Aren’t you shocked when you take a blood pressure test and find that you are suffering from high blood pressure or hypertension? Now, you understand why you’d get hyper when things would not go your way or react badly when you are sad, angry or frustrated. Here are the causes of high blood pressure in women
1. Stress and depression– Stress is the necessary evil of the society and affects everyone, but it is important to manage stress well. Women who take mental tension, and delve into negative thoughts and chose to react to situations rather than handling it a restrained manner can experience high blood pressure. Also women who tend to internalize their thoughs and do not discuss their problems wth others, can find themselves over-stressed, leading to high blood pressure problems.
2. Genetic- 30 to 45 percent cases of high blood pressure cases in women are genetic in nature. If family members like parents, siblings, grandparents have the disease, then chances are that even you may develop it.
3. Obesity- Women who are obese are six times more prone to suffer from high blood pressure. The weight gain can cause problems to the arteries and heart, leading to high blood pressure and heart problems in women.
4. Sedentary lifestyle- Sedentary life-style without exercising can also cause high blood pressure in women. Due to lack of exercise, there is less blood circulation and piling up of calories that can affect the heart.
5. Menopause-Women are at more risk of high blood pressure during the menopause compared to any other stage in their life. The hormonal changes in a woman’s body after the menopause and the increase in the BMI or Body Mass Index can also lead to high blood pressure in women. Women experience weight gain after menopause, especially if they do not take any precaution to control it.
6. Smoking – Women who smoke not only put their pregnancy to risk but there is also a risk of increasing blood pressure and many other cardiovascular problems
7. Pregnancy– High blood pressure is experienced by pregnant women too. The causes are if the woman already had a history of blood pressure problems, having diabetes, kidney disease, is obese or has become pregnant after 40 years of age.
8. Birth control pills– Though it is not widely acknowledged, birth control pill can also cause hypertension in women. Frequent use of birth control pills and medications like ibuprofen can cause water retention and arterial thinning, causing high blood pressure.
It is a misconception that only older women suffer from high blood pressure. It can be experienced by the younger lot, though they are not at risk as the older women especially the ones post menopause. However, if the women are obese at any age, suffering from diabetes or other health problems, is under continual stress or does not exercise, the risk is quite prevalent.
