High Blood Pressure And Fatigue
High blood pressure can make your heart work harder and increase your risk for heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. Nearly half of all adults in the U.S. either have high blood pressure or take medications to treat it. Your risk for high blood pressure increases with age.
High blood pressure is another condition that may make you feel extremely tired. Though high blood pressure is often called a silent killer, because it often doesnt cause any symptoms, some people do feel extreme fatigue. Some signs you might have high blood pressure include fatigue, lightheadedness, feeling weak, and shortness of breath.
Also, you can also feel extremely tired due to heart conditions that may be caused by high blood pressure. For example, high blood pressure can lead to coronary artery disease, peripheral arterial disease, heart failure, and enlarged heart, all of which may cause fatigue.
When you come in for a health assessment from our womens health care providers, we screen for many different conditions to help find underlying causes of your symptoms. We check your blood pressure and can help you find treatment solutions to reduce your blood pressure and the serious risks associated with it.
What Is A Low Blood Pressure Headache
A low blood pressure headache can occur when a persons blood pressure drops to extremely low levels. The pressure of blood is the force that the blood exerts upon the inner walls of the blood vessels. When the pressure is low, it deprives the brain and other vital organs of proper nutrients and oxygen. Deprivation of these vital nutrients and oxygen to the brain is what causes the headache to occur.
Low blood pressure is also known as hypotension. It is preferred over high blood pressure, because studies have shown that people who have lower blood pressure have a reduced risk of developing kidney or heart disease. When the pressure drops too low, however, it can cause serious and long-term damage to vital organs such as the brain, kidneys, heart, lung and liver. Some of the symptoms of a low blood pressure headache include a lightheaded feeling, fainting, dizziness, fatigue and weakness. These symptoms are often worse when a person changes positions, such as standing up from a sitting or lying position.
Does High Blood Pressure Cause Tiredness
Fatigue often occurs as a result of medication management and lifestyle choices, but it can also be caused by high blood pressure itself.
People with high blood pressure often have the condition because they do not exercise enough and eat a lot of food that is high in salt and fat.
Poor lifestyle choices like this will leave you lacking in energy.
Medication that slows the pumping of the heart may deplete your body of essential electrolytes, this means you stop producing energy and feel tired.
High blood pressure can in theory cause tiredness itself since there is an elevated pressure on vital organs such as the brain, heart and kidneys.
Your body has to work much harder to function than it would if your blood pressure was lower.
You may feel tired even after a full nights sleep.
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Other Causes For Fatigue With High Blood Pressure
Although fatigue can be a symptom of high blood pressure, a lack of sleep may actually be a contributing factor, too.
Sleeping 5 hours or less per night may raise your risk for developing high blood pressure. And if you already have high blood pressure, lack of sleep could be making it worse.
In addition, obstructive sleep apnea is a known risk factor for hypertension, especially in older age groups.
Some prescription medications used to treat high blood pressure can also cause fatigue.
Another cause of fatigue could be due to pulmonary artery hypertension. This is when you have high blood pressure in the vessels that carry blood between your heart and lungs. Along with fatigue, it can cause chest pain, shortness of breath, and lightheadedness.
There are usually no symptoms or warning signs that you have hypertension. Thats why its so important to monitor your blood pressure.
Its especially important to see your doctor if youre experiencing:
- fatigue
- stress management
- drinking alcohol in moderation
Your doctor will also consider your age, coexisting conditions, and any other medications you take when treating your blood pressure. If necessary, your doctor may prescribe hypertension medications. These include:
Some of these medications can cause you to feel tired.
Other treatments depend on the extent of damage to your heart, kidneys, and overall health.
- following a healthy, balanced, low-salt diet
- getting regular exercise
Lowering Systolic Blood Pressure More May Cut Health Risks
One major study found that lowering systolic blood pressure to well below the commonly recommended level also greatly lowered the number of cardiovascular events and deaths among people at least 50 years old with high blood pressure.
When study participants achieved a systolic blood pressure target of 120 mmHg compared to the higher target of 140 mmHg recommended for most people, and 150 for people over 60 issues such as heart attack, stroke and heart failure were reduced by almost one-third, and the risk of death by almost one-fourth.
“That’s important information, because more lives may be saved and more deaths may be prevented if we maintain lower blood pressure in certain patients,” says Lynne Braun, NP, PhD, a nurse practitioner at the Rush Heart Center for Women.
Braun cautions, however, that your personal blood pressure target depends on a variety of things, including your current blood pressure, lifestyle, risk factors, other medications you are taking and your age. “Every person has to be evaluated as an individual,” she says. “Realistically, we can’t get everybody down to 120, and trying to do so may create unintended problems.”
