Most people know it’s important to cut back on salt and make efforts to manage stress when it comes to lowering blood pressure. But according to health experts, there are a few other unassuming daily habits that could be quietly working against your cardiovascular health and contributing to hypertension. From your daily caffeine intake to your nightly sleep routine, small habits can have a big impact on your heart—and some of them may surprise you.
To highlight a few lesser-known habits that could be raising your blood pressure, we spoke to cardiologists and dietitians Michael O. McKinney, Rovert Iafelice, MS, RDN, Dr. Lowell Steen, and Dr. Ramit Singh Sambyal, MD.
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1. Poor Sleep
Your sleep plays a crucial role in your overall health; it can impact practically every aspect of your wellbeing. As it turns out, failing to get enough sleep can even lead to poor heart health and increase your risk of heart disease over time. This is partly due to the fact that, as Steen notes, it can lead to and worsen high blood pressure.
"Lack of quality sleep or consistently inadequate sleep can contribute to hypertension," he warns. "During sleep, blood pressure naturally decreases, and disrupted or insufficient sleep can disrupt this normal pattern. Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night and establish a consistent sleep routine."
There are plenty of ways to promote better sleep habits, from following healthy bedtime habits to taking good sleep supplements like these. Regardless, it's important to prioritize a good night's sleep if you want to lower your blood pressure.
2. Sedentary Lifestyle
Regular physical activity strengthens the heart muscle, enabling it to pump blood more efficiently with less effort. A sedentary lifestyle, on the other hand, can lead to a weaker heart that has to work harder to circulate blood, increasing blood pressure.
"Indisposition for routine exercise is attributed to excessive weight gain and thus a weakened heart muscle. Inactivity also puts pressure on the heart, where the heart has to work harder to pump blood, which in turn leads to the rise of pressure levels. Prior evidence also shows that hypertension, a condition that is characterized by enough blood pressure, is a result of consistent inactivity," McKinney says.
3. Eating too much sugar
If you know much about blood pressure, you may already be aware of the fact that consuming too much salt is one major risk that can contribute to hypertension overtime. However, have you considered the fact that too much sugar can also be detrimental to your blood pressure levels?
"Most people with hypertension or trying to prevent it focus on excess salt intake," Iafelice points out. "Many will be surprised to know that too much sugar is even worse for hypertension." Who knew?!
He says this is because eating too many sugary foods (including refined carbs) can result in insulin resistance over time, which can lead to hypertension. "Insulin resistance is associated with high insulin levels. Insulin increases the reabsorption of sodium. Thus, you retain more sodium which can lead to high blood pressure," he explains.
For this reason, he says you should "avoid added sugars in your diet (for the most part)," and "keep carbs low and protein high," and exercise daily, which "will better control blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of developing insulin resistance and potentially hypertension." Noted!
4. Too much caffeine
Sorry, coffee lovers! We get it: there's nothing like a hot cup of joe in the morning. In fact, drinking coffee can even be good for you, with health benefits that include weight loss. However, Dr. Sambyal warns consuming too much caffeine in the morning could lead to unhealthily high blood pressure.
He says you should especially be careful of your caffeine consumption if you're over 60. "Consuming caffeine in the morning may seem like a good way to get your day started, but for people over 60 it can be dangerous," he tells us. "Caffeine is known to raise blood pressure levels and over time it can cause permanent damage to your cardiovascular system. I recommend avoiding any caffeinated beverages first thing in the morning and instead opt for non-caffeinated options such as warm lemon water or herbal tea. These drinks are much lower in caffeine and don't come with the same risk of elevated blood pressure." Got it!
