High blood pressure in young and middle-aged people is often related to nervousness. Anti-anxiety treatment is more effective than antihypertensive drugs

A young man in his 30s has been talking to Huazi about his high blood pressure. He said his blood pressure was unstable and he had taken a variety of antihypertensive drugs. His blood pressure was well controlled during the day, but it would rise at night. And every time he measured his blood pressure, he would get inexplicably nervous and his blood pressure would be high.

Huazi's initial suggestion was that he was probably suffering from secondary hypertension caused by anxiety disorder, and told him that in addition to antihypertensive treatment, he should go to a psychological clinic and receive anti-anxiety treatment. As long as the anxiety disorder was cured, the hypertension would naturally be cured.

But after he went to the psychological clinic, he was reluctant to take the anti-anxiety drugs prescribed by the doctor. Because anti-anxiety drugs are psychotropic drugs, he was worried about the side effects and addiction, so he locked them in a drawer and never took them, and continued to take blood pressure medication.

However, the antihypertensive drugs he used could not control his blood pressure well, and the symptoms of unstable blood pressure still existed. Until one night he had a panic attack, he had to take anti-anxiety drugs, after which he felt extremely relaxed, his anxiety was swept away, and his blood pressure dropped to normal range.

1. Why does anxiety cause high blood pressure?

The nerves that control the internal organs in the human body are not controlled by human consciousness and are called autonomic nerves. When we are nervous, fearful, anxious, etc., the autonomic nerves will be excited, stimulating the heart rate to increase, and the secretion of hormones such as renin, adrenaline, and norepinephrine in the body will increase, causing arteries to contract and blood pressure to rise.

Peripheral arterioles are more sensitive to these substances, so the low pressure rises more significantly, which will affect the peripheral blood supply. So when we are in a bad mood, we will feel our heart pounding, but our hands and feet are cold, because the peripheral arteries contract, reducing the blood supply to the distal limbs.

2. Attacks are more severe at night

This type of high blood pressure caused by anxiety is usually not obvious during the day, but worsens at night. This is because there are usually many things to do during the day, which makes people temporarily forget their anxiety. However, when people are idle at night, they tend to have wild thoughts and anxiety will prevail.

Therefore, people who are prone to anxiety should interact with others more often and participate in group activities, which can help them get rid of anxiety. Try to reduce the time you spend alone to avoid anxiety and tension. Doing more exercise can shorten your sleep time and avoid anxiety caused by random thoughts before going to bed.

3. Take medicine when it’s time to take it

Secondary hypertension caused by anxiety is also a type of hypertension. If it is not controlled for a long time, it will also cause damage to the body's organs. In terms of treatment, you can first use methods such as lifestyle improvements and self-suggestion to free yourself from anxiety, which can lower your blood pressure.

However, if the anxiety symptoms cannot be improved in the short term, antihypertensive treatment is needed. Common antihypertensive drugs are Lolamine drugs, which can reduce autonomic nervous activity, slow heart rate, reduce renin secretion, and lower blood pressure. However, antihypertensive drugs are only "treating the symptoms but not the root cause" and can only temporarily control blood pressure. If you want to completely solve the problem, you also need anti-anxiety treatment.

When you are undergoing anti-anxiety treatment, you need to find a professional psychiatrist. If your anxiety symptoms are not serious, you can release your psychological pressure by "chatting" with the doctor, which will have a better therapeutic effect. But if your anxiety symptoms are severe, you need to receive anti-anxiety medication.

People with anxiety disorders should not resist drug treatment. With the help of drugs, you can quickly get rid of anxiety and relieve symptoms. Although anti-anxiety drugs are psychotropic drugs, using them under the guidance of a doctor can minimize adverse reactions and dependence. After controlling anxiety, you can gradually reduce the dosage and stop taking the drug without affecting your health.

To sum up, young and middle-aged people face many problems in life, work, and emotions, and are prone to anxiety, which can cause high blood pressure. Therefore, we must learn to control ourselves and relieve anxiety. If we fall into an anxious state and cannot extricate ourselves, we must seek help from a doctor in time. Using drugs under the guidance of a doctor can help us quickly get rid of the troubles of the disease. I am pharmacist Huazi, welcome to follow me and share more health knowledge.