Managing stress is crucial for healthy blood pressure.
Reviewed by Dietitian Katey Davidson, M.Sc.FN, RD, CPT
Key Points
- Stress can temporarily raise blood pressure through the fight-or-flight response.
- Chronic stress may keep blood pressure elevated and increase cardiovascular risk.
- Working with a health care professional can help manage stress and blood pressure.
Stress can show up as anxiety, racing thoughts, brain fog or an inability to focus. What many people don’t realize is that its effects aren’t just psychological—it can impact your entire body.
This is largely due to a physiological response known as the “fight-or-flight” response. When triggered, the body releases hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, which increases heart rate, constricts blood vessels and raises blood pressure. Over time, repeated activation of this response can take a toll on heart health.
“High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a medical condition where the force of blood that is pushing against the walls of the arteries is constantly high,” explains Nneoma Oparaji, MD, MHS, ABOM, DipABLM. “Unfortunately, the body does not know the difference between a true emergency and an overflowing inbox, thus it responds by releasing the same blood pressure–raising stress hormones.”
While diet and exercise are often emphasized in blood pressure management, the role of stress is often overlooked. To help, we spoke with health experts to share how stress affects your blood pressure and what you can do to manage it.
How Stress Affects Blood Pressure
Whether it’s a high-pressure job, constant exposure to news and social media, or relationship challenges, the body responds to stress in the same way. During the fight-or-flight response, hormones are released that trigger a cascade of cardiovascular effects: your heart rate increases, blood pumps faster, blood vessels constrict and, as a result, blood pressure rises. It’s similar to forcing high-pressure water through a narrow garden hose.
These effects can be temporary or long-lasting, depending on the type of stress. Generally, stress falls into one of two categories: acute or chronic. Acute stress is short-term or situational—like an argument or receiving bad news—whereas chronic stress is persistent and ongoing. Both can influence blood pressure, but in different ways.
“Typically, once a situational stressor [acute stress] goes away and the person also no longer feels stressed about it, the blood pressure will return to where it usually was prior to the stressor,” says Erika Kawamura, Psy.D., DipACLM.
Chronic stress, however, lingers in the background and can keep blood pressure elevated over time. “Chronic stress often leads to longer-term medical conditions such as hypertension or stroke,” says Oparaji.
“While there is still the possibility that these acute stress incidents can carry similar risk factors on blood pressure and other health conditions such as heart attacks and strokes, the impacts are far more significant for chronic stress because the body is in that constant fight-or-flight mode,” explains Kawamura.
To make matters worse, a person may turn to coping strategies that further raise blood pressure. “When people are chronically stressed, they may be more likely to engage in unhealthy coping mechanisms such as poor diet, lack of exercise, drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes, all of which can increase blood pressure,” says Kawamura.
That said, acute stress shouldn’t be dismissed. “Repeated exposure to stress can cause frequent transient spikes in blood pressure, which can contribute to blood pressure variability,” says Oparaji. “Higher variability has been associated with greater cardiovascular risk.”
Common Causes of Stress
Everyone experiences stress differently, and there’s no single cause or trigger that applies to everyone.
“Common stressors often include work, family and relationship conflicts, difficulties with work/life/family balance, finances, personal health issues, caregiving for a loved one or daily hassles such as traffic,” says Kawamura. “Even positive events, such as a marriage, having a baby, buying a new house or starting a new job, can be stressors because they are major life changes that a person has to adjust to.”
In addition to external factors, stress can also be greatly influenced by your own internal dialogue and coping mechanisms. Kawamura points to internal factors such as perfectionism, internal pressure, worry or frequent comparisons to others as contributors to the stress response.
What makes this especially concerning is that high blood pressure can often go unnoticed. “While high blood pressure itself has no symptoms until the advanced stages, you might notice signs of stress and your body being in fight-or-flight mode, such as a faster heartbeat, tense muscles, shortness of breath and anxiety,” says Kawamura. “Over time, you might experience headaches, stomachaches and other gastrointestinal problems.”
Tips for Managing Stress and Blood Pressure
“Recommendations for stress management include strategies that address both the physiological and mental/emotional components,” says Kawamura. These tips can help you better manage both stress and blood pressure.
Work with a Health Professional
High blood pressure—no matter the cause—can have serious health consequences. “Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and managing risk factors are also key to prevention and control,” says Bassem M. Chehab, MD. “However, even with lifestyle changes and medication, 80% of people struggle to keep their pressure under control.”
In these cases, additional support and treatment options may be needed, which is why regular check-ins with a health care provider are essential. “If you or someone in your family has hypertension, it should be a nonnegotiable to frequently visit your doctor,” says Chehab. “Regular checkups are the best way to catch high blood pressure early, especially if you have a family history of hypertension.”
You might also consider checking your blood pressure at home or using accessible options like a pharmacy or drugstore to keep track of your readings.
If stress is significantly affecting your daily life, working with a mental health professional can also be helpful. “Since one’s perception can also create or exacerbate a stressor, it is important to be aware of your thoughts by practicing healthy self-talk, putting situations into a healthy perspective or seeking professional help if your worries feel uncontrollable,” says Kawamura.
Practice Deep Breathing
“A person can activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which counteracts the fight-or-flight reactions, by engaging in activities that stimulate the vagus nerve,” says Kawamura. “Great ways to do this are by doing slow, deep, diaphragmatic breathing exercises, practicing meditation or mindfulness, exercising or even doing activities that instill a sense of awe or inspiration.”
Set Boundaries
Kawamura recommends saying no to unnecessary demands as a way to reduce stress. This can take practice—especially if you’re used to saying yes or worry about disappointing others—but it’s an important skill for protecting your time and energy. A mental health professional can also help you build and maintain these boundaries if needed.
Stay Active
Exercise plays an important role in stress management and is greatly beneficial for heart health, including reducing the risk of high blood pressure. “Even a 15-minute walk can improve stress load, mood and blood pressure,” says Oparaji.
Focus on finding exercises you enjoy, which can make it easier to stay consistent over time.
Our Expert Take
Stress is unavoidable, but how you manage it plays a key role in maintaining healthy blood pressure. Lifestyle habits like regular exercise, breath work, setting personal boundaries and developing effective coping strategies—potentially with the support of a mental health professional—can all help keep stress and blood pressure under control.
Frequently asked Questions
Will stress cause high blood pressure?
Yes, stress can contribute to high blood pressure. Acute stress can temporarily increase blood pressure, while chronic stress can lead to sustained high blood pressure.
Should I be worried if my blood pressure is 150/100?
Normal blood pressure is defined as below 120/80 mm Hg by the American Heart Association. A reading of 150/100 mm Hg falls into Stage 2 hypertension, and you should consult a health care professional for evaluation and management.
Is it OK to have high blood pressure occasionally?
Occasional spikes in blood pressure can happen, such as during stress or physical activity. However, if your blood pressure remains consistently elevated, it’s important to seek guidance from a medical professional.
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