Find Out Which Ones You Can Control and Which Ones You'll Need to Mitigate
Taking Control: Understanding Your Blood Pressure Risk Factors
If you’re past the age of 30, you’re likely starting to think about high blood pressure at least on occasion. Perhaps you’ve noticed your numbers are creeping up, or maybe you’re simply being proactive about your health. Either way, understanding what influences your blood pressure—and more importantly, what you can do about it—is one of the most empowering steps you can take for your long-term wellbeing.
The good news? While some risk factors are beyond our control, many of the most significant contributors to high blood pressure are entirely within our power to address. Let’s explore both, with a focus on practical, functional medicine approaches that work with your body’s natural systems.
The Functional Medicine Perspective
Functional medicine asks “why” rather than just “what.” Why is your blood pressure elevated? Is it inflammation? Insulin resistance? Chronic stress? Nutrient deficiencies? Poor sleep? Often, it’s a combination. By addressing root causes rather than just symptoms, you’re not just managing blood pressure—you’re building whole-body health.
Remember, your body wants to heal. When you remove barriers to health and provide the right inputs—good food, movement, stress management, quality sleep, meaningful connections—your body’s natural healing mechanisms can engage.
First, An Important Note
If you already have high blood pressure, make sure you have prescription medication and take it consistently. It may take more than one prescription to get it under control. Then you can implement these recommendations and when your blood pressure responds, your medication can be lowered or discontinued.
The Factors You Can Control
1) Blood Sugar Balance: The Hidden Connection
Your blood sugar and blood pressure are more intimately connected than most people realize. When blood glucose levels spike repeatedly throughout the day, it triggers a cascade of inflammatory responses and damages the delicate lining of your blood vessels. Over time, this makes your arteries stiffer and less responsive, forcing your heart to work harder.
What you can do:
- Focus on balanced meals that combine protein, healthy fats, and fiber with any carbohydrates
- Avoid eating carbohydrates alone—always pair them with protein or fat to slow glucose absorption
- Consider continuous glucose monitoring to understand your personal responses to different foods
- Eat your vegetables before your starches at meals to blunt glucose spikes
- Take short walks after meals (even 10 minutes helps to lower the post meal glucose spike)
2) The Breath-Blood Pressure Connection
Your breath is perhaps the most underutilized tool for blood pressure management. Slow, deep breathing activates your parasympathetic nervous system—your body’s natural “rest and digest” mode—which directly lowers blood pressure. Studies have shown that just 15 minutes of slow breathing practice daily can produce measurable reductions in blood pressure.
What you can do:
- Practice 4-7-8 breathing: Inhale for 4 counts, hold for 7, exhale for 8
- Or box breathing if it’s easier: Inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4
- Try resonance frequency breathing (typically 5-6 breaths per minute)
- Set reminders throughout your day for “breath breaks”
- Consider biofeedback devices that guide optimal breathing patterns
3) Movement as Medicine
Exercise isn’t just about weight management—it’s about improving the flexibility and responsiveness of your blood vessels. Regular physical activity helps your arteries stay elastic and responsive, improving their ability to dilate and constrict as needed which lowers blood pressure!
What you can do:
- Aim for 150 minutes of moderate activity weekly (30 minutes, 5 days a week)
- Include both aerobic exercise (walking, swimming, cycling) and resistance training
- Don’t discount gentle movement: Yoga, tai chi, and qigong all show blood pressure benefits
- Build movement into daily life—take stairs, park farther away, garden
- Remember: consistency matters more than intensity
4) Sodium and Potassium: The Mineral Balance
While everyone focuses on reducing sodium, the sodium-to-potassium ratio matters just as much. Most Americans get far too much sodium and nowhere near enough potassium. This imbalance causes your body to retain fluid and your blood vessels to constrict.
What you can do:
- Increase potassium-rich foods: leafy greens, avocados, sweet potatoes, & beans
- Focus on reducing processed foods rather than obsessing over the salt shaker
- If you do use salt, consider mineral-rich options like Celtic or Himalayan salt*
- Aim for 4,700 mg of potassium daily from food sources
- Read labels—sodium hides in unexpected places like bread and condiments – aim for about 2500 mg or less per day from food sources
5) Stress Management and Mindfulness
Chronic stress keeps your body in a perpetual state of “fight or flight,” which means elevated cortisol, increased inflammation, and constricted blood vessels. While we can’t eliminate stress, we can change how our bodies respond to it.
What you can do:
- Establish a daily mindfulness or meditation practice (even 5-10 minutes matters)
- Try progressive muscle relaxation before bed
- Consider heart rate variability (HRV) training to build stress resilience- many wearable devices have options for this
- Practice gratitude journaling
- Set boundaries around news consumption and social media
- Cultivate meaningful social connections—loneliness raises blood pressure
6) Sleep: The Foundation of Health
Poor sleep is both a cause and consequence of high blood pressure. During deep sleep, your blood pressure naturally drops, giving your cardiovascular system a much-needed rest. When sleep is disrupted, you miss this recovery period.
