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Stress And Hypertension
Stress and hypertension are interlinked, as your emotions affect your blood pressure. Our nervous system is an integral part of controlling or regulating our blood pressure. Our nerves are connected to both the blood vessels and adrenal glands that secrete stress hormones.
Stress like meeting deadlines, working tirelessly, being stuck in traffic, or suddenly slamming on the brakes to avoid an accident causes an increase in heart rate and stronger contractions of the heart muscles, And the stress hormones that are adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol. These act as messengers for these effects.
When we are under acute stress, the blood vessels increase the amount of blood pumped to various parts of the body and elevate blood pressure. In such conditions, your fight or flight response is activated. You get tense and stressed if you need to run or fight.
When you experience constant stress for a prolonged time, it can contribute to long-term problems for the heart and blood vessels. The consistent increase in heart rate, blood pressure, and stress hormone increase the risk for hypertension, heart attack, and stroke.
Chronic stress or constant stress experienced over a prolonged period of time can contribute to long-term problems for heart and blood vessels. The consistent and ongoing increase in heart rate, blood pressure, and elevated levels of stress hormone also contribute to inflammation in the coronary arteries, and this is one pathway that is thought to tie stress to a heart attack. And how you respond to stress can affect cholesterol levels. Increased cholesterol levels are a risk factor for developing heart disease.
Types Of Stress That Can Cause Hypertension
A person can be stressed because of numerous issues. The types of stress and the ways of reducing it are as follow-
Work Stress
Most adults spend a major portion of their lives at work, so it is not surprising that job stress can have a powerful impact on their health. People at the workplace experience the combination of high demand for work and low control in performing their work. This is said to be the main cause of most stress. This stress causes increased blood pressure at home, work, and even during sleep. That is how high work stress is responsible for the development of hypertension in working adults.
If you are experiencing a hard time at the office because of overwork or having disputes with colleagues or even your boss, talk it out. Talk to your boss or manager and solve the problem. You can take a break, go on a vacation or do something fun for some time. Also do not forget to start your day at the workplace with a positive mind day. If you still feel stressed all the time it’s always ok to switch jobs and find a workplace that supports your mental health.
Social Stress
Social relationships are important sources of emotional and practical support, so a lack of social relationships can cause negative physical and psychological effects of stress. The lack of supportive relationships leaves one without the resource of emotional fulfillment and can be a major source of stress. When a person lacks social relationships, isolation can be associated with an increased risk of hypertension.
Socializing is important for our emotional health. In the world of digitalization, people spend most of their time online which is not good for their health. Prefer hanging out with your friends in person rather than online chatting.
Marital Stress
Marriage is often the central relationship in people’s lives. Married people tend to experience better health than those who are single. However, relationships on the other hand can bring conflicts and the stress associated with unhappy or strained marriages has been associated with stress and negative cardiovascular effects. In a study, it was found that marital stress affects women more strongly than job stress.
If you are experiencing a stressful marriage or relationship, communicate with your partner enough. You two can also take help from a marriage counselor or a family member who can listen to both of your problems and give solutions accordingly.
A person can be stressed about anything, it happens with everyone at some point in life. However, if you manage to react positively to negative things around you. You can attain better health in the long term.
Ways To Manage Stress
There are various options for managing stress. Such as-
Simplify Your Daily Schedule
If you have a busy schedule most of the time. Try to manage it well by planning your day beforehand. Keep a diary with yourself and plan things out. It will make you feel more organized and less stressed. Remove the unimportant activities that take up your time from your day.
Try Meditation/Yoga
Meditation and yoga are proven to calm your mind and provide better mental health. These techniques bring clarity and help you relax and may lower your systolic blood pressure by 5 mm Hg or more.
Get Enough Sleep
Sleeping less than required can make your problems seem worse than they really are. Sleeping for 7-8 hours should be mandatory to maintain a healthy mind and body.
Shift Your Perspective
When dealing with problems in life, try to keep a positive mind and resist complaining. Rather focus on finding solutions. There is always something to be grateful for, focus more on them.
Try Breathing Exercises
Taking deep and slow breaths can help you calm your mind. For example, If you feel stressed at your work before a presentation, you can try some breathing exercises that will help you calm your mind.
Spend Time With Your Loved Ones
If the reason behind your stress is a lack of socialization, then try to spend some time with your loved ones. We have forgotten the importance of spending quality time with our family and friends. You can also adopt a pet and spend time with them, it is said to be helpful in relieving stress.
The aim is to discover what works best for you. Be open-minded and keep a positive perspective towards life. And you can prevent a condition as dangerous as hypertension.
A Word From Mantra Care
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