- High blood pressure causes include diet and lifestyle habits
- To diagnose the condition you need to take around 10 blood pressure readings a day, according to an expert
- Blood pressure readings could also be spiked by recent events that caused stress
High blood pressure causes include eating a poor, high-salt diet and not exercising regularly.
However other problems, such as being stressed, could also raise blood pressure readings.
“Stressful situations can cause your blood pressure to spike temporarily,” said the Mayo Clinic announcing the shocking revelation, “but researchers aren’t sure if this could also cause long-term blood pressure rise.”
“Increases in blood pressure related to stress can be dramatic. But once the stressor disappears, your blood pressure returns to normal.”
Feeling stressed can raise your blood pressure reading, but it may not lead to high blood pressure.
“There’s no proof that stress by itself causes long-term high blood pressure,” continued the Clinic.
“But, it may be related to other behaviours linked to stress – such as overeating, drinking alcohol and poor sleeping habits.
“However, short term stress-related spikes in your blood pressure added up over time may put you at risk of developing long-term high blood pressure.”
Not becoming stressed due to family problems and work may seem difficult, but it could have a positive impact on blood pressure readings.
However, the NHS doesn’t consider stress a possible cause of high blood pressure.
To diagnose blood pressure Graham MacGregor, chair of the UK’s only blood pressure charity, Blood Pressure UK, said people should take readings several times a day over a few days.
These should then be averaged to get a final reading.
If this is above 140/90 mmHg this diagnoses high blood pressure.
The NHS said the condition could be caused by being older, a family history of the condition, a salty diet, and a lack of exercise.
They added being overweight, regularly drinking large amounts of alcohol, smoking and not sleeping regularly could also cause the condition, but did not mention stress.
“High blood pressure rarely has noticeable symptoms,” the NHS said.
“But if untreated, it increase your risk of serious problems such as heart attacks and strokes.”
Around one in four people in the UK suffer from this condition although, due to the lack of symptoms, many are undiagnosed.
Blood pressure can be measured using a monitor.
Eating apricots could help lower blood pressure levels.