According to experts, feelings of stress, anxiety and insecurity are also one of the causes that can temporarily increase blood pressure and cause many negative effects on health. This also makes many people wonder, ‘Does anxiety disorder raise blood pressure?’. Let’s find the answer through the following article.
An anxiety disorder is a health condition characterized by excessive feelings of anxiety and stress.
Anxiety disorder is a very common mental health condition today. People with this condition will often feel anxious, but not excessive. This condition will continue to persist even when the patient is faced with situations, things, and objects that are not dangerous in nature.
It is also because there is always an excessive fear of things happening around life, so patients with anxiety disorder will always have a tendency to want to avoid and hide from those situations. This not only affects health, but also is a great obstacle to life, daily activities, academic results, work and social relationships.
Anxiety disorders, if not detected early and with appropriate interventions, will cause many serious effects, the most common is the increase in blood pressure, causing the patient to lose control, unable to control. regulate one’s own behavior, thoughts, and feelings. Therefore, as soon as they recognize abnormal signs of emotions, the patient or the next of kin should take the initiative to bring them to visit and diagnose at reputable specialized facilities to promptly remedy the situation. fruit.
Does an anxiety disorder raise blood pressure?
A study was done nearly 100 years ago and is also the first study on the problem of high blood pressure in men. The study found an unusually high frequency in people who are directors of large corporations who carry a lot of responsibility, and in people who, after a long period of psychological stress, become should be worried”. This is also one of the frequently discussed topics.
Some people believe that stress and anxiety are factors that increase blood pressure in many people. However, there are also some people who share that high blood pressure is likely due to the process of suppressing anger from within. Not stopping there, others say that the increase in blood pressure can come from family factors, relatives have a history of problems with hypertension.
Therefore, whether anxiety disorders increase blood pressure is a question asked by many patients. In fact, stress and anxiety have a strong relationship with temporary increases in blood pressure, but it has no effect on chronic high blood pressure. The same is true for people with severe, chronic anxiety disorders.
According to many modern scientific studies today, it is shown that the time when you feel anxiety, stress, insecurity will be the period of hormonal stimulation, endogenous hormones (cortisol and adrenaline) release. This is also considered one of the main causes of the phenomenon that causes the heart rate to increase rapidly, the diameter of blood vessels to decrease, thereby causing high blood pressure.
Anxiety disorders have the ability to increase blood pressure by stimulating endogenous hormones in the body.
Experts estimate that the influence of anxiety and insecurity on raising blood pressure in a short time is very large, arterial pressure can increase by 30 to 40%. On the other hand, these changes only last for a short period of time, after these hormones are well eliminated, the heart rate, blood vessel diameter as well as blood pressure will gradually stabilize and return to the normal state. initial.
Accordingly, in cases of anxiety disorder but not chronic high blood pressure, the cardiovascular nervous system seems to return to a normal state to respond to the sharp increase in adaptability. of hormones that cause anxiety and stress. Just as people with normal health still have periods of stress, or people with chronic anxiety disorders will also experience long-lasting anxiety episodes and their blood pressure will have similar reactions when they are stressed. they are in this state.
As can be seen, blood pressure will be affected a lot by emotions, stress, anxiety is the biggest threat. This is also considered a satisfactory answer to why when you are stressed, anxious, or have an anxiety disorder, you are more likely to have high blood pressure. An abnormal increase in blood pressure in a short time will also cause quite serious harm, such as increasing the risk of chronic high blood pressure. Besides, it also causes some damage to the heart, blood vessels, and kidneys if there is no timely intervention.
Are Anxiety Disorders Dangerous for High Blood Pressure?
As shared above, anxiety disorders and a number of other mental health problems can cause an increase in blood pressure due to the increased stimulation of hormones, endogenous hormones, typically cortisol. and adrenaline. Even so, high blood pressure caused by an anxiety disorder is usually short-lived, making it less likely to develop or turn into high blood pressure. Except for cases where the patient already has a number of risk factors, such as obesity, habitual abuse of stimulants (alcohol, tobacco), atherosclerosis or other problems. about kidney health.
