Can High Blood Pressure Make You Tired?

High blood pressure typically causes no physical symptoms. The only reliable way to know you have high blood pressure is to have it measured by a healthcare provider. Some health-tracking devices can also signal if your blood pressure is high. Some people with high blood pressure complain of fatigue. This may be due to the condition itself. If left untreated, the pressure against blood vessel walls can cause unseen damage. This damage can lead to severe health issues, including stroke, heart attack, and kidney disease.

Should you rest with high blood pressure?

For most people, the answer is yes. If you have high blood pressure, you should be able to be more active quite safely. But to be on the safe side, it's always a good idea to speak to your doctor or nurse before you start any new physical activity. More often, tiredness related to high blood pressure is due to other contributing factors at play, including:

Blood Pressure Medication

If you receive a high blood pressure diagnosis, healthcare providers will likely prescribe medications to help manage your condition. They also may encourage healthy lifestyle changes. Tiredness is a common side effect associated with certain blood pressure medications, such as beta-blockers. That's because some drugs work by causing the heart to beat slower, which slows the flow of energizing oxygen and nutrients to the body's tissues.

How Lifestyle Changes Can Reduce Side Effects of Blood Pressure Meds

Stress

Stress causes hormone changes that are known to raise blood pressure. If stress is chronic, it can contribute to the development of high blood pressure or worsen existing high blood pressure. It also can take a toll on your health in other ways that can contribute to feelings of tiredness.

Sleep Disturbances

Sleep apnea is a condition that causes breathing to stop repeatedly throughout the night. About 26% of American adults between the ages of 30 and 70 experience sleep apnea.8 Sleep apnea has been shown to increase the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease, as well as cause daytime sleepiness or tiredness. The relationship between sleep apnea and high blood pressure is not fully understood, but it's thought that the condition may activate the body's stress response system, which raises blood pressure. Treating sleep apnea with a CPAP machine (continuous positive airway pressure, a breathing device meant to be worn during sleep) can help manage blood pressure. Other sleep disturbances such as insomnia are also linked to an increased risk of high blood pressure.

Complications of Untreated High Blood Pressure

If high blood pressure is not diagnosed or controlled, the pressure against blood vessel walls can cause unseen damage. Tiredness may be an early symptom of this damage, which can also lead to severe health issues, including the following:11

• Stroke
• Kidney disease
• Eye damage
• Conjunctive heart failure
• Heart attack
• Aneurysm
• Vascular dementia
• Pregnancy complications

When to Seek Medical Attention

High blood pressure is known as the silent killer because many people don’t know that they have the condition. Typically, there are no symptoms or warning signs. The best way to know if you have high blood pressure is to have it checked regularly during your routine healthcare appointments. If you have a family history of high blood pressure or are at higher risk, you may benefit from using an at-home blood pressure monitor or tracking device. If you are experiencing consistent tiredness or fatigue that you think may be related to high blood pressure or your blood pressure medication, talk to your healthcare provider. Seek immediate medical attention if tiredness worsens or you are experiencing other physical symptoms, including blood spots in the eyes, nosebleeds, dizziness, flushing, and chest pains.11

Prevention

There are a number of lifestyle strategies that are known to prevent high blood pressure, including the following:12

• Quit or avoid smoking
• Eat plenty of healthy, antioxidant-rich fruits, vegetables, and whole grains
• Reduce sodium intake
• Manage stress levels
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Exercise regularly (30 minutes or more a day)
• Limit alcohol and avoid recreational drugs

Tiredness is often associated with high blood pressure. However, high blood pressure usually causes no physical symptoms. As such, tiredness is more likely to be caused by side effects of blood pressure medications, and other conditions linked to high blood pressure, such as stress, sleep apnea, or complications of high blood pressure, including heart disease. Seek medical attention if tiredness persists or worsens.