Description:
Hypertension can damage your arteries, decreasing blood flow and oxygen to your heart. Protect your cardiovascular health by knowing these three risk factors.

Content:
Hypertension is bad for your overall health and well-being, and as an entrepreneur, you want to avoid or manage hypertension properly in order to support your professional goals. Focus on your health to maintain your quality of life and have the energy to make your ambitions a reality. Learn about three must-know risk factors for high blood pressure.

Chronic Stress
Stress is an inevitable part of anyone’s life, but busy professionals often experience stress at higher levels. Chronic stress, or consistent stress that lasts for weeks or months, is a risk factor for high blood pressure.

When you’re stressed, your body releases hormones that temporarily raise your heart rate and narrow your blood vessels, raising your blood pressure. Over time, consistently high levels of stress can lead to sustained hypertension. Manage stress with healthy methods that work for you. Popular methods like meditation, exercise, and socializing can protect your heart and improve your well-being by diminishing stress and overwhelm.

Poor Sleep Quality
Poor sleep quality is another must-know risk factor for high blood pressure. Signs of poor sleep may include the following:

  • Grogginess when waking for the day
  • Constant yawning
  • Poor concentration
  • Irritable mood
  • Tiredness throughout the day
  • Taking over 30 minutes to fall asleep

Different times of day affect blood pressure; with healthy sleep, your blood pressure should decrease as your body enters a restful period. Poor sleep, on the other hand, can cause hormonal swings that increase hypertension risks.

Aim for seven to nine hours of sleep every night. Follow a relaxing bedtime routine and create a sleep environment conducive to sleep by keeping the room dark and cool.

Excessive Sugar, Salt, and Saturated Fats
Consuming excessive amounts of refined sugar, salt, and saturated fats can increase blood pressure. Avoid overconsumption of these items by balancing your meals with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in nuts, seeds, and fish.

Refined Sugar and Salt
Consuming refined sugar, which is found in sugary beverages and candy, raises blood glucose levels. In response, the body releases insulin to transport glucose to the cells for energy. Elevated insulin may trigger various physiological responses, including causing the kidneys to retain more sodium. While our bodies require salt, consuming too much sodium causes our bodies to retain more water. The added water volume in blood vessels puts more pressure on the vessels’ walls.

Saturated Fats
Saturated fats are often solid rather than liquid at room temperature and are more likely to clog arteries. They are in butter, red meat, cheese, and other foods. Consuming saturated fats in excess can lead to cholesterol buildup in arteries that cause the vessels to narrow, increasing blood pressure.