What do you think of when you hear the words ‘High blood pressure’? An image of blood gushing through your veins and arteries might come to mind. That’s pretty accurate. Your blood pressure is a gauge of how much pressure your blood flow creates in your arteries. It’s considered within the normal range when it is around120/80 mm Hg. If it’s above 130/80 mm Hg, it’s considered to be hypertension.
(Quick lesson: Hypertension can be primary or secondary. Primary is often the result of factors like age, genetics, and diet. Secondary hypertension, on the other hand, is less common and usually the result of an underlying condition. Want to learn more about the different types and stages? Click here.)
The only way to know for certain that you have high blood pressure is with a blood pressure reading. But just because it’s difficult to spot without a test, doesn’t mean it should be ignored.
That’s because high blood pressure can increase your risk of severe medical conditions, for example, heart attack and stroke. (But don’t freak out, we’re talking about lifestyle adjustments you can make later in this post.)
Here, we’re looking at the common causes of high blood pressure, its links with pre-diabetes, and how to fix it.
First things first, what causes high blood pressure?
Well, as we mentioned, it can be related to your age (more on that to come) and your genetics. However, lifestyle factors can be a major contributor.
Fortunately, many of those are largely within your control.
Lifestyle contributors to high blood pressure include:
Being of higher body weight (obese or overweight.)
Getting too little physical exercise (NHS recommends 150 minutes a week.)
Overconsuming alcohol (A 2019 study suggests consuming 7-13 drinks a week can substantially increase your risk of hypertension.)
Heavy salt intake (think table salt, processed foods and ready meals)
Smoking
Overconsuming caffeine (3-4 cups of coffee a day is safe for most people, according to a 2021 study but less is best.)
Taking certain medications, like birth control pills, steroids, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
A lack of good-quality sleep
Underlying health conditions can also contribute to secondary hypertension. Such as:
- Diabetes
- Chronic kidney disease
- Heart irregularities
High blood pressure: why it’s not just something that happens as we age
It would be easy to write high blood pressure off as just one of those things that happens as we age. But it’s not a good idea to think of high blood pressure in this way.
Yes, it can increase as you age, however, you can bring your risk of high blood pressure down by making adjustments to your lifestyle.
High blood pressure risk increases with age because your body’s vascular system changes as you grow older. Your arteries can get stiffer, which makes your blood pressure rise.
But here’s the thing: as we mentioned earlier, high blood pressure can increase your risk of stroke, heart attack, heart failure, and kidney disease, so it isn’t something you should simply ignore.
And the good news? There are many lifestyle adjustments you can make to improve high blood pressure — no matter your age — and we’ve shared many of them below.
First though…
Is high blood pressure a pre-diabetes warning sign?
The short answer? Yes, it is.
High sugar intake raises insulin levels, activating the sympathetic nervous system and leading to an increase in blood pressure and heart rate.
Additionally, higher levels of sugar in the blood can contribute to inflammation, which damages the arteries and this will also have an impact on blood pressure.
High blood sugar causes sugar molecules to stick to proteins and fats in your body, making your blood vessels stiff and narrow.
Wondering what happens next? Our immune system steps in and attempts to repair inflammation and arterial damage by creating a protective layer.
This can cause problems because cholesterol in your blood vessels can get stuck to the damaged area, causing plaque to build up.
When this happens, your blood pressure can increase even further.
What damage does high blood pressure cause?
Here’s the thing about high blood pressure: left untreated it can quietly damage your body in lots of ways.
(Nobody panic, we’re going to offer lots of advice on reducing your risk in the next section.)
Here are a few of the main ways high blood pressure can harm your health:
Damage to your heart
Coronary artery disease, heart failure, and an enlarged left heart are among the risks to your heart. High blood pressure can narrow and damage the arteries that supply blood to the heart.
