Increasing numbers of high blood pressure sufferers are turning to natural ways to treat their condition instead of using medicines. Significantly, the majority of us who choose a natural remedy over prescribed medicines are more likely to immediately feel better, lose weight and reduce our hypertension.

Here are my 5 top tips to lower your high blood pressure and add 10 years to your life:

# 1. Diet

Our diet is the main contributor to our hypertension. Health experts and nutritionists recommend that we follow diet that is rich in whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, seeds, and nuts.Our diet should include adequate amounts of these nutrients:

One of the most important nutrients to help combat our condition is potassium. Research has shown that we could drop almost 20 BP points by getting 4,700 milligrams of potassium a day. Bananas are a good source of potassium.

Magnesium is another important nutrient that we need and in which we are probably deficient. There is an important relationship between potassium and magnesium. If we have low magnesium levels, it's very likely that our potassium levels will also be low. Because of our condition, we are advised to consume 400 milligrams of magnesium a day. 50 grams of almonds has 156 milligrams of magnesium.

Calcium also helps to reduce hypertension. It is recommended that we get 1,250 milligrams of calcium a day. Broccoli and spinach are good sources of calcium. Calcium is also found in dairy products, but if we eat these we should choose low fat products.

There are a number of herbs that help reduce high blood pressure, chief amongst these is garlic. Not only can garlic reduce our hypertension, it can also lower our cholesterol. We should add garlic to our cooking as well as taking a good quality supplement.

# 2. Reduce salt intake

We need some salt in our diet, but far less than we are used to having. Our diet should contain less than 1500 milligrams of sodium a day most of which will come from our food. That means we should only add a little salt at the cooking stage and none at the table.

# 3. Drink plenty of water

We need to keep our bodies properly hydrated to maintain our health. We should aim to drink two litres of water spread out over the day by drinking a glass of water every hour. This will help flush toxins out of our bodies through the kidneys and will also help eliminate any excess sodium.

# 4. Exercise

Our modern sedentary lifestyle has caused a massive increase in obesity across the "Western" World. Being overweight is a risk factor for developing hypertension. Yet, just half an hour of moderate exercise, such as brisk walking or swimming, each day will lower our blood pressure almost immediately. This benefit will last for nearly 24 hours, so we should exercise in this way every day.

There is an added bonus to being more physically active. When combined with a healthy diet, exercise will help us lose weight easily. That in turn will improve our condition.

# 5. Relaxation.

Even mild stress can raise our blood pressure. It is, therefore, important that we learn how to lower our stress levels as this can help lower our high blood pressure. Meditation is a good technique for reducing stress. If, for 10 minutes, we quiet our mind and eliminate all thoughts as they begin to form we will quickly reduce our blood pressure.

If you use these five top tips in combination your high blood pressure will soon be lowered to normal levels and you could add 10 years to your life.