Drinks That Increase Blood Pressure

Although it is best to avoid them if you have high blood pressure, if you want to take care of your cardiovascular health, you should also avoid drinking too much of these drinks, or live completely without them.

High blood pressure is a risk to your health. It can cause a lot of damage if not treated and controlled. Therefore, you need to be careful about which drinks you drink, and be careful with those that increase blood pressure.

Dangers of high blood pressure

One of the dangers of high blood pressure is that it can cause damage to the body without showing any symptoms. That’s why they call it a silent killer. High blood pressure can lead to a reduction in quality of life due to constant discomfort or even a heart attack.

Despite the severity of suffering from high blood pressure, there are treatments that, when combined with lifestyle changes, can help control high blood pressure.

What are the most common complications?

Arterial damage

The arteries, when in good condition, are flexible and have elasticity and strength, unless blood pressure increases. As the pressure increases , the arteries can be damaged and narrowed, which can affect the cells that line the inner walls, leading to a thickening and hardening of them.

Fats consumed through your diet are incorporated into the bloodstream. As time goes on, the damaged cells accumulate. This change affects the blood circulation to different parts of the body (brain, legs, heart, kidneys, etc.).

Aneurysm

The constant flow of blood through a damaged artery can lead to an increase in wall thickness, causing an aneurysm. If an aneurysm ruptures, it causes an internal bleeding that can put life in serious danger.

The heart

If you have high blood pressure, it can affect your heart because it is responsible for pumping blood around your body. Because it is more difficult for the blood to circulate, high blood pressure can cause chest pain, arrhythmias or heart attack.

Brain damage can also occur due to a transient ischemic attack, which is a brief interruption of blood to the brain. These are just some of the serious problems that come with not controlling high blood pressure.

Which drinks are the ones that increase blood pressure the most?

There are several ways to prevent and treat high blood pressure. One of them is to avoid drinks that increase blood pressure.

Isotonic drinks

Woman drinking energy drink after exercise

These are drinks that have been designed for rehydration and whose composition contains a dose of sodium. Especially sodium chloride and sodium bicarbonate. Sodium is bad for people with high blood pressure. Because of this, it is best not to consume foods or beverages that contain it.

Energy drinks

People who have heart disease or high blood pressure should avoid drinking energy drinks. Several studies suggest that healthy people who drink them see an increase in blood pressure. Energy drinks contain taurine and caffeine. Researchers believe that these drugs may be responsible for increased blood pressure and heart rate.

All brands that promise to increase energy levels contain to a greater or lesser extent caffeine and taurine. These drugs have a great effect on blood pressure. One way to illustrate this is that an energy drink is equivalent to drinking 2 cups of coffee. Do not confuse energy drinks with rehydration drinks or sports drinks. The other aims to restore the body after physical exhaustion.

Coffee and tea

Moderate consumption of coffee or tea is usually recommended when blood pressure is low. Obviously, it is bad for people who suffer from high blood pressure. Coffee is one of the drinks that raises blood pressure the most. Even for people without high blood pressure, you should keep your consumption to a moderate level.

Alcohol

It is not yet clear why alcohol can cause high blood pressure. However, we know that when there is alcohol in the blood, it is a disruption of the oxygen supply to the heart. If it is difficult to get oxygen to your heart, it will be forced to pump harder. In this way, it seeks to compensate for the supply of oxygen and nutrients from other parts of the body.

As you can see, drinks that increase blood pressure are very common and can be part of your daily diet. Because of this, one way to cope with high blood pressure is through changes in your daily life. These changes, which mean, for example, abstaining from these drinks, will help protect the circulatory system of people suffering from high blood pressure.