Sunday, March 17, 2024
HomeEditor PicksDoes Stress Cause High Blood Pressure

Does Stress Cause High Blood Pressure

How Does Stress Affect Your Blood Pressure

Blood Pressure Facts : Can Stress Cause High Blood Pressure?

In a stressful situation, your body reacts by releasing a surge of the hormones adrenaline and cortisol into the blood. These hormones are responsible for the fight or flight response. They make your heart beat faster and your blood vessels narrower, raising your blood pressure.

This effect on your blood pressure only lasts a short time. Once the stressful situation is over your blood pressure returns to its usual level.

High Blood Pressure Can Increase Your Risk Of Diabetes Check Now

Healthy habits such as staying physically active and eating well can help reduce the negative effects of stress. Larks stress management coaching also walks you through stress management techniques, from acknowledging stress to visualization. Breathing techniques are another stress management technique that can lower blood pressure.

Hypertension management is a balancing act that can have amazing payoffs in terms of long-term health and wellness. Stress can throw a wrench into the loop, but managing stress along with blood pressure can keep you as healthy as possible. Lark for Hypertension can help you manage stress and make smart choices that fit into your lifestyle so they can become habits.

Looking for a Diabetes Prevention Program?

You could be eligible for Lark – at no cost to you. Find out in 1 minute!

Anxiety Causes Low Blood Pressure

What you may not know is that some forms of anxiety can cause low blood pressure as well. During periods of anxiety attacks, a person may start to hyperventilate. Hyperventilation occurs when the body gets too much oxygen through either fast breathing or taking breaths that are too deep.

Hyperventilation is known to cause drops in blood pressure that can lead to feelings of lightheadedness and dizziness. So while high blood pressure is more common during anxiety, low blood pressure may occur as well.

Also Check: Do Onions Lower Blood Pressure

Learn More About How Stress Affects Your Blood Pressure

While stress can be a part of life, regular stress that spikes your blood pressure is concerning. If youre worried about the effects of stress on your health, you can schedule an appointment with Dr. Saint-Jacques by calling 646-381-2181. You can also request an appointment using the online scheduler, or you can send the team a message here on the website.

You Might Also Enjoy…

How To Overcome Affected Blood Pressure

Does Stress Cause High Blood Pressure?

Your blood pressure is specifically monitored by your brain to ensure that your body is operating at an ideal level. Temporary spikes in blood pressure can cause concerns, but your body creates them for a reason.

It is important to make sure you learn to manage your anxiety to help ensure healthy blood pressure. Whether you have panic attacks, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, etc., you still need to make sure that you’re treating your anxiety in order to also treat your anxiety-related high blood pressure.

Summary:

Anxiety typically makes blood pressure increase, and in some cases can make blood pressure decrease. However, blood pressure fluctuates throughout the day with or without anxiety. It is best to not be too concerned with ones own blood pressure, and instead focus on anxiety reduction.

Was this article helpful?

  • No

Also Check: Do Onions Lower Blood Pressure

Anxiety And Low Blood Pressure Whats The Connection

Sometimes, anxiety can work otherwise, reducing blood pressure.

This decline may be caused by the shallow breath taken during the anxiety period which widens the blood vessel, lowering blood pressure.

On the other hand, low blood pressure, also called hypotension may also cause panic and anxiety, which is similar to anxiety symptoms like:

  • Dizziness

High Blood Pressure Symptoms

While high blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms, some people may experience headaches, nose bleeds, and anxiety when their numbers are high, Laffin says. “We have to really tease out if it’s a symptom causing blood pressure elevation or blood pressure elevation causing symptoms,” he says.

For example, “a headache can raise your blood pressure because your body responds to pain by elevating blood pressure,” he says. High blood pressure can also cause a headache.

Some symptoms such as chest pain, back pain, or vision changes, when they occur with a blood pressure of 180/120 mm Hg or higher, may point to a hypertensive emergency. These are signs of end-organ damage and you should call 911 or get to the emergency room immediately, the American Heart Association warns.

