In this article you will learn about the hidden cause of high blood pressure, how it raised my blood pressure by 32 points and how I reversed it back to a doctor-approved reading.
When it comes to high blood pressure, the factors that get the most attention always concern physiological changes in the body…
But that doesn’t explain why some people who live fairly healthy lives still experience rising blood pressure.
These people eat healthy food, avoid alcohol and smoking, and exercise regularly. Yet despite their healthy choices, their blood pressure still goes up.
I know all about this because I was one of those people.
In a moment I’ll share with you my story, how I faced elevated blood pressure and how I overcame it.
But first, let’s talk about why this happens.
The reason why this happens is because of stress.
The Stress Factor
When a person is stressed, the body releases adrenaline, cortisol, and other hormones that form part of the fight-or-flight response.
These hormones cause vasoconstriction — the narrowing of the blood vessels — to prepare the body to run or to fight.
And when the blood vessels narrow, blood pressure rises.
If you want to read more about vasoconstriction, click here for our article on blood flow
As you can clearly see, stress leads to high blood pressure.
This can also lead to a negative cycle, as the HBP diagnosis causes that person to become more stressed, which further pushes up their blood pressure reading.
However the key to breaking out of the cycle is surprisingly easy.
All you have to do is lower your stress level and your blood pressure will immediately drop by a few points — the amount it drops depends on how stressed you were before.
In my case — it was a staggering 32 points.
Yes, you read that correct.
Stress Raised My Blood Pressure By 32 Points Despite Healthy Lifestyle Choices
Back in 2021 I was fit, healthy and active.
I regularly ran in my local park, trained at the gym (once COVID restrictions were relaxed) and ate healthy, nutritious meals.
Despite my positive lifestyle choices, I was shocked to have a blood pressure reading of 138/84.
That may not sound too high to someone with extreme hypertension — but for a young person in otherwise good health, that’s a worrying reading.
I thought to how my grandfather had passed away from the consequences of high blood pressure.
I thought to how high blood pressure raises a person’s risk of stroke and heart attack.
And I immediately got to work doing something about it.
Finding The Cause
There was one challenge — I didn’t know where to begin.
I rarely drank alcohol, didn’t smoke, and ate plenty of fruits and vegetables in my diet.
So I tried other approaches — reducing my salt intake, and focusing on getting even more potassium from my diet.
This had no effect on my blood pressure.
If anything, reducing my salt intake had a negative impact on my sports performance and I soon returned to my usual salt intake.
This led me to looking at the last factor — stress.
In hindsight, it’s obvious that stress was the main cause of the elevated blood pressure. The covid lockdown and uncertainty around the job market gave way to a spiral of over-thinking, and my blood pressure rose as a result.
As soon as I identified this and calmed my busy mind, my blood pressure came back down to a perfect, doctor-approved reading. It now hovers around 106/61.
This is a reduction of 32 points from the reading I had previously.
Stress-Reduction Techniques
I employed a few different tools to get my over-thinking under control. It wasn’t any one tool that helped me, but rather each tool played its part in some way.
Those tools are:
One some days I would use one technique. On other days, I would use another.
If I had to choose just one of these techniques to lower stress, it would be journalling.
Journalling is free, accessible and an easy way to organise your thoughts. It may even be part of your blood pressure solution.
Conclusion
Stress is something we all deal with, and if you live a seemingly healthy life but still experience high blood pressure, then consider if stress is the cause.
By shedding light on this hidden cause, I hope to help you and others from playing a guessing game with your health, and instead get back to good health sooner.
To Your Health And Success.
