Do you know that these things raise your blood pressure?
If you generally watch your blood pressure, you probably already know the usual suspects that raise your blood pressure. For example, salt and stress. We all know them.
But there are also many more things that can raise your blood pressure, and many people are not aware of them. So, how can you protect yourself from high blood pressure if you don’t know what causes it?
Foods, habits, and health issues—all of them can affect your blood pressure, and hypertension is a condition that affects almost half of U.S. adults. Think about it, because this can be quite concerning.
So, what are some unusual things that raise your blood pressure? Read on and find out all you need to know about them!
1. Lack of social life
Maybe you are happy that you are finally retired and you don’t have to go to work or interact with a lot of people, but this can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, you can relax and enjoy your company, which is amazing, but on the other hand, we, as humans, are not meant to stay alone. We are social creatures, and sooner or later, we’ll need to interact with each other.
But what happens when you are socially isolated? Well, your cortisol levels rise, and this means it will also raise your blood pressure.
A recent study shows that women who live alone are at higher risk of high blood pressure, while men who do the same have a much lower chance of this happening to them. Interesting, right? Scientists say that all of this happens due to social stigma. The idea of men living alone is more accepted.
Being isolated is bad for your arteries, and you should try to take care of yourself.
2. Not going to the toilet when you feel like it
Not urinating when you need to do so and waiting until the next commercial break or rest stop can raise your blood pressure. When you feel your bladder is full, just go to the toilet!
Believe it or not, a full bladder raises blood pressure by about 10 to 15 points. If you ever wondered why some doctors ask you to urinate before measuring your blood pressure, this is the exact reason why.
Now, it is ok to hold it back if you are in a situation where you can’t go to the toilet, but if any restroom is available, just go for it and don’t wait. If you go to the movies or to any other place that prevents you from using the toilet, do a preemptive pee right before. This can help you, and you will also have lower blood pressure.
By the way, do you wake up in the middle of the night to use the toilet? If yes, this is a sign of high blood pressure. It’s the way your body is telling you, “Hey, I need to lower my blood pressure.” Urinating is one way to do that.
3. Sleep apnea
This is a very common sleep disorder that prevents a person from breathing a few times per night. They stop and then restart the breathing process, but this can raise your blood pressure. One cause of sleep apnea is being overweight or obese, and another is older age.
When the breathing stops, the brain panics, wakes the body, and tells it that it’s time to breathe. This can happen 30 times per hour, and as a result, you will not get good-quality sleep. And when you are not sleeping well, guess what? This can raise your blood pressure.
Sleep apnea is incredibly stressful for the body, and when you combine that with the stresses of day-to-day life when you are awake, you get a disastrous combo. This can lead to many other health problems, such as type 2 diabetes and heart attacks. Also, according to medical research, severe sleep apnea in middle or old age might raise the chance of early mortality by up to 46%.
Hopefully, your doctor can help you with your sleep apnea. For example, a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine can change your life and can also improve your blood pressure.
4. Added sugar
Ok, added sugar is bad, and it’s a notorious fact, but how can this raise your blood pressure? Let’s start with the basics. We eat sugar, and our body responds by producing insulin, which is there to clean out the sugar from the blood and transport it to the cells that need it for energy.
Here is the catch! Insulin by itself can raise your blood pressure, and the more sugar you eat, the more insulin is produced and the higher your blood pressure can be.
So, you can start by avoiding added sugar and simple starches, as they raise your insulin levels, and the worst part is that they create longer and more powerful bursts of insulin, which ultimately raise your blood pressure.
Where can you find added sugars the most? Well, watch out for cakes, soft drinks, cookies, and breakfast cereals. Also, some yogurts might contain lots of added sugars, so this is why you should always check the label before buying.
5. Not eating fruits and vegetables
Salt can raise your blood pressure. This is a well-known fact, but how is this connected to production? Fruits and vegetables are rich in potassium, which is a mineral that counters the effects of sodium. If salt increases your blood pressure, sodium lowers it.
According to cardiologists, women need to consume around 2,600 milligrams of potassium every day, and men should stick to 3,400 milligrams. Also, never take potassium supplements if you haven’t discussed them with your doctor before.
You should focus on natural ways of getting potassium. Try dry fruits, beans, potatoes, and especially bananas because they have a very high potassium content.
Also, besides trying to eat foods that have more potassium, you should also limit your sodium consumption. 75% of the sodium we eat is already in the foods we buy, so we need to be more careful when we go shopping.
This sodium-potassium balance is so important because it keeps our blood pressure steady, and the first thing we can do is have 5 servings of vegetables and 5 servings of fruits every day.
6. Unstable sleep schedule
Sleep is linked to many functions of our body, and it also dictates how we feel. Poor sleep can raise your blood pressure. This is one of the reasons it’s important to get six to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep every night.
When you have an inconsistent sleep pattern, your body sees it as a threat and responds by stressing. Cortisol and adrenaline will be released into your bloodstream, and this is how this can raise your blood pressure.
Also, while you sleep, your body produces nitric oxide. This is a molecule that relaxes and widens your blood vessels. If you have an unpredictable sleep schedule, nitric oxide will not be produced in appropriate amounts, which can narrow your blood vessels and increase your blood pressure.
If you want to measure your blood pressure this gadget can help you: Paramed Blood Pressure Monitor – Bp Machine – Automatic Upper Arm Blood Pressure Cuff 8.7-16.5 inches
You should also read: 6 Ways to Lower Your Blood Pressure Without Pills