What you can do:
- Aim for 7-9 hours nightly
- Keep a consistent sleep schedule, even on weekends
- Create a cool, dark sleeping environment (65-68°F is ideal)
- Finish eating 3 hours before bed to avoid glucose spikes during sleep
- If you snore loudly or wake unrefreshed, get screened for sleep apnea
- Limit blue light exposure in the evening
7) Weight Management Through Metabolic Health
Excess weight, particularly around the abdomen, contributes to insulin resistance, inflammation, and increased blood pressure. But rather than focusing solely on the scale, think about metabolic health—how efficiently your body processes energy.
What you can do:
- Focus on body composition rather than just weight
- Build muscle through resistance training—muscle is metabolically active tissue
- Consider time-restricted eating (such as a 12-hour eating window)
- Address underlying insulin resistance with your healthcare provider
- Remember that stress reduction and sleep improvement often help with weight naturally
8) Alcohol and Caffeine: Finding Your Balance
Both alcohol and excessive caffeine can raise blood pressure. Alcohol, in particular, has a direct effect on blood vessel constriction and can interfere with blood pressure medications.
What you can do:
- Limit alcohol to no more than one drink daily for women
- Notice how caffeine affects you personally—some people are more sensitive
- If you drink coffee, stop by early afternoon to protect your sleep
– Consider herbal teas like hibiscus, which may actually lower blood pressure - Stay well hydrated with water throughout the day
Factors You Can't Control—But Can Mitigate
1) Age and Hormonal Changes
As we age, our blood vessels naturally become less flexible. For women, the drop in estrogen during perimenopause and menopause accelerates this process. Estrogen helps keep blood vessels elastic, so its decline is one reason blood pressure often rises during this life stage.
How to mitigate:
- All of the lifestyle factors above become even more important during this transition
- Consider working with a functional medicine practitioner like Carla on hormone optimization and replacement if appropriate
- Increase antioxidant-rich foods to combat oxidative stress on blood vessels – our Nourish Program can help here!
- Ensure adequate vitamin D levels (get tested—many perimenopausal women are deficient)
- Don’t accept “it’s just your age” as the final answer—much can still be influenced
2) Genetics and Family History
If high blood pressure runs in your family, you may have a genetic predisposition. However, genetics load the gun—lifestyle pulls the trigger. Epigenetics shows us that our behaviors can influence which genes get expressed and turned “on”.
How to mitigate:
- Be extra vigilant about the controllable factors
- Start healthy habits early, before blood pressure becomes elevated
- Monitor your blood pressure regularly at home
- Work with healthcare providers who understand functional medicine approaches
- Consider genetic testing to understand specific variants that might influence your blood pressure metabolism
3. Chronic Conditions
Conditions like diabetes, kidney disease, and thyroid disorders can contribute to high blood pressure. While you may not have chosen to have these conditions, managing them well directly impacts your blood pressure.
How to mitigate:
- Optimize management of underlying conditions with your healthcare team
- Understand the interconnections—improving one condition often helps others
- Address root causes of inflammation when possible
- Consider functional medicine testing to identify underlying issues
- Be consistent with any prescribed medications while also supporting your body with lifestyle
Creating Your Personal Action Plan
Feeling overwhelmed? Let go. Give yourself some grace. You don’t need to change everything at once. Here’s how to start:
Week 1-2:
Begin a simple breathing practice. Just 5 minutes morning and evening of slow, deep breathing. This single intervention can begin lowering your blood pressure within days.
Week 3-4:
Add a 20-minute daily walk. If you already exercise, ensure you’re including both aerobic and resistance training.
Month 2:
Focus on blood sugar balance. Start eating protein at breakfast and ensure every meal includes protein, healthy fat, and fiber. This would be a great time to evaluate your blood sugar control with a continuous glucose monitor. Ask Carla how!
Month 3:
Establish a consistent sleep schedule and begin a stress management practice that resonates with you—meditation, yoga, journaling, or time in nature.
Ongoing:
Continue building. Add more potassium-rich foods. Reduce processed foods. Deepen your mindfulness practice. Monitor your progress.
Your Next Steps
Consider working with a functional medicine practitioner like Carla who can help you identify your specific risk factors and create a personalized plan. Ask about home blood pressure monitoring so you can track your progress. And most importantly, be patient and compassionate with yourself. These changes take time, but every healthy choice you make is an investment in your future self.
Your blood pressure is not a life sentence—it’s a conversation your body is having with you. By learning to listen and respond with the powerful tools of lifestyle medicine, you become an active participant in your own health story.
Note: This information is for educational purposes and should not replace medical advice. Always consult with your healthcare provider before making significant changes to your health routine, especially if you’re currently taking blood pressure medication.