A high blood pressure crisis may cause other symptoms too, including:

  • Severe headache

Don’t Miss: Omron Bp785 Calibration

Stress And Hypertension: Symptoms And Treatment

Stress, Pressure, Tension, and Anxiety are often synonymous. Therefore, it is not surprising that hypertension is viewed by many as also being indicative of a state of increased emotional tension, anxiety, or stress. If such a connection does exist, which comes first? Could they have a common cause? Almost 100 years ago, one of the earliest studies of hypertensive men emphasized that one finds an unusual frequency of those, who as directors of big enterprises, had a great deal of responsibility, and who, after long periods of psychic overwork, became nervous.1 A debate over whether a particular hypertensive personality exists has gone on ever since. Some believe that patients with hypertension are characterized by a generalized state of increased anxiety, while others claim that feelings of suppressed anger are more common. A tendency towards submissiveness and introversion has also been suggested, and increased denial and resistance to pain have been reported in those with a family history of high blood pressure. How can such varied views be reconciled?

  • Gaisbock F. Quoted in Julius, S. Hemodynamic, pharmacologic and epidemiologic evidence for behavioral factors in human hypertension. p. 59 in Julius, S., and Bassett, D.R. eds. Handbook of Hypertension: Behavioral Factors in Hypertension Elsevier Science Publishers, Amsterdam, 1987
  • Lynch, J. J. The Language of the Heart: The Bodys Response to Human Dialogue.. Basic Books, Inc., New York, 1985.
  • Causes Of High Blood Pressure

    Can Stress Cause High Blood Pressure?

    Theres no single cause of high blood pressure, but rather many contributing factors. Some are out of your control, such as age, race, gender, and family historyblood pressure tends to increase over the age of 70, affects more women than men over the age of 55, and is more common in African Americans than Caucasians, perhaps due to a genetic sensitivity to salt.

    Many other risk factors for hypertension are within your control. Being overweight, eating a poor diet high in salt, smoking, drinking excessively, and not getting enough physical exercise can all impact your blood pressure.

    There are also specific substances that can raise your blood pressure, such as:

    • Caffeine, including coffee, tea, soda, and energy drinks.
    • Prescription medications, including some of those used to treat ADHD, birth control pills, corticosteroids, atypical antipsychotics, MAOIs and SNRIs used to treat depression, and some cancer drugs.
    • Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs , such as aspirin and ibuprofen .
    • Cough and cold medications containing decongestant or NSAIDs.
    • Herbal supplements, such as ephedra and yohimbine.
    • Recreational drugs, such as cocaine and methamphetamine.
    • Licorice found in some candies and gum.

    Don’t Miss: Does Spicy Food Cause High Blood Pressure

    Stroke And Brain Problems

    High blood pressure can cause the arteries that supply blood and oxygen to the brain to burst or be blocked, causing a stroke. Brain cells die during a stroke because they do not get enough oxygen. Stroke can cause serious disabilities in speech, movement, and other basic activities. A stroke can also kill you.

    Having high blood pressure, especially in midlife, is linked to having poorer cognitive function and dementia later in life. Learn more about the link between high blood pressure and dementia from the National Institutes of Healths Mind Your Risks®external icon campaign.

    Does Stress Cause High Blood Pressure

    Hypertension, more commonly known as high blood pressure, is a condition that currently affects millions of adults. Roughly 37 million people deal with uncontrolled hypertension, and it caused or contributed to nearly half a million deaths in 2018 alone. Hypertension increases the risk of heart disease and stroke, and it can be caused by many factors, including poor diet, alcohol abuse, obesity, and smoking. Stress is commonly linked with hypertension, but what is the link?

    If youre having problems controlling your blood pressure and you live in the Little River, South Carolina area, help is available. Dr. Rogers Walker and Walker Urgent & Family Care offer medical help for high blood pressure and many other conditions for you and your whole family.

    Also Check: Is High Blood Pressure Heart Disease

    Is Stress Causing Your High Blood Pressure

    Do you struggle with stress on a regular basis? Are you worried about how this stress can affect your overall health? Because high-pressure situations can raise your blood pressure, its important to be aware of how your health can potentially be at risk.

    Dr. Henock Saint-Jacques has years of experience providing cardiovascular care at Harlem Cardiology. If youre concerned about your stress levels, he can help you learn how to change your lifestyle habits and take better care of yourself.

    You Have High Blood Pressure Now What

    Does High Blood Pressure Cause Anxiety?

    Gallery: Why Am I Spotting?