For these cases, if it can be detected and prevented in time with appropriate measures, it will help control anxiety and insecurity, thereby preventing the risk of hypertension. On the contrary, if anxiety disorders are not overcome soon, the high blood pressure will likely persist and lead to a series of other health problems such as arrhythmia, myocardial ischemia. More specifically, for patients who have a history or are suffering from heart health problems, if symptoms of anxiety disorder persist, it will increase the risk of turning into heart disease, It can even lead to sudden death.
According to experts, the damage, whether it is short or long-term, will have the risk of leading to an increase in blood pressure and damage to the functioning and function of other organs. In addition, if high blood pressure is related to an anxiety disorder, it has the potential to affect a person’s physical and mental health. Many people will fall into a state of sleep disturbance, continuous insomnia, diabetes, stomach pain, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, etc. Even an increase in blood pressure is also an adverse effect. for anxiety disorders, causing anxiety and stress to increase.
Prevention and improvement of hypertension caused by anxiety disorders
High blood pressure is one of the health problems that people with anxiety disorders often face. This greatly affects the health and daily life of patients. Therefore, you need to take measures to help prevent and improve this situation. Here are some commonly recommended methods.
1. Adjusting to a positive lifestyle
To be able to control anxiety disorders well and prevent the possibility of high blood pressure, patients need to quickly change their lifestyle in a more positive and healthy direction. At the same time, if you can maintain this scientific lifestyle, it will help you improve your physical and mental health, and prevent other serious health problems.
Yoga every day is also a good measure to help you reduce stress and prevent high blood pressure.
Some useful tips to help you form a good lifestyle, limit and overcome high blood pressure caused by anxiety disorders such as:
- Exercising regularly, meditating for 15 to 30 minutes a day is an effective way for you to quickly eliminate your worries, worries and insecurities. Physical exercise not only helps you to have a supple health but also increases the activity of the nervous system, contributes to improving the spirit, dispels fatigue and negative thoughts.
- Limit the habit of working with high intensity, avoid embracing too many things at the same time. It is best to plan specifically for the things that you need to do to avoid having to stay up late to complete work or spend too much time thinking about them.
- Avoid sitting for too long, it is best to relax for about 5-10 minutes after 2 hours of stressful work. Standing up, walking around the room or taking a short break, listening to your favorite music is also a way to help your spirit be more relaxed and gentle.
- Ensure adequate nutrients, build a healthy eating menu, supplement foods that are beneficial for health and brain. At the same time, it is necessary to drink enough water every day, which can be supplemented with fruit juices and vegetable juices to enhance the necessary vitamins and minerals.
- Actively share with people around, whenever facing difficulties, stress, fatigue in study, work, life, please open your heart to express it to your close ones. Being able to speak out your bad thoughts and feelings also helps you dispel anxiety and depression.
2. Drug treatment
In addition to rapid lifestyle changes, people with anxiety disorders with high blood pressure will also be considered for improvement with some necessary medications. Along with the use of drugs to help treat anxiety disorders, the specialist may also prescribe some beta-blockers to help balance and control the increase in blood pressure, at the same time. also overcome some accompanying physical symptoms well.
However, the use of drugs requires the guidance and monitoring of a specialist, patients should not arbitrarily buy drugs to use to avoid causing unfortunate consequences. Usually, for this condition, the doctor will prescribe medicine for a short time to overcome the dangerous symptoms and to ensure the safety of the patient. Only drugs of the tricyclic antidepressant group will be used for a long time for the purpose of balancing and stabilizing the concentration of brain neurotransmitters. Even if the condition is controlled and markedly remission, the patient should continue to take it for 6 to 12 months to prevent recurrence.
3. Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is also one of the most commonly used methods for people with anxiety disorders, especially those who often suffer from high blood pressure. With this therapy, patients will gradually be relieved of their negative and misleading thoughts and emotions, thereby forming a more correct perception. It is considered a safe and effective long-term support for patients with anxiety disorders or other mental health problems.
Through live chat sessions, experts will help patients better understand the problem they are facing, and help them come up with the most effective and appropriate solution. In addition, patients are also equipped with some necessary skills to control emotions, cope well with stress, and quickly reintegrate into the community.
Thus, YES is the answer to the question “Does anxiety disorders raise blood pressure?”. In order to protect health and prevent serious risks, patients need to strictly follow the treatment regimen of experts, actively build a scientific and healthy lifestyle. If high blood pressure is caused by anxiety and stress for a long time, you also need to discuss it thoroughly with your doctor to get a more in-depth solution.
