It is now widely accepted that psychosocial stress plays a significant part in the production of high blood pressure and therefore in the cause of strokes and coronary heart disease.
Recently a new category of hypertension has been established based on cardiovascular risks associated with lower blood pressure levels than previously thought. This is called pre-hypertension and is defined as a systolic blood pressure between 120-139mm and a diastolic pressure between 80 – 98mm. Hypertension is defined as having pressures above 139/98.
A study by Marty S Player and colleagues at the Medical University of South Carolina and reported in Medscape last month found a link between psychosocial factors and the new category of pre-hypertension. The researchers analysed findings from over 2000 men and women aged between 45 and 65 years who were pre-hypertensive.
They found that in men high levels of anger were associated with a greater likelihood of progressing from pre-hypertension to hypertension and on to coronary heart disease. In women they found that anger was not associated with progression to hypertension and coronary heart disease but long-term stress was; this was also the case for men.
Stress and Hypertension
This is yet more evidence for the role of psychological/emotional stress in the development of hypertension and its attendant diseases.
One of the first popularisers of this idea, at a time when it was rejected by the bulk of the medical profession – in the west anyway, was Dr Herbert Benson. In his book ‘The Relaxation Response’ published in the 1970s, he details how chronic stress can give rise to high blood pressure. Most importantly he described a meditation method for reducing psychological and emotional stress which is effective in reducing blood pressure.
The Biology of Stress
The reason that stress raises blood pressure stems from our biology. When under threat or attack the body swings into ‘flight or fight’ mode. Hormones like epinephrine and norepinephrine are produced to increase heart rate, metabolism and send extra blood to the muscles: this increases blood pressure.
The body can’t really distinguish between a physical threat and psychological one or whether the psychological threat is real or imagined. Modern threats to our self-esteem, perhaps due to difficulties at work or to our security by money worries can all be interpreted as a threat to our person; hence the stress reaction.
If this threat is not removed and it’s not always possible to run away from or fight modern threats, then the stress and its reaction becomes chronic. Blood pressure then has tendency to stay higher than it should.
Controlling Blood Pressure
Life style change is now clearly recognised as an important way of controlling blood pressure – especially in areas such as diet and weight loss. There is still enormous emphasis and much scientific research on drug control of hypertension. Meditation, the core of Benson’s relaxation response, doesn’t get much of a look in nowadays. One of the reasons for Benson’s success was probably because, at the time of publication, there was considerable interest in Eastern culture in which meditation has a key place.
The current lack of popular interest in meditation is a shame because it’s highly likely that its addition into any self –help program for hypertension would increase effectiveness.
This article is for information only. If you have any health concerns you should consult your doctor.
Resources
Annals of Family Medicine 2007 5 403-411 Marty S Player et al
The Relaxation Response by Herbert Benson MD Pub.Avon Books 1975
