How Does Blood Pressure Affect Us?
Blood pressure is the force with which our blood pushes against the walls of our veins and arteries. It’s measured with two numbers, and the smaller of these numbers is called diastolic blood pressure.
While high blood pressure is known to increase the risk for heart problems, an intriguing study has found that it might also affect our mood!
Is High Blood Pressure Making Us Moody?
Researchers have made an interesting discovery: having a high diastolic blood pressure might actually make people moodier.
The study was published in a journal called General Psychiatry and it suggests that managing our blood pressure could not only help our heart but also our emotional well-being.
What’s Behind the Blood Pressure-Mood Connection?
Many of us already know that high blood pressure is often linked to mental health issues like depression and anxiety.
But this study dug deeper to look at a specific personality trait called neuroticism, which is the tendency to feel negative emotions like worry or anger more intensely.
The team of scientists used a method called Mendelian randomization, which involves studying people’s genes to figure out if one thing (like high blood pressure) is causing another (like moodiness).
What the Study Found
After looking at genetic data from a bunch of people, researchers found a connection between high diastolic blood pressure and higher chances of being neurotic.
However, they didn’t find a strong link between blood pressure and other mood-related issues like anxiety or depression.
What’s really interesting is that our genes have a lot to say about our blood pressure. About 30% to 60% of what determines our blood pressure comes from our genes.
And tiny changes in those genes can help predict lots of things like how we might respond to medications or even how we might react to different situations.
What Does This Mean for You?
If you’re someone who gets easily stressed or upset, it might be worthwhile to keep an eye on your blood pressure. Controlling it could potentially make you feel better emotionally.
However, it’s worth noting that this study mostly involved people of European descent, so the findings might not apply to everyone.
But still, the research opens up a new way of thinking about blood pressure—it’s not just about our physical health; it can affect our mental health, too.
If you’re keen on learning more about blood pressure, you might be interested in other studies that talk about how certain medications can make high blood pressure worse, or how adding too much sugar to your diet can increase your blood pressure.
And for those looking to boost their health, there’s new information showing that vitamin D might improve blood pressure in people with diabetes.
All this information comes from a study that was published in the journal General Psychiatry. So next time you check your blood pressure, remember it’s not just your heart you’re looking out for, but maybe also your mood!
If you care about high blood pressure, please read studies about a common and unrecognized cause of high blood pressure, and this small habit can greatly benefit people with high blood pressure, and cholesterol.
For more information about blood pressure, please see recent studies about new suggestions for treating high blood pressure, and results showing lack of zinc may increase the risk of high blood pressure.
Follow us on Twitter for more articles about this topic.
Copyright © 2023 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
