PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Two of the major causes of hypertension can be treated by lifestyle changes.
According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, those causes are stress and poor sleep, which have only worsened with the coronavirus pandemic.
We know that stress plays a key role in a wide variety of health conditions, but stress-related surges of epinephrine can directly impact blood pressure.
The other association is poor sleep habits — in particular, getting less than seven hours of sleep each evening.
One of the key recommendations to help with sleep and stress is to increase the amount of exercise. Not only does it reduce stress, but regular exercise also helps lower blood pressure.
KYW Newsradio’s Medical Reports are sponsored by Independence Blue Cross.