Fluctuating blood pressure causes a lot of headaches, yet the origin of blood pressure spikes and dips aren’t a mystery.
There are four main causes of fluctuating blood pressure. Just these four can explain why so many people experience blood pressure spikes and dips on a regular basis.
Small blood pressure spikes happen to all of us and… they also happen all the time. That’s normal. The reason why we are seldom aware of highs and lows is because we don’t measure BP every minute of the day.
It is normal for a healthy cardiovascular system to go through spikes and dips many times of the day. In fact, it is the absence of blood pressure spikes or dips that should worry you.
If you understand the reason why BP goes up and down all the time, you don’t need to be concerned about a random spike, because with a little bit of extra knowledge you will be able to tell whether the spike is normal or not.
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Four main fluctuating blood pressure causes
1-Genes: NOT part of fluctuating blood pressure causes
Many people are under the impression that hypertension is hereditary. Let’s think about it for a moment. If that were true, reversal of high BP would be impossible. Yet, many people have done it whether through weight loss, dietary changes, or increased activity.
It is true that the genetic make up passes on from the parents to the kids and determines the predisposition to cardiovascular disease. However, whether of not someone will actually end up with a heart problem is a completely different story.
Genes aren’t fixed. They are plastic and they change all the time. Their expression is highly dependent on the diet, exercise habits, stress, and the type of the environment. In order to manifest cardiovascular disease, a genetically predisposed individual must have a lifestyle that activates those genes. You can check your predisposition to heart disease by ordering this Health DNA test kit. If you want to start with lifestyle improvement by adding a few anti-hypertensive foods into your diet right away, use the download button below.
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2-Meds: the hidden cause for fluctuating blood pressure
The more we age, the bigger the chances we will be on meds. And whether you like it or not, ALL meds carry side effects. While some prescriptions may not alter heart function, others certainly do. Did you know that medication for depression, hypertension, or Parkinson’s are among the biggest culprits? Meds are hidden fluctuating blood pressure causes.`
There is also a concern that anti-hypertensive medication, when improperly dosed, can instead of calming the heart, cause erratic spikes and dips. Be aware that even properly dosed BP meds are not there to regulate, but only to lower blood pressure.
Anti-hypertensive medications can be so effective that they can actually cause low blood pressure symptoms: fatigue, brain fog, and dizziness among others. Low BP symptoms are so widespread and varied that I have written 8 posts just on this topic.
3-Adrenals: fluctuating blood pressure causes nobody talks about
Adrenals, the two small glands that sit on top of the kidneys, are the major blood pressure decision makers. They regulate the speed and the force of the heart and they can spike the numbers during excitement, anger, exposure to cold, or physical exertion . While healthy adrenals keep BP numbers in check, adrenals under stress, may not.
When job deadlines, family situation, and finances are in pits for some time, adrenals may get stressed and it shows. The owners of stressed adrenals aren’t difficult to spot. They are anxious, feel frustrated, get offended easily, have difficulty coping with stress, and have a sense that things are out of control. Their personality is reflected in frequently spiked blood pressure.
While short-term stress may excite the adrenals, a prolonged stress can burn them out. When exhausted, the adrenals “walk out of the job” and instead of blood pressure spikes, they produce low BP.
The resulting fluctuating blood pressure causes even further stress on the adrenals. The vicious cycle continues until the glands get restored back to health. You can check the performance of your adrenals in this adrenal stress profile.
4-Hardening of arteries: where cholesterol and calcium go
Hardening of the arteries come from accumulation of calcium and cholesterol on their walls. The sticky deposits not only make blood flow difficult, but also make the arteries stiffer. That has BP consequences. Stiff arteries cannot relax. They don’t expand when needed. They don’t buffer blood pressure spikes. Because stiff arteries are common in the elderly, they are #1 nuisance for geriatric cardiologists.
But stiff arteries do not just cause blood pressure spikes. They cause a specific type of BP problem, called systolic hypertension. Systolic hypertension occurs when the top number spikes over 140, but the bottom number keeps within normal range.
One thing you shouldn’t do: attempt to remove plaque deposits by lowering your blood cholesterol. Not only the approach won’t work, but it will likely make things worse. Also, do not count on your heart medication to remove the plaque. Cholesterol-lowering medications do not remove cholesterol deposits from the arteries, neither make them more elastic.
To successfully deal with fluctuating blood pressure you need an expert plan. Spikes and dips can be treated naturally. To get you started in the right direction you need a copy of The Ultimate Guide. Otherwise see how to lower blood pressure in 5 different ways.
Health troubles are seldom random
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Thanks Dr quite helpful post
I finally traced my fluctuating blood pressure to salt intake. After listening to a program on BBC Radio 4 dealing with high blood pressure I began to watch my salt intake, reading the labels on cans. Some of the “healthy” soups I was eating had 8 grams of salt. Anyway I still have high blood pressure but its usually below 160/90 whereas before it would be so variable that I couldnt say what my blood pressure was. My highest reading was 250/120 and this was at the doctors surgery. She said they normally hospitalised people with those readings, saying i was very likely to have a stroke. Anyway I hope this helps someone.
Andy
Thank you kindly. And that’s why nobody should rely on canned or processed foods, even if it is listed under the category “healthy”. Home cooked food is never that salty. I wrote about this phenomenon in my book “The Ultimate Guide to Low & Fluctuating Blood Pressure”. Here is the link: http://amzn.to/2vwSmCE