Happy World Hypertension Day!
Contrary to what many people know to be true about hypertension’s link to mental health, only about 15% of people who suffer from hypertension actually have difficulties managing their anger and anxiety.
Dr. Samuel Mann suggests that hypertension that is easily controlled by medication is not usually related to psychological factors. This type of hypertension is generally explained by the individual’s genetics (i.e. family history) and lifestyle (i.e. diet, weight, salt intake, lack of exercise).
Why is it that so many people believe that hypertension is worsened by extreme emotions such as anxiety and anger? This is likely to be because such emotions do raise your blood pressure initially, but are not likely to keep your blood pressure high for an extended period of time. Many patients are often misdiagnosed simply because they feel anxious when they are seeing a doctor and thus show elevated blood pressure readings.
More recent findings show that it is not the obviously angry or anxious people who tend to suffer from prolonged hypertension, but on the contrary, those who repress their feelings, have a history of trauma or abuse, or unexplained, severe hypertension that does not respond to medication.
Another finding from these latest studies are that treatment such as relaxation techniques and meditation may not directly help to treat hypertension. If you belong to the 15% of people whose severe hypertension is not responding to regular drug therapy, tend to be even-tempered and have a history of trauma, you may need to ask a medical professional about whether a medication that helps with sympathetic nervous system-driven hypertension might be effective.
In essence, those of you who are more explosive or anxious need not feel that you are at higher risk of hypertension because of these traits. This also means that just because you are cool, calm and collected does not mean that you will not suffer from hypertension.
If you are interested to learn more about Hypertension or organize similar talks for your colleagues, feel free to drop us an email at info@fhi-online.com.