High blood pressure is prevalent, just like anxiety and stress are fairly common – but can anxiety cause high blood pressure?
Many people experience stress and anxiety on a regular basis, which temporarily increases blood pressure. However, researchers still are not sure if these temporary spikes can lead to long term high blood pressure (hypertension).
On the bright side, there are plenty of things you can do to both lower your stress levels and blood pressure simultaneously. By doing helpful activities like exercise, you can manage your stress and decrease the risk of hypertension.
The Connection Between Anxiety and Blood Pressure
Being anxious results in a surge of hormones that temporarily increase blood pressure. You can feel this increase as your heart beats faster and blood vessels narrow.
While there is no evidence suggesting that anxiety leads to long-term hypertension, the way you react may have an effect. By reacting in unhealthy ways, you can increase the risk of hypertension, heart disease, and strokes.
Some of these behaviors include smoking, drinking too much alcohol, and eating unhealthy foods. In addition, there may be a connection between heart disease and anxiety-related conditions like depression and isolation.
Meanwhile, there is no direct connection between these conditions and hypertension. But that doesn’t mean stress and anxiety can’t negatively affect your body.
For example, some of the hormones the body makes under stressful situations may damage the arteries. The conditions mentioned may also indirectly affect your heart health through behavior.
Although the blood pressure increase you experience during stressful situations is temporary, it’s still harmful. Experiencing frequent, temporary spikes can damage blood vessels as well as the heart and kidneys.
Reducing Anxiety and Lowering Blood Pressure
Even though there is no direct link between the two, you can improve your overall health by treating both anxiety and blood pressure. By applying stress management techniques, you can also influence your behavior in ways that can reduce blood pressure levels.
Consider simplifying your schedule to avoid feeling overwhelmed. You can also eliminate activities that take up your time but are not very important.
Additionally, you can set some time apart to relax and meditate. As part of your meditation, try breathing techniques that involve deep and slow breaths.
Another thing you can do is start exercising, since it works to both reduce stress and improve circulation. However, remember to check with your doctor before starting a new exercise routine if you have been diagnosed with hypertension.
Make sure you get plenty of sleep, as not getting enough restful sleep can increase your stress levels. Another thing you can try is taking heart health supplements like L-arginine Plus.
While these supplements don’t directly affect anxiety, knowing that you have good circulation means you have one thing less to worry about. Their ingredients work together to improve blood pressure and give the body’s circulation a much-needed boost.
Try L-arginine Plus alongside the techniques mentioned to work on both your anxiety and blood pressure together.