Can worry raise blood pressure?

Worry is a natural part of everyday life for a lot of us that can’t be avoided.  Worry is an emotion that has several reactions in the body.  While these reactions in the body differ from person to person, one common reaction is increased blood pressure.  One simple reason for this is that we tend to increase our heart rate when we are worried.  For example, if I am worried about a job interview that is really important to me, I might naturally feel a fast heart rate and maybe could even hear my heart rate so fast.  Higher heart rates are naturally associated with higher blood pressure. 

Another symptom of worry that is really common and can cause a rise in blood pressure is a disruption to sleep.  Some people suffer from restless sleep after falling asleep, others suffer from not falling asleep, and some suffer from both.  Whatever the case may be, a lack of sleep is closely connected with your body’s overall health. Therefore, if you are losing sleep because of being worried, that can easily increase your blood pressure.  This is especially true if this goes unaddressed and you continue to lose more and more sleep. 

When we get worried, it is really common to struggle with our eating habits.  Some people react to worry by eating less, and some react to worry by eating more.  When people react to worry by eating more, they tend to make poorer choices about the foods that they are eating.  Poorer food choices, such as foods higher in fat content, higher in sugar content, and higher in sodium content, can cause an increase in your blood pressure. On that same note, when people are worried, they sometimes drink alcohol and/or smoke more.  People that do not drink alcohol might even drink more drinks that are higher in sugar content.  All of these optioThesease someone’s blood pressure over time if they are not consuming them in moderation.