Is There a Connection Between Anxiety and High Blood Pressure?

The relationship between anxiety and high blood pressure is multifaceted—there is no one simple “cause and effect” that marks the disease. We’ll take a closer look at the connection between anxiety and high blood pressure, what causes high blood pressure, and how it is treated. We’ll also explain why it’s so important to have your blood pressure checked regularly as part of your annual wellness exams.

Can Anxiety Cause High Blood Pressure?

The answer isn’t quite as clear as you might think. It’s true that there is a relationship between anxiety and high blood pressure, but researchers are still studying the full extent of this correlation. 

The bottom line is that while anxiety can cause dramatic spikes in blood pressure, these are only temporary. Long-term high blood pressure is caused by several factors, but anxiety is typically not one of them.

However, anxiety can lead to unhealthy activities such as excessive drinking, smoking and overeating—and these can cause your blood pressure to rise over time.

What Happens to Your Blood Pressure When You’re Anxious?

So, what causes your blood pressure to spike when you’re worried or stressed? How do anxiety and high blood pressure affect each other?  It can all be traced to how your body utilizes hormones. When you’re in a stressful situation, your body produces several hormones—including adrenaline and cortisol. As a result, your heart rate increases, which temporarily raises your blood pressure. 

What Causes High Blood Pressure?

If anxiety is only one facet of the issue, then what exactly causes high blood pressure? And what can be done about it?

How Do You Feel When You Have High Blood Pressure?

You may feel absolutely fine. That’s because high blood pressure doesn’t always present with symptoms, that’s why it’s often referred to as a “silent killer.”

This is precisely the reason it is so important to have your blood pressure checked regularly as part of your physical. By identifying high blood pressure early, we can initiate a treatment plan before it leads to heart attacks or other serious health problems.

6 Ideas on How to Lower Your Blood Pressure

Here are some basic tips that you can take to help lower your blood pressure:

1. Exercise

Exercising three to five times a week for 30 minutes can go a long way toward helping you remain healthy.

2. Reduce Salt as Part of a Healthy Diet

Our dietitian, Nicole Matala, will be more than happy to help you find wonderful and flavorful alternatives to salt. Just contact us and we’ll help you schedule an appointment with her. 

By following a healthy diet, it’s easier to lose weight, which can also help because blood pressure can increase as you gain weight. 

3. Quit Smoking

We hope you don’t smoke, but if you do, it’s vital to quit for the sake of your health. If you have trouble quitting, just let us know and we can point you in the direction of programs that can help you. 

4. Reduce Caffeine Intake

We’re not saying you have to give up your favorite cup of Joe, just enjoy it in moderation. Studies are still ongoing to the effects of caffeine on blood pressure, there is a possibility it could cause a slight increase in pressure.

5. Talk to Us About Medication

Sometimes, diet and exercise aren’t enough to lower your blood pressure. If this is the case, then we can prescribe medicine that can help you.

6. Reduce Stress If You Have Anxiety and High Blood Pressure

As we discussed earlier, the relationship between anxiety and high blood pressure is that stress causes short-term spikes in blood pressure, and merely reducing your anxiety level is unlikely to dramatically lower your blood pressure over the long-term. 

However, anxiety can cause other health problems such as:

  • Insomnia
  • Headaches
  • Difficulties at school or work
  • Digestive issues or IBS
  • Depression
  • Chronic pain

This is one reason we wanted to provide a list of stress-reducing activities to help you. To ease your anxiety, try:

  • Deep, relaxing breathing
  • Exercise
  • Yoga
  • Meditation
  • Getting enough sleep
  • Avoid overextending your schedule

If anxiety is becoming a chronic problem, please contact us and we’ll discuss ways we can help you. 

Do You Have High Blood Pressure? Don’t Delay in Contacting Raleigh Adult Medicine

As internal medicine specialists in Raleigh, we specialize on how one system in the body affects others. We understand that high blood pressure places you at greater risk for heart disease or strokes.  Researchers are still examining the details between anxiety and high blood pressure.

Because high blood pressure usually doesn’t exhibit any symptoms, it’s vital to schedule blood pressure checks as part of your regular physical. 

See why we’ve been the trusted internal medicine providers of choice in Raleigh for more than 20 years. Contact us to schedule an appointment.

 

For more than 20 years, Raleigh Adult Medicine has served as the Triangle area’s premier internal medicine provider. We tailor our treatments to provide the finest personalized health care available for each stage of your adult life. Contact us to schedule an appointment.