In most cases, it's not clear exactly what causes high blood pressure. But there are things that can increase your risk. You might be more at risk if you: Making healthy lifestyle changes can sometimes help reduce your chances of getting high blood pressure and help lower your blood pressure if it's already high. Find out more about how to prevent high blood pressure In about 1 in 20 cases, high blood pressure happens as the result of an underlying health condition or taking a certain medicine. Health conditions that can cause high blood pressure include: Medicines that can increase your blood pressure
include: In these cases, your blood pressure may return to normal once you stop taking the medicine or drug. Page last reviewed: 23 October 2019 Getting enough sleep helps keep your mind and body healthy, and could be important for your blood pressure too.Does your blood pressure change while you sleep?When you’re asleep your blood pressure is generally lower than while you’re awake. This is totally normal and is known as nocturnal dipping. The drop in both your systolic (the top number) and diastolic (bottom number) blood pressure can be up to 20% lower than your readings in the day time. People who don’t have lower blood pressure while they sleep have been shown to be at higher risk of heart disease and stroke. How can lack of sleep affect your health?A night of bad sleep can affect your mood and concentration the next day, but it won’t affect your overall health. But a regular lack of sleep can have a bigger effect. In the long run, you’re more likely to become overweight or obese and develop problems including high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. How can lack of sleep affect your blood pressure? How can shift work affect your blood pressure? What is Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA)?Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) is a condition which interrupts sleep because it causes difficulty breathing. With OSA, the walls of the throat relax during sleep, blocking your airways so you can’t breathe for a short period of time. The lack of oxygen wakes you up or brings you into a lighter sleep so that your airways can open up and your breathing can return to normal. These episodes can happen throughout the night, affecting your sleep. People with OSA are more likely to develop high blood pressure – it’s estimated that half of people with OSA have high blood pressure. It also means you’re more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, atrial fibrillation, a stroke or a heart attack. What causes OSA? Losing weight if you need to, stopping smoking and drinking less alcohol can all help to lower your risk of developing OSA. Treating OSA Find out more from NHS Choices. How can you get enough sleep?Most people need about eight hours of sleep a night, but everybody’s different. Lack of sleep can be caused by problems such as sleep apnoea, but it’s usually due to unhelpful sleeping habits and routines. There is lots of advice available to help you get enough sleep, for example, figuring out how much sleep you need and working out a regular routine and sticking to it. Winding down before bed can help, for example with a warm bath or writing down anything that’s on your mind so you can deal with it the next day. The NHS has more information and ideas for getting a good night’s sleep. Read more about meditation to improve sleep from BeMindful.co.uk. Is it normal for blood pressure to rise at night?A rise in blood pressure overnight to early morning has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease. An irregular blood pressure pattern could also mean that you have: Poorly controlled high blood pressure. Obstructive sleep apnea.
What should I do if my blood pressure is high at night?“The most important way to lower your risk of an acute nocturnal spike in your blood pressure is to maintain a consistent sleeping pattern,” added Pianko. “Try to go to sleep and get up at the same time each day. Avoid alcohol and caffeine before bed. Exercise earlier in the day.
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