3 Reasons Why Your Blood Pressure is High and What to Do About Them

Hypertension is a common problem and can lead to heart attacks and strokes. High blood pressure also destroys other organs like the kidneys. And lead to kidney failure.

There are many reasons why blood pressure rises. Here are the most common.

1. High insulin levels

Insulin levels go up with meals, especially with sweets and refined carbohydrates. That insulin response is normal. It becomes abnormal when the insulin is always high with frequent meals or snacks. As an example, 3 meals with snacks in between and an after-dinner snack will create an insulin spike 6 times.

This creates a state of high insulin levels all the time or hyperinsulinemia.

Low insulin relaxes the blood vessels. High insulin makes the arteries contract and stiffens the heart, literally leading to hypertension.

2. Lack of Sleep

Typically, the body’s stress hormones, cortisol, and adrenaline rise in the morning around 4 a.m. These hormones prepare the body for the day ahead.

Lack of sleep increases stress hormones more. More people have heart attacks in the morning than at any other time of the day. I saw that in the emergency room. The sickest patients come between 3, and 6 am.

Cortisol and adrenaline increase the heart rate and constricts the arteries and elevates blood pressure.

3. No Exercise

Lack of physical activity and poor diet leads to obesity. Fat inside the abdomen produces signaling proteins that cause inflammation that adds to hypertension.

Easy physical activities like a brisk walk lower blood pressure. The pulse wave from the rapid flow of the blood causes nitric oxide to be made. Nitric oxide maintains a healthy blood vessel lining and makes the arteries softer.

Exercise lowers high insulin levels. That’s because, during practice, the muscles will readily take up the blood sugar. That reduces the need for a higher amount of insulin, that is why insulin levels decrease. Lower insulin means lower blood pressure.

3 Lifestyle Techniques to the Lower Blood Pressure

Change Your Eating Habits

Avoid foods with high glycemic indexes like sugar and sweets. Get your carbohydrates from complex sources. Examples are spaghetti squash, raw vegetables, nuts, beans, and steel-cut oats.

Avoid foods with high glycemic indexes, as shown in the table below.

ice_screenshot_20200122-081414 — Table from Diabetes Care Dec 2008

ice_screenshot_20200122-081635 — Chart from Diabetes Care Dec 2008

Another way to modify the diet is by intermittent fasting. Limiting the time of eating makes the insulin levels go down. Low insulin, lower blood pressure. Times of low insulin is when the stored fat becomes used for energy. Less fat, less obesity.

The added bonus of intermittent fasting is that you can still eat your favorite high-glycemic-index food if you really want during the eating time. Always, the fasting time will lower insulin levels.

Have Enough Sleep

Sleeping is the time when the body repairs itself. Melatonin rises during nighttime and has plenty of health effects on all organs of the body, including the heart and the brain. It has anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer benefits too. There is a link below on how to get enough sleep and the benefits of melatonin.

Increase your Physical Activity Level

Many studies have shown that physical activity prolongs life. Life span is the most meaningful measure of health. The higher the intensity of the exercise, the greater the benefit. Regular work-outs not only prolong life but also protect against dementia. Intense training assures a good night’s sleep. The links below feature the benefits and how to exercise.

Disease Prevention is Inexpensive but Priceless

Cooking meals at home is healthier than fast food. Intermittent fasting not only saves money but gives you more time. There is no added expense in going to bed early.

Exercises can be done at home without the need for a gym membership or equipment.

The most common excuse is lack of time. However, if we reprioritize and make health number one, then the decision becomes more natural.

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Don’t Get Sick!

References:

Bönner G. Hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, and hypertension. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 1994;24 Suppl 2:S39-49.
Fiona S. Atkinson, Kaye Foster-Powell, Jennie C. Brand-Miller. International Tables of Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Values: 2008. Diabetes Care Dec 2008, 31 (12) 2281-2283; DOI: 10.2337/dc08-1239

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