Are you feeling the pressure?

These past couple of years have changed the way we live and the way we relate to one another. Fear has been a prevalent motivating factor. With fear comes anxiety. With anxiety often comes elevated blood pressure.

Shutdowns, masks, vaccines, mandates, all of it is highly stressful. That is on top of the actual problem – COVID. Friends, coworkers, family, getting sick – some severely even to the point of loss.

It is no wonder we are seeing a spike and rise in blood pressure levels on a national level. This is the most stress we, collectively, have seen in our lifetimes socially.

Let’s take a look at the numbers. By the end of 2020 blood pressure levels had risen especially in older adults. The findings were published in the American Heart Association’s journal Circ­ulation.

“At the start of the pandemic, most people were not taking care of themselves,” lead study author Dr. Luke Laffin reported.

“Increases in blood pressure were likely related to changes in eating habits, increased alcohol consumption, less physical activity, decreased medication adherence, more emotional stress and poor sleep,” he said.

Even small increases in blood pressure can increase the risk of stroke or another cardiovascular event.

Almost half of U.S. adults have hypertension.

Health data was gathered from 2018 to 2020 for 464,585 participants with an average age of 46. They compared blood pressure levels prior to the pandemic with those that followed.

They found no change in blood pressure levels prior to March 2020. From April to December, when compared to the same time in 2019, average monthly blood pressure increases ranged from 1.1 to 2.5 mmHg higher for systolic measurements and 0.14 to 0.53 mmHg higher for diastolic. 1 in 4 adults in the study were reclassified to a higher blood pressure category by the end of 2020.

It went on to note that women tended to gain weight and men tended to lose it. Even so, weight was not the direct contributing factor to the jump. Stress was.

Advice from Tampa Cardiovascular Associates

It is important to pay attention to your blood pressure and don’t ignore your chronic medical conditions. Get regular exercise, eat a healthy diet, monitor your blood pressure and cholesterol. See your doctor regularly to learn how to reduce cardiovascular risk factors. www.TampaCardio.com. 813-975-2800.