There are quite a few well-known reasons why someone would have High Blood Pressure. But what about those sneaky causes you may not know about that put you at risk? This week, let’s take a look at how some everyday activities can cause a spike and induce high blood pressure.
Things You Didn’t Know Cause High Blood Pressure
- Certain medications, including the kind you get over the counter, can affect your health and raise your blood pressure. Some of these include contraception pills and bacterial antibiotic. Also, easy to purchase painkiller (non-aspirin painkillers) can cause a spike, some of those include Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including naproxen sodium (Aleve, Anaprox) and ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others). If you are at risk for high blood pressure. Speak to a physician before getting a prescription.
- Sleep apnea is also a huge culprit in affecting your blood pressure levels. When your breathing is affected by any activity, especially prolonged hours like sleep, your heart has to work harder to distribute oxygen to your body. If you are finding yourself with high blood pressure and no improvement after changing your lifestyle, it might be time to take a look at your sleeping habits for your health.
- Too much caffeine can have an extremely detrimental effect on your overall health causing stress on your body that leads to high blood pressure. Not only does caffeine dehydrate you making your body work harder to push blood through your veins, it causes your heart to go into hyper-drive unnecessarily. Cutting your caffeine intake can be the best first step in heart health. Don’t forget caffeine can come from some sneaky places, most diet supplements contain high quantities of caffeine that work a lot like an amphetamine on your system. Be sure to consult a physician before using diet supplements, even ones you buy at a natural food store.
- Binge Drinking or getting too drunk regularly has a depressive effect on your circulatory system. While many people associate drinking on a daily basis with heart problems, binge drinking just once a week can have lasting effects. Binge drinking is classified as more than 1 drink per hour for more than 3 hours straight. Limiting your “party nights” might be just what the doctor ordered to repair high blood pressure.
- Not getting enough time in the sun can deplete your vitamin D and cause unnecessary stress on your kidneys. If you are deficient in Vitamin D for prolonged periods of time, your body begins to experience stress that puts a strain on all your vital organs causing high blood pressure. To correct this, make sure you get a little more time outside (don’t forget the SPF) or add vitamin D into your diet through dairy or a health supplement.
