Can anxiety cause high blood pressure?

Anxiety doesn't cause long-term high blood pressure (hypertension). But episodes of anxiety can cause dramatic, temporary spikes in your blood pressure.

If those temporary episodes occur frequently, such as every day or almost every day, they can cause just as much damage to your blood vessels, heart and kidneys as can chronic high blood pressure. In addition, when you have anxiety, you're more likely to resort to other unhealthy habits that can increase your blood pressure, such as:

■Smoking
■Drinking
■Overeating
Some medications to treat anxiety, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), also can increase your blood pressure.

If you have trouble controlling your anxiety or if anxiety interferes with daily activities, talk to your doctor or a mental health provider to find an appropriate treatment.

High Blood Pressure in children

High blood pressure (hypertension) in children is blood pressure that's the same as or higher than 95 percent of children who are the same sex, age and height as your child. There isn't a simple target blood pressure reading that indicates high blood pressure in children, because what's considered normal blood pressure changes as children grow.

High blood pressure in children younger than 10 years old is usually caused by another medical condition. High blood pressure in children can also develop for the same reasons it does in adults — being overweight, eating a poor diet and not exercising.

Lifestyle changes, such as eating a heart-healthy diet and exercising more, can help reduce high blood pressure in children. But, for some children, medications may be necessary.

Erectile dysfunction drugs and high blood pressure

Men considering medication for erectile dysfunction, should check with their doctor first. It's usually safe to combine the erectile dysfunction drugs sildenafil (Viagra), vardenafil (Levitra) and tadalafil (Cialis) with high blood pressure medications.

Taking these drugs with nitrates, taken either regularly for chest pain or in an emergency setting, can cause a dangerous drop in blood pressure.

High blood pressure medication side effects in men: Sexual problems

High blood pressure medications that can cause sexual dysfunction as a side effect include:

■Water pills (diuretics). Diuretics can decrease forceful blood flow to the penis, making it difficult to achieve an erection. They can also deplete the body of zinc, which is necessary to make the sex hormone testosterone.
■Beta blockers. These medications can affect the nervous system reaction that causes an erection. Beta blockers can also make it difficult for the arteries in the penis to widen (dilate) to let in enough blood flow to cause an erection.
To reduce the risk of side effects from these medications, including sexual problems, take medication exactly as prescribed. If you still have side effects, talk to your doctor about other possible medications that may have fewer side effects.

High Blood Pressure for Men Sex

Over time, high blood pressure damages the lining of blood vessels and causes arteries to harden and narrow (atherosclerosis), limiting blood flow. This means less blood is able to flow to the penis. For some men, the decreased blood flow makes it difficult to achieve and maintain erections — often referred to as erectile dysfunction. The problem is fairly common, especially among men who are not treating their high blood pressure.

Even a single episode of erectile dysfunction can cause anxiety. Fears that it will happen again might lead men to avoid sex — and affect relationship with their sexual partner.

High blood pressure can also interfere with ejaculation and reduce sexual desire. Sometimes the medications used to treat high blood pressure have similar effects.

Dangers of Low Blood Pressure

While high blood pressure is dangerous, low blood pressure also has dangers that impact negatively on a person's health. Some low blood pressure sufferers are in great physical shape and have strong cardiovascular systems and experience symptoms because their cardiovascular systems and hearts are strong with arterial systems elasticity being flexible.


It can be dangerous when there is a sudden drop in blood pressure. For example, a change of only 20 mm HG (systolic reading change from 130 to 110) may cause fainting or dizziness because not enough oxygen is received by the brain.

What causes angina?

Angina is caused by a temporary lack of oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle due to a narrowing of the arteries that carry blood to the heart. When the blood flow to an area of the heart is decreased, the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the muscle cells and the heart is reduced.

To maintain its function, the heart muscle will use alternative, less efficient forms of fuel. This causes the muscles to produce lactic acid which causes pain and discomfort around the heart.

Avoid by Heart Problems

Begin or sustain some regular physical activity. Even a modest amount of activity each day will lower your LDL cholesterol and raise your HDL cholesterol. Exercise also improves your heart’s pumping efficiency, benefits your circulation and increases your overall strength and endurance. Increase your consumption of vegetables, fresh fruits, low-fat milk and other dairy products, grains, fish and poultry. The main objective here is to replace foods high in saturated fat with healthier foods. Multiple sources of information exist that will help you create a heart-healthy diet. Know your cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triglyceride levels. The level of cholesterol in your blood is a good indicator of the health of your heart and blood vessels. Generally, the higher your cholesterol level, the greater your risk of heart disease. Ldl stands for low-density lipoprotein. LDLs carry cholesterol around the body. LDLs deposit cholesterol in blood vessels where they can eventually build up and restrict blood flow. The more LDLs you have, the higher your risk factor for heart disease. Hdl stands for high-density lipoprotein. HDLs remove cholesterol from artery walls and carry it to the liver, which breaks it down. Triglycerides are a type of fat present in foods and manufactured in the liver. The higher your triglyceride level, the greater your risk of heart disease. Watch your weight. Obesity raises triglyceride levels, which in turn promotes heart disease. Diet and physical activity should help you lower and maintain your weight. Know your family’s history of heart conditions. A family history of obesity, diabetes, heart attack, stroke or high blood pressure increases your risk of heart disease so consult a cardiologist before the age of 55 for males and 65 for females. Pay attention to the pain. If you feel your vitality generally slipping, have a checkup. If you are having chest pains go to the nearest emergency room. Reduce your stress. Don’t smoke. Limit the amount of alcohol you consume.

Symptoms of Heart Disease

In its early stages there are no symptoms. The first symptom is usually angina pectoris (chest pain) or heart attack.
Angina pectoris is discomfort or pain in the chest, typically, brought on by exertion and relieved by rest. The pain may be a dull ache in the middle of the chest or a feeling of pressure that may spread up to the neck or down the arms.
The major symptoms of a heart attack are intense chest pain, suddenly cold, sweating, weakness and nausea.

Causes and Risk Factors of Heart Disease

The primary risk factors for the development of atherosclerotic heart disease are smoking, sedentary lifestyle, hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, and a genetic predisposition to the disease.