Factors That Affect Blood Pressure

Factors that affect blood pressure

People who regularly track blood pressure with home sphygmomanometers and non-invasive blood pressure cuffs are often familiar with common causes of spikes in blood pressure such as excess salt intake or increased stress. But some unexpected foods, habits, and health problems may also play a role in undermining efforts to lower high blood pressure. Here are eight things that can send your blood pressure soaring.

1. Sleep apnea

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder in which a person stops breathing during the night and then starts again, which can lead to a rise in blood pressure. This is becoming more common in the United States as more Americans struggle with excess weight, said Donald Lloyd Jones, MD, president of the American Heart Association and chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. more common. Being overweight is one of the most important risk factors for developing sleep apnea.

When a person with sleep apnea stops breathing, the brain steps in and wakes the body to breathe, which can happen up to 30 times an hour. "When our airways are closed, our brain and body have to be conscious enough to try to open the airways, so we don't get quality sleep, which is very bad for the vascular system," Lloyd-Jones said.

All stress and tension can cause blood pressure to rise, not only when we're asleep, but also when we're awake. It can also lead to a range of other health problems, including an increased risk of heart attack, type 2 diabetes and liver problems. Severe sleep apnea in middle or old age can increase the risk of premature death by up to 46 percent, researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine found.

A common warning sign of sleep apnea is snoring, so if someone tells you that you are snoring heavily or gasping frequently during sleep, you may need to go to the hospital for monitoring. A number of devices and therapies can help treat sleep apnea, and studies have shown that treatment with a more common option — a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine — can even improve blood pressure numbers.

2. Air pollution

Research has shown that exposure to both "fine particulate" air pollution (such as you'll find from car exhaust and fuel combustion) and "coarse particulate" air pollution (such as road and construction site dust) can raise blood pressure in adults and increase blood pressure in children is also like this.

Even short-term exposure to high levels of air pollution can affect blood pressure in healthy adults, a study led by University of Michigan researchers found. Another study, also led by researchers at the University of Michigan, showed that filtering the air can lower a person's blood pressure. A 2020 study found that exercise can reduce high blood pressure, even in places with high pollution levels. In 2019, 99% of the world's population lived in places with air quality that did not meet World Health Organization guidelines. In addition to pollution from cars, traffic noise is also associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure.

3. Black Licorice

Black licorice—and we're talking real black licorice, not just licorice-flavored candy—may be a health hazard, and not just because of its sugar content. This candy contains glycyrrhizin, a compound from licorice root, which causes the body to lock in large amounts of salt and water, which can lead to increased blood pressure.

Consuming black licorice can also cause low potassium and cardiac arrhythmias. In fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns against eating large amounts of black licorice at one time. Eating just 2 ounces a day for two weeks could put adults 40 and older in the hospital, the agency said.

4. Alcohol

Although it's often repeated that wine is good for the heart, alcohol can spike blood pressure in both the short and long term. While alcohol initially softens blood vessels, once the liver begins to metabolize alcohol, those blood vessels begin to constrict. Blood pressure remains higher than normal the day after drinking alcohol. If drinking too much alcohol becomes a lifestyle habit, so will the numbers for elevated blood pressure.

According to the Mayo Clinic, reducing heavy drinkers (more than 3 drinks per day for women and 4 drinks per day for men) to moderate drinking (up to 1 drink per day for women and 2 drinks per day for men) can reduce the maximum value of blood pressure readings by about 5.5 mm Hg ( mmHg, a measure of pressure) and their bases are about 4 mmHg.

5. Commonly used drugs

Do you have headaches or joint pains? When you buy medicines at the pharmacy, you must pay attention to the medicines you buy. NSAIDs such as ibuprofen (Advil) and naproxen (Aleve) can raise blood pressure. The same goes for regular acetaminophen (Tylenol) use, according to a new study published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation. People who need to use these types of drugs for long-term use to manage pain need to see a doctor first. Other over-the-counter products to watch out for: Decongestants, which relieve nasal congestion by narrowing blood vessels to reduce swelling in the nose. This also raises blood pressure.

Even supplements like ginseng and ephedra have been linked to increased blood pressure.

6. Added sugar

When we eat sugar, our bodies release insulin to help remove sugar from the blood and transport it into our cells for energy.

But insulin itself tends to raise blood pressure in many people. So if you eat a lot of added sugar or simple starches, you'll have these more intense and prolonged bursts of insulin, which can raise blood pressure.

Added sugars are common in soft drinks, cakes and cookies. Some yogurts and breakfast cereals may also be high in sugar.

7. Smoking

Another reason to quit the habit: Smoking is a proven risk factor for heart attack and stroke, and it also affects your blood pressure. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, nicotine is the culprit. It causes your blood vessels to narrow and your heart to beat faster, raising your blood pressure. If you look at the monitoring, it is clear that smokers have higher blood pressure than non-smokers over a 24-hour period

8. Another health condition

Excessive production of a hormone called aldosterone can lead to high blood pressure and even make it difficult to control with medication. People who use multiple medications without lowering their high blood pressure should consult their doctor because they are more likely to have primary aldosteronism. This condition is often overlooked, but can be treated with medication.

High blood pressure may also indicate kidney or thyroid problems. It can even signal low potassium levels, and increasing potassium in the diet (fruits and vegetables are good sources) can lower blood pressure.