How does high blood pressure affect your mood and mental health?

High blood pressure can affect the health of the brain and mind, not just the heart, and since all parts of the body depend on blood circulation, if blood does not flow easily, it can damage arteries and vital organs such as the kidneys, eyes and brain, in this report we learn the relationship between hypertension and its impact on brain health, mental state and mood, according to the website ” helpguide “.

Blood pressure and its effects on brain health

High blood pressure is rightly known as a “silent killer” because it often carries no warning signs or symptoms, but it can greatly increase the risk of heart attack or stroke.

The higher your blood pressure, the harder your heart will have to work to pump blood around the body and the greater the risk of heart muscle damage.

Hypertension has been shown to cause damage to tiny blood vessels in the parts of the brain responsible for cognition and memory, which greatly increases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia.

Diagnosing cardiovascular disease can also take a psychological toll, affect your outlook on life, and make you more vulnerable to anxiety and depression.

And just as blood pressure can affect your mood, the reverse may also be true:

Stress can increase the body’s production of hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, which in turn increases blood pressure.

Self-medicating your mood with alcohol, nicotine, or fast food can raise your blood pressure.

Isolating yourself from family and friends – a common symptom of depression and anxiety – can also raise blood pressure and damage cardiovascular health.

Hypertension and common mental health problems are often attributed, at least in part, to the same unhealthy lifestyle factors, such as fatigue, stress, poor diet and lack of exercise.

Changing your lifestyle to treat hypertension can help improve your mental health and vice versa.

Although hypertension is very common, the good news is that in many cases it is very easy to cure – simple lifestyle changes can have a big impact on numbers and help protect heart and brain health.