It can be dangerous, for instance, to keep an older person on medications that have unsafe side effects, such as diuretics , which can cause dehydration and dizziness in older adults.
And there can be other issues involved with taking multiple medications, such as cost and compliance.
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When Should I Call My Doctor About Fatigue
Itâs normal to feel tired now and then. Everyone experiences occasional, brief fatigue due to illness, sleep disturbances, travel or changes in diet or medication. But you should talk to your healthcare provider if youâre tired all the time. Call your provider if:
- Your fatigue lasts longer than a few days
- Youâre having a hard time going to work or performing daily activities.
- There isnât a clear reason for your fatigue.
- It comes on suddenly.
- Youâre older .
- Youâve also been losing weight.
Fatigue can be a sign of a serious health condition. You should seek immediate medical attention if you have fatigue along with other symptoms, such as:
- Shortness of breath or pain in your chest, arm or upper back.
- Fast, pounding, fluttering or irregular heartbeat.
- Headache or vision problems .
- Nausea, vomiting or abdominal pain.
- Muscle weakness.
Diabetes And Fatigue: Everything You Need To Know
What exactly is fatigue? Is it just being tired after working a long week or not getting enough sleep?
The answer is no.
Fatigue is excessive tiredness that makes carrying out simple tasks difficult and interferes with one or more life functions. Sounds terrible, doesnt it? Well imagine having a chronic illness along with the fatigue. Diabetes and fatigue have a strong relationship, and it can make a persons life very difficult. The following article will discuss the relationship, along with ways to beat and reduce the risk of living with diabetes and fatigue.
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How Does High Blood Pressure Cause Tiredness
We have already established that lethargy, fatigue, feeling tired all the time, are some of the symptoms of high blood pressure.
In fact, in older folks, the problem of fatigue can be so bad, they find it difficult to have a productive day. That can make for a frustrating experience. But how does high blood pressure cause fatigue?
High blood pressure causes tiredness through a variety of ways.
- The high blood pressure itself
- The high blood pressure medicines can cause tiredness
- Lifestyle issues
High blood pressure condition itself
When you have high blood pressure, it means theres relative narrowing of your blood vessels. Your blood vessels have stiffer walls. Meaning your blood vessels arent very compliant to the rush of blood coming through from the heart.
With this relative narrowing and hardening of your blood vessels, the flow of blood through the vessels is sub-optimal. You need an unimpeded flow of blood through your vessels to bathe your cells.
If the flow of blood is not free, then the supply of oxygen and nutrients will be sub-optimal. This relative deprivation of rich oxygen and nutrients to your tissues inclusive of your muscles will make you feel tired, fatigued and lethargic.
Because sup-optimal supply of nutrients and oxygen means sub-optimal metabolism.
So, it is not unusual for someone with high blood pressure to feel exhausted most of the time.
The high blood pressure medicines can cause tiredness
How do blood pressure medications make you feel tired?
Angiotensin Ii Receptor Blockers
Avapro , and another angiotensin II receptor blockers, alleviate high blood pressure by allowing your arteries to relax and widen. Side effects are most likely to occur with a change in dosage, which could be prescribed or induced when you take it irregularly or not as directed.
Taking additional medications, from your healthcare professional or ones you bought at the drug store, including supplements, can trigger a variety of side effects.
Use caution when taking ARBs with any additional prescription or over-the-counter medications, or supplements. Check with your pharmacist about possible interactions that may trigger side effects.
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What Is Normal Blood Pressure
A blood pressure reading involves two numbers: The top number measures systolic blood pressure, which is the pressure when the heart pushes blood out into the arteries. Diastolic blood pressure is the measure of pressure in the arteries between heartbeats.
According to the American Heart Association, normal blood pressure is 120 millimeters of mercury systolic and 80 mmHg diastolic, usually spoken as “120 over 80.” High blood pressure is defined by the following stages:
High blood pressure stage |
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Learning To Cope With Stress Can Help
Stress and hypertension have often been linked, but researchers are still looking into a direct relationship between the two. Still, the best advice to hypertensive patients: Try to relax.
When you are stressed, your body sends stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol into the bloodstream. These hormones create a temporary spike in blood pressure, causing your heart to beat faster and blood vessels to narrow. When the stressful situation is over, blood pressure goes back to its normal level.
Chronic stress, however, may cause your body to stay in this highly-charged state longer than natural.
While stress itself may or may not affect blood pressure, how you cope with stress does. For instance, overeating, smoking and drinking alcohol in response to stressful situations are direct causes of sustained high blood pressure. On the flip side, healthier coping mechanisms like exercising, practicing yoga and meditating can all help lower blood pressure.
