According to statistics, an increase in blood pressure is observed in the evening after 16.00–17.00. This phenomenon has many causes, which may include both physiological and pathological factors. Depending on the indicators, a person may experience various symptoms indicating a disorder of vascular regulation. A prolonged increase in blood pressure can provoke the development of serious complications, including cerebral and myocardial ischemia. Why does blood pressure rise in the evening and how to prevent the process?
Reasons for increased blood pressure in the evening
According to medical statistics, blood pressure changes occur especially often after 16:00. Why does blood pressure rise in the evening? This fact can be explained by the depletion of energy resources during the period of wakefulness, so in the evening the heart and blood vessels experience a double load. Other reasons include:
- A hearty dinner;
- Drinking drinks with caffeine and tannin (tea, coffee, cola);
- Emotional overexcitement;
- Prolonged stay at the computer;
- Systematic lack of sleep;
- Taking certain medications and alcohol.
A large meal with heavy “harmful” foods (fatty, smoked, fried foods) will immediately remind you of an increase in blood pressure. To digest such food, the body must use a lot of energy, which it has at least in the evening. The flow of blood to the gastrointestinal tract puts pressure on the vessels; after such a dinner, the pressure increases by an average of 15 mm Hg. Art. from your norm.
Caffeine is an artificial energy source for the human body, so it forcibly mobilizes internal resources. It is highly undesirable for anyone who has a tendency to increase blood pressure to finish dinner with tea or coffee. Vegetable salad and tea from medicinal herbs (mint, lemon balm, hawthorn) with honey are an ideal light dinner for hypertensive patients. If the day is overloaded with conflict situations, the consequences of stress will definitely remind themselves in the evening in the form of high blood pressure. Any method of relaxation will help relieve emotional stress - from a warm shower and a favorite cat to yoga and music for meditation.
Taking certain medications (based on ginseng, schisandra, chicory, eleutherococcus, as well as nasal drops that constrict blood vessels) provoke an increase in blood pressure in the evening. This problem is also familiar to 5% of women who take contraceptives.
Cardiologists have the concept of “Friday hypertension.” They used this term to describe patients whose blood pressure rises sharply on Friday evenings and weekends due to the consumption of large doses of strong drinks. According to doctors, drinking alcohol once a week is already stage 1-2 of alcoholism.
Without giving up this bad habit, fighting hypertension is pointless. Any professional questionnaire on the medical website of narcologists will help you determine the degree of your addiction.
Foods that increase blood pressure
If you have identified a tendency to increase blood pressure in the evening, you need to reconsider your diet in the direction of reducing the amount of foods that are dangerous in this regard:
- Pickles, gastronomic delicacies with high salt content;
- Carbonated sweet drinks;
- Confectionery;
- Tea, coffee, energy drinks;
- Heavy fatty dishes and smoked meats;
- Some seafood (herring, red caviar);
- Spices and hot spices;
- Canned foods;
- Sugar and sweets;
- Butter, cream, sour cream, salted cheeses and other animal fats.
If you are prone to hypertension, the body instantly reacts with high blood pressure parameters to the intake of nutrients from this list, since their breakdown products narrow the blood vessels and clog them with cholesterol deposits, wastes and toxins.
Therapeutic measures
Specific therapy, using drugs of several groups:
- Beta blockers.
- Calcium channel blockers.
- Diuretics.
- ACE inhibitors.
- Vitamin and mineral complexes.
- Food supplements with microelements.
Statins are used to eliminate lipid deposits.
Tonics are not used as they are dangerous and ineffective in the fight against high blood pressure.
Herbal sedatives based on motherwort and valerian, and barbiturates in small dosages are prescribed.
If necessary, surgery is indicated (heart defects, vascular defects, development of malformations, benign and malignant tumors in anatomical structures, aneurysms, cholesterol plaques).
