The era and times, we are living in are full of uncertainty. The current situation is full of economic ups and downs and the pandemic related restrictions have added new concerns in our lives.
People have been facing stress since this has started. The stress of losing a job, health, family, etc. are some stresses that can cause short-term spikes in blood pressure. Hence, it is quite important to take steps to reduce our stress so that we can improve our heart health.
According to the Mayo Clinic report, there’s no proof that stress by itself causes long-term high blood pressure. But reacting to stress in unhealthy ways can raise the risk of high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes in us. It is true that our body produces a spike of hormones when we are in a stressful situation, thereby momentarily increasing our blood pressure by causing our heart to beat faster and our blood vessels to narrow.
A study published in the US National Library of Medicine says “Although stress may not directly cause hypertension, it can lead to repeated blood pressure elevations, which eventually may lead to hypertension.”
Dr Praveen Gupta, Director and Head, Neurology, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram explained, “Stress is a major cause directly or indirectly of hypertension. It seems omnipresent these days and impacts everyone in some way. Let’s look at some ways to reduce stress.”
1 In this roller coaster life of constant mental stress accumulates rapidly. Take a breather and spend half an hour in something that gives you happiness as natural endorphins are great painkillers.
- Be satisfied with what you have in life while you strive for more. Inner peace reduces sympathetic activity and reduces heart rate and blood pressure
- Exercise daily as exercise streamlines blood flow and metabolism which helps to control heart rate and BP
- Prioritize things in life so that we spend the most time on the most important things.
- Do not waste mental space and energy on things that we cannot change
- Share your problems with friends. As discussing them would allow natural ventilation and release the mental pressure that is building inside us.
- Avoid addictions like smoking may cause stress to reduce in the short term but the rebound brings more stress, these addictions increase heart rate and blood pressure and increase atherosclerosis.
- Develop hobbies that allow your brain to learn and enjoy new things. This activity formats our brain and rids it of unnecessary thoughts making our system less prone to the accumulation of stress.
If we practice these simple methods regularly, we can significantly reduce the stress which leads to increase sympathetic activity with a resultant increase in blood pressure. These simple things save u not merely from hypertension, they make life more enjoyable.
Leave a comment