    If you have high blood pressure, lifestyle changes are in order, says Luke Laffin, cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic. This starts with eating a heart-healthy diet that is low in salt, engaging in regular physical activity, and losing weight if necessary.

    Diet

    Many heart doctors recommend the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension eating plan, which is designed to lower blood pressure. In addition to limiting sodium, it also calls for cutting back on red meat and added sugar.

    Activity

    Exercise is also important. Aim for at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity physical activity. All exercise is good, of course, but moderate aerobic activitylike brisk walking, jogging, or using an elliptical traineris best for lowering blood pressure, says Laffin.

    Weight

    “Losing weight is one of the best things you can do for high blood pressure, and the more weight you lose, the greater the decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure,” says Farbaniec.

    Other lifestyle changes

    “Smoking is the biggest risk for high blood pressure, stroke, and heart attack,” he adds. If you smoke, quit.

    As for alcohol, moderation is key, says Farbaniec. This means no more than two drinks a day for men and no more than one a day for women.

    You May Like: Do Onions Lower Blood Pressure

    Job Stress Poor Sleep Hypertension A Deadly Trio

    HealthDay Reporter

    MONDAY, April 29, 2019 — Job stress, high blood pressure and poor sleep may be a recipe for an early death, German researchers report.

    In a study of nearly 2,000 workers with high blood pressure who were followed for almost 18 years, those who reported having both a stressful job and poor sleep were three times more likely to die from heart disease than those who slept well and didn’t have a trying job, the investigators found.

    “As many as 50% of adults have high blood pressure,” said Dr. Gregg Fonarow, a professor of cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles.

    It’s a major risk factor for heart attack, stroke, heart failure, kidney disease and premature cardiovascular death, said Fonarow, who had no role in the new study.

    “A number of studies have found associations between greater work stress and subsequent risk of cardiovascular events. Impairment in sleep has also been associated with increased risk,” he said. However, these associations did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

    In the new study, the researchers reported that among people with high blood pressure , those who had work stress alone had a twofold higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, as did those who reported having poor sleep alone.

    “Unfortunately, poor sleep and job stress often go hand in hand, and when combined with hypertension, the effect is even more toxic,” he added in a statement.

    Continued

    European Journal of Preventive Cardiology

    Pagination

    How To Treat High Blood Pressure

    Lifestyle changes can benefit people with long term high blood pressure.

    Your doctor should recommend a few of these:

    • Eat healthily. Reduce salt
    • Reduce alcohol to the extreme
    • Exercise regularly
    • Increased heart rate

    High blood pressure is treatable. Anxiety is treatable. Not everyone with anxiety develops hypertension.

    However, its best to seek help earlier to reduce the chances of complications from both conditions.

    You May Like: Do Onions Lower Blood Pressure

    How You React To Chronic Stress Decides Your Hypertension Risk

    Nobody is ever formally taught how to handle stress. Youre thrown into stressful situations and you find your methods to cope with them. While many turn to exercise or music, there are some unhealthy responses like smoking and binge eating, that are also common.

    According to Mayoclinic, your reaction to stress in unhealthy ways is what can pose the worst risk for high blood pressure, heart attacks and stroke. Common coping mechanisms like smoking, drinking, drugs, binge eating, and even negative self-talk often do more harm than good in the long term. They create new kinds of stressors and lead to chronic stress.

    This is why cultivating better coping mechanisms like physical activity, meditation or even a new hobby can help in addressing everyday stress, and prevent long term complications.

    What Causes High Blood Pressure

    HBP 005- How stress causes High Blood Pressure

    High blood pressure usually develops over time. It can happen because of unhealthy lifestyle choices, such as not getting enough regular physical activity. Certain health conditions, such as diabetes and having obesity, can also increase the risk for developing high blood pressure. High blood pressure can also happen during pregnancy.

    You can manage your blood pressure to lower your risk for serious health problems that may affect your heart, brain, kidneys, and eyes.

    Read Also: Does Hot Sauce Cause High Blood Pressure

    Anxiety Causes High Blood Pressure

    Blood pressure is not a constant. It changes all throughout the day, going from high to low depending on what you’re doing, what you’ve eaten, how you’re feeling, and so on. At any moment you could go through some type of blood pressure fluctuation that causes a high reading, and that reading says nothing about your overall health or wellness.

    What is high blood pressure?

