Exercise can help lower blood pressure for many people. There are a couple of ways that doctors think this works:

  • Makes your heart stronger
  • Helps you lose weight
  • Helps your body get rid of salt
  • Lowers some hormone levels that affect blood pressure
  • Helps your body process sugar better

Exercise causes lots of changes in the body that can affect blood pressure. It’s probably not just one thing about exercise that helps lower blood pressure, but rather a lot of things happening at the same time.

 

Makes your heart stronger

One way that exercise can help lower blood pressure is by strengthening your heart. Your heart is a muscle, and when you exercise, it gets stronger. A stronger heart can pump blood with less effort, which can lower your blood pressure.

 

Helps you lose weight

Exercise can help you lose weight, which can help lower your blood pressure.

 

Helps your body get rid of salt

Exercise can help lower blood pressure by getting rid of salt through your sweat. While you’re exercising, you sweat more, so you get rid of more salt. Too much salt can increase your blood pressure, so getting rid of salt can help lower blood pressure.

 

Lowers some hormone levels

Exercise affects some hormone levels in the body, like norepinephrine or epinephrine. These hormones raise blood pressure. Exercising lowers these hormone levels, which helps lower blood pressure. 

 

Helps your body process sugar

Exercise can help improve how your body uses sugar. Exercise makes your body more responsive to insulin, a hormone that helps your body use or store the sugar you eat. Being more responsive to insulin can help lower blood pressure.

 

Exercise is great for your body and heart, and that can bring down your blood pressure in part!