Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provide evidence that depression and severe stress may increase a person’s risks for developing hypertension. Some basic questions that pops up in our mind like Stressful situations can cause your blood pressure to spike temporarily, but can stress also cause long-term high blood pressure? Could all those short-term stress-related blood pressure spikes add up and cause high blood pressure in the long term? We are not sure!
However, exercising three to five times a week for 30 minutes can reduce your stress level. And if you’ve been diagnosed with high blood pressure, doing activities that can help you manage your stress and improve your health can make a long-term difference in lowering your blood pressure. Stress can temporarily boost blood pressure: For instance, some people have short-term hikes in blood pressure when they visit a doctor’s office. Fortunately, these spikes in pressure are usually too fleeting to threaten your health. But when emotional turmoil becomes a way of life, your blood pressure can take a dangerous, long-term climb.
The increased risk for depression or anxiety persisted even after controlling for other hypertension risk factors including: age, gender, race, education, smoking, alcohol use, baseline diastolic and systolic blood pressure, and body mass index. The increased risk observed among people with high levels of depression or anxiety remained about the same even when the investigators further controlled for body mass index changes over time.
How mood can affects lead to heart disease?
It’s possible that health conditions related to stress such as anxiety, depression, and isolation from friends and family may be linked to heart disease, but there’s no evidence they’re linked to high blood pressure. Instead, it may be that the hormones produced when you’re emotionally stressed may damage your arteries, leading to heart disease. It may also be that being depressed may cause self-destructive behavior, such as neglecting to take your medications to control high blood pressure or other heart conditions. Depression and stress often lead people to smoke, drink excessively, and gain weight, behaviors that can definitely promote hypertension and heart disease. But the CDC study suggests that the connection between mood and hypertension may be more direct than that. Experts suspect that anxiety and depression put the body on constant alert, which places a strain on many organ systems.
Can Depression be treated and help reducing Hypertension?
Both hypertension and depression are very treatable. Whether you need medication for hypertension or depression, a class in techniques for stress reduction, or adjustments in your diet and lifestyle, there are many treatments now available. With proper intervention, both hypertension and depression can be controlled and both you and your body will feel the benefit.
Here are some easy methods that can help in reducing Hypertension
- Make your schedule – If you consistently feel rushed, take a few minutes to review your calendar and to-do lists. Look for activities that take up your time but aren’t very important to you. Schedule less time for these activities or eliminate them completely.
- Breathe to relax – Making a conscious effort to deepen and slow down your breathing can help you relax.
- Exercise -Physical activity is a natural stressbuster. Just be sure to get your doctor’s consent before starting a new exercise program, especially if you’ve already been diagnosed with high blood pressure.
- Try yoga and meditation – Yoga and meditation not only can strengthen your body and help you relax
- Get a good sleep -Being sleep deprived can make your problems seem worse than they really are.
Think different and take a break – When dealing with problems, resist the tendency to complain. Acknowledge your feelings about the situation, and then focus on finding solutions. Be open-minded and willing to experiment. Choose your strategies, take action and start enjoying the benefits.