    Although there are some outside factors that play a role, generally doctors look at blood pressure using the following chart:

    • Low Blood Pressure: < 90/60
    • Normal Blood Pressure: 90/60 to 140/90
    • High Blood Pressure: 140/90 and Up

    The first number refers to the systolic pressure. That is the pressure on your arteries when your heart contracts . The diastolic is the pressure on your arteries when your heart is at rest. Systolic tends to jump up and down throughout the day, while diastolic should stay close to constant .

    Although there are risks involved with low blood pressure, most doctors pay especially close attention to high blood pressure. High blood pressure readings indicate that something could be wrong with your cardiovascular system. Because of the risks associated with high blood pressure, it is important to see a doctor. But if other factors have been ruled out, it is possible that anxiety may be to blame.

    How Can You Get Your Blood Pressure Under Control

    If stress and anxiety are whats causing your blood pressure fluctuations, its natural to think that anxiety medication is the best solution. While some research indicates that its useful in certain instances, its not considered a first line treatment. Instead, try these proven prescription and lifestyle changes to get things back under control.

    Don’t Miss: Does Vodka Raise Blood Pressure

    How To Reduce Your Blood Pressure

    Making lifestyle changes is one of the best ways to decrease your risk of developing heart problems. If you find yourself in stressful situations often, you may want to consider avoiding them or perhaps seek therapy to discuss what triggers your stress so often.

    You can also keep healthy by exercising regularly, not smoking , drinking less alcohol, eating healthily , and maintaining a healthy weight.

    Depending on your condition, Dr. Saint-Jacques may recommend medication for managing your blood pressure. You also benefit from an EKG an electrocardiogram that can detect internal problems with your heart that may be causing you increased blood pressure.

    Excessive Salt Raises Blood Pressure

    What causes high blood pressure: Does stress cause high ...

    Too much sodium can cause water retention that puts increased pressure on your heart and blood vessels. People with high blood pressure and those at a high risk for developing hypertension, including adults over 50 and black men and women, should have no more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium daily of salt.

    Even people with normal levels should eat salt in moderation. Stick to no more than 2,300 mg of sodium , per day.

    Most dietary sodium comes from processed foods. Rules of thumb are to choose foods with 5% or less of the daily value of sodium per serving and opt for fresh poultry, fish and lean meats, rather than canned, smoked or processed. Similarly, fresh or frozen vegetables are better than canned.

    A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that if people cut just 1/2 teaspoon of salt per day, it could help lower the number of new cases of heart disease per year by up to 120,000.

    Further, potassium found in foods like sweet potatoes, spinach, bananas, oranges, low-fat milk and halibut can counterbalance the pressure-increasing effects of sodium by helping to rid the body of excess sodium.

    Also Check: How To Keep My Blood Pressure Down

    Common Causes Of High Blood Pressure Spikes

    Some people with high blood pressure will experience sharp rises in their blood pressure. These spikes, which typically last only a short period of time, are also known as sudden high blood pressure. These are some possible causes:

    • Caffeine
    • Certain medications or combinations of medications
    • Chronic kidney disease

    Can High Blood Pressure Cause Anxiety

    Just like anxiety and stress reactions can cause spikes in blood pressure, having a medical condition like high blood pressure or heart disease can also contribute to anxiety. Depression, anxiety, and post traumatic stress disorder are particularly common after heart attacks. However, people with high blood pressure alone may feel fearful over what damage the elevated blood pressure could do to the body, and about their overall health and future.

    Another source of anxiety in patients with hypertension is the symptoms that can be caused by significantly elevated blood pressure. These include:

    • Chest pain

    • Headache

    • Changes in vision

    Remember that many people do not have symptoms with high blood pressure, but the knowledge of having the condition may lead to increased anxiety.

    Another common source of anxiety in people with a new diagnosis of hypertension is the need for blood pressure lowering medications. Talking with your healthcare provider can often relieve fears about side effects and financial concerns associated with new medications.

    It is uncommon for most blood pressure lowering medications to cause anxiety. In fact, some blood pressure medications, such as beta blockers and clonidine ,can be used to treat anxiety. That being said, different people can respond differently to medications, so if you develop increased anxiety after starting a new blood pressure medication, please contact your healthcare provider.

    You May Like: How Can I Raise My Blood Pressure Instantly

    RELATED ARTICLES

    Popular Articles