Is Blood Pressure a Good Indicator of Stress?

Blood pressure is the result of the force of blood as it flows and presses against the walls of the arteries of the heart. Every time your heart beats, it pumps blood into the arteries. This action causes the pressure of the blood to rise and fall constantly. Blood pressure rises when the heart beats and falls when the heart is at rest between the beats. The pressure that develops when the heart beats is the systolic pressure (the top number in a blood pressure reading). The diastolic (the bottom number in a blood pressure reading) is obtained when the heart is at rest between beats.

• Maintain a healthy blood pressure and your heart will thank you.

High Blood Pressure

• Normal blood pressure is 120 or less (systolic) over 80 or less (diastolic). Blood pressure is categorized in stages based on the readings. Pre-hypertensive blood pressure ranges from 120 to 139 systolic and 80 to 89 diastolic. Blood pressure is considered to be high if the numbers reach 140/90 or more. Stage 1 high blood pressure is a systolic reading from 140 to 159 and a diastolic reading of 90 to 99. Stage 2 is a systolic reading of 160 or higher and a diastolic of 100 or higher.

High Blood Pressure Symptoms

• High blood pressure does not have noticeable symptoms, which is why it is often called the "silent killer." Headaches, dry mouth, inability to sleep, feeling flushed or getting red-faced are symptoms that people commonly associate with having high blood pressure. These symptoms are not uncommon and can be experienced by a person with normal blood pressure as well as by someone whose blood pressure is high.

Hypertension and Panic Attacks

• According to Dr. Thomas Pickering, director of Integrative and Behavioral Cardiology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, it wasn't until 1980 that panic attacks became associated with hypertension. Panic attacks are associated with the presence of four or more symptoms, including dizziness, shortness of breath, periods of intense fear, rapid heart beats, trembling, sweating, choking, nausea, numbness or tingling, chest pain or discomfort, hot flushes, chills, fear of losing control or going crazy, and fear of dying. Spontaneous panic attacks have been found to be more common in individuals who already have high blood pressure.

Stress and Hypertension

• Although stress is not an indicator of hypertension, a significant rise in blood pressure can result from stressful situations. Dr. Alexander Davidyan states that "essential hypertension (high blood pressure) stands out as a disorder that is commonly associated with stress and living a stressful life." Once the cause of stress is abated, the elevation in pressure returns to normal. This is true whether the individual has normal or high blood pressure.

Anxiety and Depression

• In a landmark study, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) uncovered evidence that severe anxiety and depression could increase the risk of developing hypertension. Their study began in the early 1970s and involved testing 3,000 adults whose blood pressure was normal. Test subjects were checked again between seven to 16 years later and it was found that those subjects suffering from anxiety or severe depression ran a two to three times higher risk of developing hypertension than other participants. Allowances were made for age, history of heart disease and smoking.

  In addition, the CDC found that anxiety and depression caused people to drink excessively, gain weight and smoke, thus increasing their risk of developing hypertension.