Given the physiological nature of the condition, a change in schedule and lifestyle is indicated. You need to sleep at least 8 hours, avoid exercise, smoking, alcohol, especially psychoactive substances, use drugs in a strictly designated dosage after consultation with a specialized specialist.
Systematicity and complexity are important in treatment.
Other causes of evening pressure drops
An increase in blood pressure in the evening can be an alarm bell warning of possible diseases:
- Genitourinary organs;
- Osteochondrosis;
- Obesity;
- Traumatic brain injuries.
Genitourinary system and increased blood pressure
Kidney dysfunction provokes changes in the water-salt balance, which leads to the retention of excess fluid in organs and systems. Inflammation of the adrenal glands can cause hormonal imbalances, which also cause an increase in blood pressure. Hypertension is caused by various diseases:
- Pyelonephritis;
- Cystitis;
- Kidney stone disease.
To check the functioning of the endocrine system, kidneys and adrenal glands, you need to contact an endocrinologist and nephrologist, respectively. Additionally, in men, arterial hypertension is caused by inflammation of the prostate gland, which is often asymptomatic, but can cause such a reaction.
If the cause is eliminated, the pressure will also normalize. In women and men, temporary hypertension is caused by cystitis; this type of disease is dealt with by a urologist and gynecologist.
Osteochondrosis and blood pressure
Drivers, office workers and anyone who has a sedentary job often suffer from osteochondrosis, a prerequisite for high blood pressure. Due to improper distribution of the load on the spine, when the muscular corset fails to cope with its protective functions, it gradually bends.
Pinching of nerve endings, especially in the cervical region, leads to a narrowing of blood vessels (primarily the brain), which provide oxygen and nutrients to the brain, heart and other organs. Oxygen deficiency occurs, accompanied by increased pressure, pain in the head, heaviness in the back of the head and pulsation in the eyes and temples.
The spine experiences maximum load in the evening, which explains the changes in blood pressure. Massage and exercises for the cervical spine during the working day will help reduce the negative impact of such consequences. For this purpose, tilting the head in different directions without moving the shoulders is suitable.
It is advisable to get up from the table every half hour and walk around for a few minutes. In the initial stages of osteochondrosis, the effect will be noticeable within a week. If the spinal disease progresses, you need to check its condition with a chiropractor.
Obesity and blood pressure
Excess weight creates a serious additional burden on the cardiovascular system. In addition, fullness is usually accompanied by swelling. All this can create the preconditions for an evening increase in blood pressure.
For the purpose of prevention, obese patients are recommended to take walks in the fresh air, adequate physical activity, a balanced diet with low salt intake and avoidance of fatty, smoked and fried foods. Cholesterol deposits on the walls of blood vessels are also a consequence of poor nutrition and a prerequisite for increased blood pressure.
How dangerous is such a condition?
Depends on the tonometer readings and the intensity of the hypertensive process. The normal range is 100-140 by 80-90 mmHg, and the maximum permissible deviation is 10 units. 20 or more is a reason to contact a cardiologist.
A critical increase in blood pressure is accompanied by levels of 190-200 to 100-120 and higher. Such changes in the evening and at night do not bode well: a stroke, heart attack, interruptions in heart function, even cardiogenic shock are possible.
In the long term, there is a risk of congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, and nephropathy.
Calling an ambulance will be the best solution to the problem under such conditions.
Measurements are taken every 20 minutes to monitor general condition. After the doctors arrive, you need to report your blood pressure levels.
Signs of increased blood pressure
If you feel worse in the evening, first of all, you need to make sure that the cause is high blood pressure. If you don’t have a tonometer at hand, you can identify the problem by a number of signs. With a sharp rise in pressure, characteristic symptoms are observed:
- Spasmodic pain in the back of the head;
- Noise in ears;
- Pulsation in the temporal part of the head;
- Weakness, fatigue;
- Increased heart rate;
- Chest discomfort;
- Sleep disorder;
- High irritability and anxiety.