It also forces the heart to work harder to pump blood to the rest of the body and can contribute to Metabolic syndrome: a cluster of health conditions that can lead to heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
Damage to your brain
High blood pressure can put your brain at risk too. It can increase your risk of dementia and mild cognitive impairment.
(In fact, dementia is often referred to as type 3 diabetes – and poor blood sugar control and brain fog can be early warning signs.)
On the more extreme side of things, it can contribute to stroke. This happens when part of the brain doesn’t get enough oxygen and nutrients.
Inflammation
An increase in inflammation can lead to a cascade of other concerns in the body. For one, it contributes to weight gain because of increased fat storage, impaired insulin processing and altered appetite regulation.
Additionally, because of inflammation’s ability to impair insulin processing, it can lead to higher glucose levels in the blood and increase your risk of diabetes.
It’s also linked to an increased risk of Metabolic Syndrome, a cluster of conditions that occur together and increase your risk of heart, disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.
How to fix high blood pressure
Hopefully, all of this info has encouraged you to take high blood pressure seriously. The great news is there are plenty of ways to reduce your risk of elevated blood pressure as you age.
If you’re diagnosed with high blood pressure, your doctor may prescribe you medication, but there’s lots you can do too.
Cutting alcohol consumption and quitting smoking are great places to start but I’m sure that’s not news to you.
Here are a few other suggestions…
Get moving
Research shows that several types of exercise can lower resting blood pressure, including aerobic exercise, high-intensity interval training, dynamic resistance training, and isometric exercise training.
Additionally, it can help with weight loss and that’s good news where blood pressure is concerned.
In fact, a 2008 study found that a 1kg loss of body weight was associated with a 1-mm hg drop in blood pressure.
If you’re not sure how to get started with exercise, don’t worry.
You don’t need to spend hours at the gym or go all out with a gruelling workout; find something that works for you and start small. Maybe it’s a short walk on your lunch break or 20 minutes of lifting light weights.
The key is to find an accessible starting point and get moving.
Reduce inflammatory foods
Cutting down on inflammatory foods – like UPFs, ready meals, and takeaways that are often high in salt and added sugar – can positively impact your blood pressure.
According to a 2019 study, even moderately reducing your salt intake could lower your blood pressure.
The tricky part? Salt isn’t always easy to spot and you could be over-consuming it without even realising it.
Cutting back on ultra-processed foods like ready meals, which are often high in sodium, can help. You’ll also find salt in soy sauce, yeast extracts, stock cubes and ready-mixed dry seasonings, so use those sparingly.
Manage Stress
High blood pressure causes what’s known as shear stress in the vascular system, a force that contributes to vascular dysfunction. And when we’re feeling stressed out, this process increases.
Even when you’re eating well and moving your body, unmanaged stress can have a knock-on effect on your vascular system.
Fortunately, good sleep can help. (More on that to come). And nasal breathing is beneficial too.
Not only can it help you feel calmer, nasal breathing produces nitric oxide which dilates blood vessels and lowers blood pressure.
Prioritise sleep
We all know how groggy we feel when we don’t get a good night’s rest. Did you know poor sleep quality can also impact blood pressure?
One of the most interesting connections between snoring and blood pressure is that if you snore you don’t get into parasympathetic rest and digest mode during the night so you remain in fight and flight, impacting blood pressure.
Good sleep hygiene habits can help. Here are a few tips:
- Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day
- Get some physical activity in during the day — but try not to do it too close to bedtime
- Try not to eat or drink too close to bedtime either as this can disrupt your sleep too
- Get natural light earlier in the day
Takeaway
High blood pressure isn’t always obvious but that doesn’t mean it should be ignored — or written off as just one of those things that happens as you get older.
Left unchecked it can cause damage to many parts of the body, including the heart, brain, and kidneys. Age and genetics are factors that contribute to high blood pressure, but there are many lifestyle factors that increase your risk of elevated blood pressure too.
That’s good news because it means there are lots of things you can do to reduce your risk, like consuming less salt, getting more exercise, and prioritising sleep.
