The ONE organ responsible for high blood pressure.
What does high blood pressure in the morning mean?
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Many people have abnormally high blood pressure in the morning
Blood pressure fluctuates naturally throughout the day and tends to increase around the time a person wakes up. However, for many people, blood pressure may be abnormally high in the mornings. Doctors refer to this as morning hypertension.
Morning hypertension can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. These medical emergencies often occurTrusted Source in the early hours when blood pressure rises.
In this article, we explore the causes and effects of morning hypertension. We also look at ways in which people can prevent and control this condition.
Causes
Some potential causes of morning hypertension include those below.Medication
Some people take antihypertensive medications to control their blood pressure. According to a 2018 reviewTrusted Source, uncontrolled morning hypertension may indicate a problem with the type or dosage of these medications. Specifically, morning hypertension may be due to one or more of the following factors:- taking a medication dosage that is too low
- taking short-acting or intermediate-acting medications rather than long-acting medications
- taking a single antihypertensive medication rather than a combination of medications
Medical conditions
Certain medical conditions may increase the risk of hypertension. These include:- untreated high blood pressure
- high cholesterol
- cardiovascular disease
- obstructive sleep apnea
- diabetes
- thyroid disorders
- Cushing’s syndrome
- lupus
- scleroderma
- kidney disease
Lifestyle factors
Certain lifestyle factors can also increase the risk of hypertension. Examples include:- smoking
- heavy alcohol consumption
- eating a diet high in salt and saturated fat
- not getting enough exercise
Who is at risk?
The following factors can increase a person’s risk of developing morning hypertension:- being over the age of 65 years
- being of African or Caribbean descent
- having a relative with high blood pressure
- having overweight or obesity
- drinking alcohol
- smoking
- anxiety or excessive stress
- insufficient sleep
- disturbed sleep, for example, working night shifts