Due to vascular spasm, the victim’s vision becomes dark, and weakness borders on dizziness occurs. Malfunctions in the functioning of the cardiovascular system affect the quality of sleep: it can be superficial, restless, and not providing rest.
Patients often complain of numbness in the fingertips. All of the above signs suggest hypertension and other serious illnesses, so you should seek medical help as soon as possible.
Bringing your blood pressure back to normal is not a big deal, but it is only an emergency measure. If changes in blood pressure are observed more and more often, it is necessary to undergo an examination. If the cause of the increase in pressure is identified, treatment will be more targeted and effective.
High blood pressure medications
Hypertension must be treated in combination:
- Diet;
- Phytotherapy;
- Medicines;
- Sanatorium-resort events.
A balanced diet plays a special role in restoring normal blood pressure. When adjusting the menu, hypertensive patients need to pay special attention to “harmful” foods:
- Fat meat;
- Canned foods;
- Semi-finished products;
- Quick snacks (fast food);
- Caffeinated drinks;
- Alcohol.
Neglect of these restrictions often leads to a hypertensive crisis. In the first stages of hypertension, medicinal herbs help well. To combat high blood pressure, traditional medicine offers infusions of the following plants:
- Rosehip;
- Aloe;
- Calendula;
- Hawthorn;
- Viburnum;
- Lingonberries;
- Raspberry leaves;
- Motherwort.
All plant materials (except aloe) are processed in the form of tinctures and decoctions. You can use them for monotherapy or prepare preparations. Juice is obtained from aloe, which should be drunk 3-4 drops for 30 days.
Prevention
To understand the reasons for your poor health, observe at what moments your blood pressure rises: after taking pills or alcohol, after certain foods or physical activity, after a quarrel or change in weather, during exacerbation of chronic diseases (kidneys, spine).
Measures to prevent pressure drops are universal:
- Balanced diet: if you exclude heavy foods from your diet and do not overeat in the evening, you can count on good results. Keep a food diary in which you can record your menu and blood pressure monitor readings after each new dish. It is impossible to treat hypertension without a diet: excess fats and salt destroy the effect of antihypertensive drugs.
- Adequate sleep is the basis of health, so hypertensive patients should get enough sleep. Instead of strong sleeping pills, it is better to drink herbal tea from mint, lemon balm, and motherwort at night.
- Adequate physical activity is the key to a healthy lifestyle. Morning exercises, walking in the evening, active movement during the day improve blood flow and vascular elasticity - guarantees normal blood pressure.
- Controlling weight, mood and bad habits means that you need to control your condition (don’t get nervous over trifles, get rid of bad habits, identify yourself as “a person who is losing weight”).
- Unfavorable environmental conditions also provoke attacks of increased blood pressure, so it is dangerous to poison yourself with exhaust gases, nicotine (including passive smokers), and other harmful fumes. Get out into nature more often and install an air purifier indoors.
- Competent reaction to stressful situations. Stress in the modern world is unlikely to be avoided; it is important to respond correctly to changes in biorhythms and find a way out of the situation with minimal losses to health.
If there is an underlying disease (kidney failure, traumatic brain injury, spinal problems, hereditary or age-related factors), it must be treated. Symptomatic treatment of high blood pressure and other half-measures only blur the picture, complicating diagnosis and increasing the risk of a hypertensive crisis and its severe consequences. If all preventive measures have been taken, and your blood pressure is constantly rising in the evening, you should urgently undergo an examination.
The main rule in the treatment of hypertension
The main rule when treating hypertension is not to listen to the advice of friends, neighbors or relatives who are already taking any medications to treat this disease!
The choice of drug for the treatment of arterial hypertension is the prerogative of the doctor.
It takes into account the clinical picture of a particular patient, his concomitant diseases, side effects of the drug and its mechanism of action, contraindications of a particular drug. All patients are different, and each requires an individual approach. What suits one person will not always suit another. Only a doctor can prescribe, cancel or replace a drug.
