You’ve probably seen the canisters of "pre-workout" powder sitting on gym shelves, promising a "massive pump" and veins that look like a roadmap. Most of that is marketing fluff, but buried under the neon labels is a molecule that actually matters: nitric oxide. It’s basically a gas produced by your body that tells your blood vessels to relax. When they relax, they open up. When they open up, blood actually gets where it needs to go.
Simple.
But here is the thing. As we get older, our ability to produce this stuff absolutely craters. By the time you hit 40, you might only be producing half of what you did in your teens. That’s not just a "gym" problem. It’s a blood pressure problem. It’s a brain health problem. It’s an energy problem. Honestly, if you want to know how to increase nitric oxide levels, you have to stop looking at it as a supplement shortcut and start looking at it as a biological maintenance project.
The Nitrate-to-Nitrite Pathway (Eat Your Greens)
Your body has two main "factories" for making nitric oxide. The first one relies on what you eat. Specifically, inorganic nitrates. You eat a salad, your saliva breaks down the nitrates into nitrites, and eventually, that becomes nitric oxide in the blood.
Beets are the poster child for this. People drink beet juice like it's magic because it's packed with nitrates. A study published in the journal Hypertension showed that drinking about 500ml of beet juice could significantly drop blood pressure within hours. It's fast. It's effective. But it’s not just beets. Arugula—that peppery green most people ignore—actually has a higher nitrate concentration than almost anything else. Rhubarb, Swiss chard, and spinach are also heavy hitters.
If you're trying to figure out how to increase nitric oxide levels through diet, you need to be consistent. One salad won't fix years of stiff arteries. You need that steady "nitrate load." Also, a weird tip: stop using antibacterial mouthwash. Seriously. Those bacteria in your mouth that the mouthwash kills? You actually need them. They are the ones responsible for converting nitrates into nitrites. If you kill them all with harsh alcohol-based rinses, you’re basically cutting off your body’s ability to use the food you're eating for NO production.
The L-Arginine and L-Citrulline Connection
The second factory in your body uses amino acids. This is the "Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase" (eNOS) pathway. This happens inside the lining of your blood vessels.
L-arginine is the direct precursor. You’ll see it in every cheap supplement. But here is the catch—your liver is too good at breaking down L-arginine before it ever reaches your bloodstream. This is why many experts, including Dr. Louis Ignarro, who won a Nobel Prize for his work on nitric oxide, often point toward L-citrulline instead. Your body converts citrulline into arginine more efficiently than it absorbs arginine itself. It sounds backwards, but it works. Watermelon is a great natural source of citrulline, though you’d have to eat a lot of it to hit "therapeutic" doses.
Why Exercise Is the Ultimate Nitric Oxide Trigger
Movement creates "shear stress" on the walls of your arteries. Imagine water rushing through a hose; that pressure against the inner lining tells the endothelial cells to kick into high gear and produce more nitric oxide.
It’s a "use it or lose it" situation.
If you sit all day, your vessels get lazy. They lose their elasticity. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is particularly good at this. Pushing your heart rate up and then letting it drop forces those vessels to expand and contract rapidly, which is basically a workout for your circulatory system. Even a brisk 20-minute walk can stimulate production, but the real gains happen when you challenge your cardiovascular ceiling.
- Weightlifting: Focus on the "pump" or higher repetitions.
- Cardio: Intervals are better than steady-state for NO.
- Consistency: Endothelial function improves over weeks, not days.
The Sunlight Factor (UVA and NO)
This is the part most people miss. When sunlight—specifically UVA rays—hits your skin, it triggers the release of nitric oxide stores from the skin into the systemic circulation. This is one reason why blood pressure often trends lower in the summer months.
It's not just about Vitamin D.
Researchers at the University of Southampton found that exposing skin to UV light lowered blood pressure by shifting NO metabolites into the blood. You don't need to burn. You just need sensible, moderate sun exposure. About 10 to 15 minutes a few times a week can actually help keep your vessels dilated and healthy.
Antioxidants: Protecting the Gas
Nitric oxide is an unstable molecule. It disappears almost as fast as it's made. It gets "quenched" by free radicals—unstable molecules that cause oxidative stress. This is why your diet needs to be more than just nitrates; it needs antioxidants to protect the NO you actually manage to make.
Vitamin C and Vitamin E are the heavy lifters here. Polyphenols from dark chocolate (the 80% cacao stuff, not the sugary milk chocolate) and red wine also help. These compounds don't necessarily make nitric oxide, but they act like a shield, preventing it from breaking down too quickly. Think of it as plugging the holes in a leaky bucket.
How to Increase Nitric Oxide Levels: A Practical Blueprint
Knowing the science is fine, but you need a plan that doesn't involve drinking a gallon of beet juice every morning. Here is how you actually move the needle.
Nasal Breathing Only. This sounds like a TikTok trend, but it’s real biology. Your paranasal sinuses produce nitric oxide. When you breathe through your nose, you carry that gas directly into your lungs, which helps with oxygen uptake and blood vessel dilation. Mouth breathing bypasses this entirely.
The NO Dump. Developed by Dr. Zach Bush, this is a four-minute workout involving squats, arm swings, and overhead presses. It’s designed to use up the oxygen in your muscles quickly, triggering a massive release of nitric oxide to compensate. Do it three times a day. It’s fast and it’s free.
Ditch the Mouthwash. As mentioned, those oral bacteria are your friends. Switch to a tongue scraper or a non-alcohol rinse if you have to, but stop nuking your microbiome.
Arugula and Beets. Make them a staple. If you hate the taste of beets, look for a fermented beet powder. Fermentation actually increases the nitrate bioavailability and reduces the sugar content.
Check Your Meds. Some medications, like proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) for acid reflux, have been shown in some studies to interfere with the enzymes that produce nitric oxide. If you're on these long-term, talk to your doctor about the cardiovascular trade-offs.
🔗 Read more: What Does Orgasm Mean (And Why Most People Overthink It)
The Hidden Danger of Low Nitric Oxide
We think of circulation as just "getting blood around," but it’s so much more. Low NO is a precursor to atherosclerosis—the hardening of the arteries. When the lining of your vessels (the endothelium) can't produce enough NO, they become "sticky."
White blood cells and platelets start to adhere to the walls.
Plaque starts to build up.
This isn't just a concern for the elderly. We are seeing endothelial dysfunction in people in their 20s and 30s due to high-sugar diets and sedentary lifestyles. Increasing your NO levels is a proactive strike against the foundation of heart disease.
Real World Results
Don't expect to feel like Superman on day one. Most people notice the changes in their recovery times first. Maybe you aren't as sore after a workout. Maybe your morning brain fog clears a little faster because your brain is actually getting the oxygen it's asking for.
Over time, you might see your resting blood pressure numbers start to drift down. That’s the real win.
Actionable Next Steps
Start tonight. Swap your evening mouthwash for a simple floss. Tomorrow morning, try "nose breathing" during your walk or workout. It’ll feel like you’re suffocating at first because your body isn’t used to the CO2 buildup, but your nitric oxide production will thank you. Grab a bag of arugula for your lunch. These are small, boring changes, but they are the ones that actually keep your vascular system from turning into "stiff pipes" as you age.
Consistency beats intensity every single time here. You can't "binge" on nitric oxide. Your body needs a constant signal that it needs to stay dilated and flexible. Keep the signal loud and clear.