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9 Things That Up Your Risk of High Blood Pressure


By Korin Miller, Self

If you're not entirely sure what causes high blood pressure, we're about to go over a few reasons why you should. High blood pressure (aka hypertension) is a lot more common than you think: One in three American adults struggles with the condition, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and only about half of them have it under control. And given that hypertension often has no warning signs or symptoms but is linked to heart disease and stroke—two of the leading causes of death in the U.S.—it's important to actually be aware of your blood pressure and any risk factors for hypertension.
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In case you’re not familiar with how it works, your blood pressure is the pressure of blood in your circulatory system. High blood pressure is when the force of your blood pushing against the walls of your blood vessels is consistently too high, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).

“People call it the silent killer because you don’t necessarily feel poorly, but in the background it’s causing increased pressure on your blood vessels, causing damage over time,” Nicole Weinberg, M.D., a cardiologist at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California, tells SELF. And, again, that can lead to serious and potentially deadly health conditions.


It’s possible to have hypertension and have no idea, which is why it’s so crucial that you know the risk factors for the condition and how they apply to you.

Some of these risk factors are modifiable (meaning, you can do something about it) while others are not. But regardless, it's important to be aware of these risk factors and discuss them with your doctor.
Here are the biggest modifiable risk factors to have on your radar:

Being overweight or obese: 

This is one of the biggest risk factors for hypertension, especially in younger people, Marc Leavey, M.D., an internist at Baltimore's Mercy Medical Center, tells SELF. That's because excess body fat puts a strain on your heart, which can cause your blood pressure to rise, explains Dr. Weinberg. The good news is that losing weight (even just a little bit) can often lower your blood pressure, according to the AHA.
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Eating a diet high in sodium, calories, saturated fat, and sugar: 

According to the AHA, this type of diet can increase your risk of developing high blood pressure. The good news is that adjusting your diet is often helpful in lowering your blood pressure. So regardless of whether or not you're at risk for high blood pressure, it's a good idea to keep an eye on your salt and sugar intake and aim to eat minimally processed foods whenever possible.

Having too much alcohol on the regular: 

Drinking in excess is bad for you for a number of reasons, but you can add an increased risk of high blood pressure to the mix. Regular, heavy use of alcohol can cause your blood pressure to increase, according to the AHA.

Not getting enough exercise: 

Regularly getting up and moving is good for you and your overall health, and it can also help keep your blood pressure in check. But not exercising often or at all increases your risk of high blood pressure, Dr. Weinberg says. Make it a point to get the AHA’s recommended 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise or 75 minutes per week of vigorous exercise. It will do your blood pressure, and overall health, some serious good.

Living with chronic stress: 

You may have heard that stress can raise your blood pressure temporarily, which it can when you’re frazzled, but Dr. Weinberg says that chronic stress is really something to worry about when it comes to your blood pressure. “A lot of time when people have stress, that elevates their blood pressure for that moment in time,” she says. “But if you stress all the time, that’s building up issues in your blood vessels.”

Of course, there are also risk factors that you can't really do anything about. However, experts say that maintaining a healthy weight, eating a balanced diet, and taking medication can help with these risk factors:
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A family history of high blood pressure: 

Unfortunately, if high blood pressure runs in your family, you’re at an increased risk of developing it, too. Obviously, you can’t help your genetics, but Dr. Leavey points out that environmental issues within your family, like poor dietary choices and lack of exercise, could contribute to this as well.

Your age: 

Getting older is great, but unfortunately the older you are, the higher your risk of developing high blood pressure. As you get older, your blood vessels become less elastic, which can increase your blood pressure, Dr. Weinberg explains. Clearly, you can’t help this factor, but you can take other blood pressure-friendly steps to help modify your risk.

Your race: 

African American men and women are more likely to develop high blood pressure than people of any other race in the U.S., according to the AHA.

Your gender: 

Men are more likely to have high blood pressure than women until the age of 45, but women are more likely to have high blood pressure from 65 and up, according to the AHA. (From age 45 to 64, the risk is equal.)

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Health Magazine: 9 Things That Up Your Risk of High Blood Pressure
9 Things That Up Your Risk of High Blood Pressure
Hypertension can happen in young people, too.
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