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What Are The Causes Of Fatigue
Fatigue can be caused by many things. As mentioned earlier, anyone experiencing fatigue should schedule appointment with their physician to make sure that there is not something causing the fatigue that needs treatment. Some of these diseases are anemia, cancer, fibromyalgia, and celiac disease.
In regards to diabetes, fatigue can be caused by many things related to the disease. These include:
- Being overweight
- Neuropathy
What Are The Symptoms Of Preeclampsia
Possible symptoms of preeclampsia include:
- High blood pressure
- Too much protein in your urine
- Swelling in your face and hands. Your feet may also swell, but many women have swollen feet during pregnancy. So swollen feet by themselves may not be a sign of a problem.
- Headache that does not go away
- Vision problems, including blurred vision or seeing spots
- Pain in your upper right abdomen
- Trouble breathing
Eclampsia can also cause seizures, nausea and/or vomiting, and low urine output. If you go on to develop HELLP syndrome, you may also have bleeding or bruising easily, extreme fatigue, and liver failure.
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Does High Blood Pressure Cause Nosebleeds
Whether high blood pressure is a cause of nosebleeds remains up for debate by doctors and scientists.
Hypertension is not known to directly cause nosebleeds, however, it is believed the blood vessels in your nose are more susceptible to damage if you have high blood pressure.
A study in 2020 of 35,749 participants found that those with a history of high blood pressure had an increased risk of intense nosebleeds ones that require a visit to hospital in comparison with people who had no history of high blood pressure.
And, according to the American Heart Association, high blood pressure is not a cause of nosebleeds unless your blood pressure levels are extremely high, known as a hypertensive crisis.
A hypertensive crisis is a sudden spike in your blood pressure over 180/120 mm Hg that can be life-threatening.
When your blood pressure reaches or raises above this level, you are significantly more at risk of a heart attack or stoke, as well as kidney and eye damage.
Frequent nosebleeds can be a sign of a hypertensive crisis as the blood vessels in the nose are easily damaged.
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Other symptoms include headaches, dizziness, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, confusion and severe anxiety.
In 2019, the British Heart Foundation reported that just over a quarter of adults in the UK around 14.4 million people have high blood pressure.
Good Sleep Can Prevent And Manage High Blood Pressure
Most people experience a dip in blood pressure during the deepest stage of sleep , which is the body’s normal and healthy reaction to sleep. Not having that nighttime dip is a risk factor for heart disease and may increase daytime blood pressure.
Typically people spend 90 minutes to two hours in slow wave sleep per night. A recent study published in Hypertension found that men who got less slow wave sleep each night were a higher risk for hypertension than men who got more deep sleep.
While sleep disorders, like sleep apnea, and age can both affect the amount of deep sleep you get, there are steps you can take to ensure a good night’s sleep. Getting seven to eight hours of sleep a night, maintaining a consistent sleep schedule and being more active during the day can help improve the quality of your sleep.
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How Can I Beat/reduce Fatigue With Diabetes And Regain My Energy
There are many ways to reduce fatigue with diabetes and regain energy. The most important thing that you can do is to control your blood sugar. This limits complications and also provides your body with the fuel that it needs to operate. You can also eat smart and exercise. Exercise actually decreases fatigue up to 65%. By taking care of yourself, you can decrease fatigue and increase quality of life.
You shouldnt make any changes to your diet, insulin, or exercise regimen without talking to your doctor. First off, your doctor needs to be consulted and you need to talk with him about the following things:
- Can my fatigue be caused by another disease? This rules out all other reasons for your fatigue so you can focus on the main cause.
- Are any of the side effects from my medications causing the fatigue?
- Is it a good idea for me to start taking supplements such as Vitamin D, Vitamin B, Calcium, Chromium, Ginseng, Coenzymes, or Magnesium?
- Is my thyroid okay?
- What kind of exercises would be best for me?
- How can I better control my blood sugar to decrease fatigue?
- What is a healthy weight for me to be?
Eating too many carbohydrates can cause you to feel drowsy. You should also schedule an appointment to talk with your dietitian or nutritionist to discuss the following things:
- Would juicing be okay for me?
- Am I eating too many carbs?
- How can I improve my diet to decrease my fatigue?
Other things that you can do to decrease fatigue include:
When Should I Contact My Doctor
Your doctor should be contacted any time there is a change in the level of fatigue that you are experiencing. When you meet with your doctor, you should be honest about the blood sugar levels that you have been experiencing, as well as any other problems that you are having. Also, if you become very depressed or think about killing yourself, you should seek help from your doctor right away.
If you have experienced fatigue with diabetes, please share your story below. Others can benefit from hearing how you were able to reclaim your life.
References
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