8 simple steps for healthy blood pressure

Take heart: with the proper tools and guidance from your doctor, you can manage your blood pressure. In addition, trying these simple tips can help to keep it at a healthy level.

You can't see it, you can't feel it and, unless you get it checked, you won't even know you have it. That makes high blood pressure (or hypertension) a quiet killer, one that slowly damages your blood vessels, heart and eyes while simultaneously increasing your risk of heart disease, stroke, dementia and kidney disease.

Like bananas, apricots are a good source of potassium and lots of fibre, iron and beta carotene. As a snack, dried apricots are low in calories: Roughly eight total just 100 calories. Choose an unsulphured brand.

That and a brief hug is all it took in one study to keep blood pressure steady during a stressful incident.

Being exposed to noise while you sleep may increase your blood pressure as well as your heart rate, so block out any noise.

One U.S. study found this lowered systolic blood pressure by an average of seven per cent and diastolic blood pressure by an average of 4.6 per cent, thanks to high levels of potassium in orange juice.

Do you wake up tired? You may have sleep apnea. Half the people who have the condition — where you stop breathing many times during the night — also have hypertension. Check with your doctor.

Did you know that many breakfast cereals contain salt? Who needs that? Find a brand that's salt-free.

Numerous studies show meditation eases stress and lowers blood pressure. Five minutes a day will work. Good mantras include: "This, too, shall pass" and "Breathe."

Try garlic, fish oil, calcium, CoQ10 — all have blood pressure-lowering properties. Check with your doctor first.