I once had this belief that one of the major causes of hypertension or high blood pressure is “overthinking”. Hence, i have always advised people around me to avoid having too much thoughts, so they can reduce their risk of experiencing the condition.
As a result of my encounter with a health publication from Cleveland clinic, my perspective changed. This article will be answering on of the most frequently asked questions on the subject of overthinking and how it relates to hypertension.
Firstly, It is important that you understand the difference between hypertension and high blood pressure . High blood pressure occurs when your blood pressure is above normal while hypertension is used to describe “long-term or persistent high blood pressure”.
CAN OVERTHINKING LEAD TO HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AND HYPERTENSION?
The answer is NO!! It can only elevate your blood pressure for a while. I’ll explain in a moment.
A health publication from Cleveland clinic made me to understand that overthinking is likely the commonly used term for anxiety, due to their similarities.
In other words anxiety or overthinking is that condition where you experience a lot of fear, panic and that moment when you have thousands of thoughts running through your mind. This condition can bring about stress to your body.
Well, stress and anxiety are related to hypertension solely because of the fact that they tend to elevate your blood pressure temporarily. However, they don’t necessarily cause a sustained elevation in high blood pressure; they do not cause hypertension.
So, overthinking might lead to anxiety and stress – These factors can only elevate your blood pressure for a short term period.
Mayo clinic states that if anxiety continues frequently (like everyday), it can cause a severe spike in your blood pressure which can lead to the damage of some vital organs.
