Does anxiety raise blood pressure?
Yes, anxiety raises blood pressure temporarily. Adrenaline tightens blood vessels and speeds the heart, so readings during anxious moments can jump 10 to 30 points. That includes the clinic itself, which is why white coat readings run high.
Anxiety spikes are not the same as chronic hypertension, but living with constant stress does keep average pressure higher over time.
Home readings taken calmly across a week separate the two. If calm readings are normal and clinic ones high, show your doctor both sets.
Source: NHS, high blood pressure
See a doctor promptly if
- Chest pain or tightness brought on by exertion and relieved by rest, or pain spreading to the jaw, neck, back or arm
- Chest pain with sweating, nausea, vomiting or a feeling of impending doom: call emergency services, do not drive yourself
- Fainting or near-fainting with palpitations, especially during exercise
- Palpitations with a family history of sudden cardiac death or heart muscle disease under the age of 50
- Sudden breathlessness with sharp chest pain worse on breathing in, or a swollen, painful calf
- Thoughts of harming yourself, or feeling you cannot keep yourself safe. Contact emergency services or a crisis line now
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Answered by the AskDoc Medical Team · Medically reviewed under our Medical Director, MBBS · How we review
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