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#1-Treatment Review: High Blood Pressure and Stress

Although stress is not directly linked to HBP, higher stress level can lead to increased irregular heartbeat, shortage of breath and spikes of increased blood pressure.

Experiencing stress is normal; however, living in constant stress will eventually lead to developing a serious health condition such as cardiovascular diseases, ulcers, depression, diabetes and other illnesses. In this article we are going to review what stress means and will explain different ways to cope with stress.

Understanding Stress

Based on General Adaptation Syndrome model, the person reacts to stress in three main stages.

“Alarm” response is the first stage of the model. At this stage the person encounters a stressful stimuli and adrenalin is released into the body to create “fight-or-flight” response.

“Resistance” response is the second stage of the model. Throughout this stage, if the stressor is still there, the body tries to become accustomed to the stressful environment; however, the resources are slowly depleting.

The third stage is called “exhaustion” response. This is the most risky stage because at this point the body’s defense system is exhausted and permanent illnesses can manifest.

Stress Symptoms

Physical

inability to relax,  pains, diarrhea or constipation, nausea, dizziness, chest pain, rapid heartbeat, aches, insomnia, tiredness, muscle tension, indigestion, sweaty palms, ringing in the ears,

Cognitive

Poor judgment, constant worry, difficulty making decisions, forgetfulness, inability to concentrate, lack of creativity, loss of sense of humor

Emotional

a general negative outlook, excessive worrying, mood swings, irritability, anger, irritability, feeling lonely, depressed, feeling hopeless

Behavioral

eating too much or not enough, sleeping too much or not enough, withdrawing from others, procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities, using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax, and nervous habits (e.g. nail biting)

Coping with Stress

There are several ways to cope with stress.  

It has been clinically proven that exercising is an effective way to cope with as stress. Actually, it has been reported to be just as powerful as using medication.

Another way to lower your stress is by using different relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises, meditation, listening to calm music.

If it is necessary, to assess the stressful situation one can imagine stepping out of this situation and viewing it from a bystander view. This technique helps to view the situation from losts of angles without feeling angry or experiencing stress symptoms.

Even though it has not been scientifically proven that stress is directly related to high blood pressure some stress factors may contribute to this phenomena. For example, during stressful situation the person may not exercise, may gain weight from eating excessively or may start smoking and consuming too much alcohol. Furthermore, if the person is under constant stress the immune system is worn out and hormonal imbalance makes other organs work improperly.  

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