Stress
and High Blood Pressure: Lethal
Potential
It is said that one out of every three
persons suffers from high blood pressure, or hypertension. Many don't
even know that they have high blood pressure, or that they are at risk
because there are often no signs of the disease to alert them to the
danger.
Can Stress
Cause High Blood Pressure?
It is clear
that temporary stress, whether from fear or anger, and high blood
pressure are closely related – everyone has had the feeling
of panic, their heart racing and their blood pounding. These are the
sensations of very high blood pressure. This is a primal physical
response. The body is readying itself for “fight or
flight” by manufacturing adrenaline and increasing blood flow
to muscles and vital organs. In short, stress can cause high
(or significantly heightened) blood pressure.
Chronic
stress and high blood pressure is the most lethal combination.
Constant,
unabated levels of stress may not cause the heart pounding panic of the
fight or flight response but they do have similar effects on blood
pressure. We live in a pressure-packed world, where demands
to perform more than perfectly and on time, whether in school or at
work or home is rampant. Even mild blood pressure increases
over the long term can have negative physical consequences.
In fact, stress related high blood pressure may be one reason for the
cardiac difficulties so often experienced by many.
Treatments
for Stress Induced High Blood Pressure: Stress Reduction Techniques
There
are many treatments for high blood pressure, the most common of which
is prescription medication. However, drugs can only treat the symptoms
of hypertension; they do not address the underlying causes of high
blood pressure and they cannot address the link between high blood
pressure and stress that is present for many patients.
Reducing
stress may help improve blood pressure levels. There are many different
techniques to reduce stress and high blood pressure. You and
your doctor can help decide what stress management techniques are best
for you.
Promising stress-reducing activities
include exercise, meditation, yoga, visualization and hypnosis. Another
technique that can be used to reduce stress and high blood pressure is
biofeedback, where people are trained to recognize signals from their
bodies while in a relaxed state and they learn to use these signals to
alter internal body states when stressed.
Reducing,
or better managing stress in one's life should be a top priority for
anyone with hypertension. Rearranging life/work priorities, making time
for exercise or meditation, or just building in some downtime can go a
long way toward maintaining a healthier you. Don't forget to take your
medicines, if prescribed, and implement dietary changes such as
reducing your sodium and caffeine intake, and eating more fruits and
vegetables.
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