Left unmonitored, high blood pressure can strain the arteries and the heart until the damage triggers a stroke.
Yet according to one dietitian, the answer may be as simple as drinking beetroot juice every morning.
"Beet juice can trigger nitric oxide production, which acts as your body's natural blood pressure regulator," Kiran Campbell, RDN, told EatingWell.
Beets are packed with nitrates, which your body transforms into nitric oxide. This process loosens up your arteries, allowing blood to flow more freely and taking pressure off your heart.
Nitric oxide production acts as the body's natural blood pressure regulator
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The natural remedy gets to work quickly, too.
Beet juice can start lowering blood pressure within just hours of drinking it, with the effects reaching their peak around three hours after you've had a glass.
A meta-analysis found that beet juice brought down systolic blood pressure – that's the top number on your reading – by an average of 5.31 mm Hg when compared to a placebo.
A drop of just 5 mm Hg in systolic pressure can reduce your risk of a cardiovascular event by 10 per cent.
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Beyond beet juice, there are plenty of other lifestyle tweaks that can make a real difference to your blood pressure.
Michelle Routhenstein, MS RD CDCES CDN, Preventive Cardiology Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator, told GB News: "The most effective lifestyle changes to lower blood pressure naturally include adopting a balanced diet rich in magnesium, potassium, and calcium, engaging in regular physical activity, managing stress, ensuring adequate sleep, and addressing underlying factors like insulin resistance and weight management."
She added: "In my private practice, I have helped many reduce their blood pressure by 20-30 points within just two weeks by making personalised dietary adjustments."
Beet juice can start lowering blood pressure within just hours
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Miss Routhenstein also shared some practical tips about when and how you eat throughout the day.
She explained: "The timing of meals can influence blood pressure, with smaller, more frequent meals and avoiding large meals before bed helping to stabilise blood sugar and improve sleep, both of which contribute to better blood pressure control."
It's worth noting that how quickly you see results can vary quite a bit from person to person.
The speed of improvement depends on how severe your blood pressure is and what's actually causing it to be elevated in the first place.