and low fat diet. (A Randomized Trial of a Low-Carbohydrate Diet vs Orlistat Plus a Low-Fat Diet for Weight Loss January 25, 2010 - William S. Yancy Jr, MD, MHS; Eric C. Westman, MD, MHS; Jennifer R. McDuffie, PhD, RD, MPH; et al) According to the study both diets produced weight loss, but the low-carb diet was much more effective in lowering blood pressure. The low-carb diet lowered blood pressure by 4.5 mm Hg diastolic and 5.9 mm Hg systolic. 

Blood pressure often increases as weight increases. If you’re overweight, reducing even a small amount of weight like 5 - 10 pounds can reduce your blood pressure. Weight loss is one of the most effective lifestyle changes for controlling blood pressure. A 2016 review of several studies reported that weight loss diets reduced blood pressure by an average of 3.2 mm Hg diastolic and 4.5 mm Hg systolic.  While reducing weight pay attention to your waistline as well. Too much weight around the waist can increase the risk of getting high blood pressure.In general, men are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 40 inches (102 centimeters) and women are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 35 inches (89 centimeters). These numbers may vary depending on the ethnicity. 

Regular physical activity is good for both reducing weight and reducing high blood pressure itself. In a 2013 study, sedentary older adults who participated in aerobic exercise training lowered their blood pressure by an average of 3.9 percent systolic and 4.5 percent diastolic. The reason is  exercising increases heart beat rate and breathing rate, when you regularly engage in exercises, over time your heart gets stronger and pumps with less effort. This leads to less pressure on the arteries and lowers the blood pressure.

According to a 2013 report by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association, 40 minute sessions of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity, three to four times per week should strive to achieve benefits.     

(https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/01.cir.0000437740.48606.d1 )

If it is difficult for you to spend 40 minutes per a day, you can divide the time into three or four 10 -15 minutes sessions throughout the day. Being physically active includes, dancing, using the stairs, walking instead of driving, jogging, doing household chores, gardening, swimming, cycling, hiking, playing a team sport etc. All you want is to engage in those activities regularly and work up to at least half an hour per day of moderate activity. 

A 2017 review on the effects of tai chi and high blood pressure shows an overall average of a 15.6 mm Hg drop in systolic blood pressure and a 10.7 mm Hg drop in diastolic blood pressure. Aerobic exercises and activities like walking 10,000 steps a day are found to  lower blood pressure.  Studies suggest that light physical activities  are suitable for older adults. 

if you are a smoker quitting smoking can reduce your risk of heart disease and improve your overall health.  An immediate but temporary increase in  blood pressure and an increase in the heart rate are caused by smoking. In the long term, the chemicals in tobacco can increase blood pressure by damaging walls of the blood vessels, causing inflammation, and narrowing the arteries. The hardened arteries cause higher blood pressure. 

Heavy drinking of alcohol can actually raise blood pressure by several points and it can also reduce the effectiveness of blood pressure medications. 

If you are not getting enough sleep, it can affect your blood pressure. Blood pressure typically dips down when sleeping.  People who aren’t getting enough sleep, have an increased risk of getting high blood pressure. To get a sound sleep at night, practice a regular sleep schedule, try relaxation exercises before sleep, practice metta (loving- kindness) meditation before sleep, exercise during the day, avoid daytime naps, avoid using smartphones before sleep, and make your bedroom comfortable and smell good. Regularly sleeping less than 5 hours a night was linked to a significant risk of hypertension long term. Monitor your blood pressure at home and see your doctor regularly. You can buy blood pressure monitors without a prescription. 

Home monitoring can help you keep you alert on your blood pressure, make certain your lifestyle changes are working.