High Blood Pressure and Stress
In this day and age, stress is just a normal part of our fast-paced daily lives. Stress is at home, at work and it’s even present while driving between them. While we’ve gotten used to stress as a necessary evil, how have our blood pressures been dealing with it?
While stress has not been found to directly increase blood pressure, it is still considered a major risk factor if not managed. Naturally, the fewer the risk factors, the easier they are to manage. That’s why the risk of developing hypertension along with its serious complications is increased considerably when stress is combined with other risk factors.
Picture a middle-aged man in a stressful demanding position, who is overweight, diabetic, smokes excessively, snacks on doughnuts every few hours and well, you get the picture. Hypertension seems to be right at home in a case like this.
When a person is exposed to stress, the nervous system is activated. This activation leads to the release of hormones such as adrenaline which are potent vasoconstrictors that cause elevation of the blood pressure.
Repeated elevation of the blood pressure by constant exposure to stress, especially when combined with other risk factors will cause what is known as the up-regulation of baroreceptors. The baroreceptors are present in the large blood vessels in the neck and the thorax ad their function is to maintain blood pressure within a normal range.
The baroreceptor reflex usually maintains normal blood pressure by affecting the heart’s activity through signals the receptors send out. In case of up-regulation, gradually increasing norms are set causing a gradual and continual increase of the blood pressure.
The hidden danger of stress is that it is in fact likely to occur with other stress factors which are actually direct results of its existence. A person who is constantly exposed to stress is likely to consume large amounts of caffeine, alcohol and cigarettes.
Emotional eating is likely to accompany stress leading to an unbalanced and unhealthy diet which will eventually cause an increase in body weight or even obesity. Diabetes mellitus is another disease that develops from a combination of bad eating habits, sedentary lifestyle and excess body weight in the presence of genetic predisposition. Obesity and diabetes are both two of the most important risk factors for the development of hypertension, of course.
While stress cannot be avoided completely, it is necessary to modify the way we respond to it and prevent it from taking its toll on our minds and bodies. Avoiding or cutting down on the bad habits that usually accompany stress, such as smoking, will be greatly beneficial in avoiding the risk of development of hypertension.
Relaxation techniques whether listening to soothing music, aromatherapy, practicing yoga or even a warm bath can be excellent methods to relieve stress after being exposed to it all day long.
When combining these techniques with other healthy habits such as, regular exercise and healthy eating habits it is possible to keep hypertension at bay and learn to live with stress without allowing it to overcome you.