High blood pressure usually has no symptoms, but may cause fatigue for various reasons. It also causes the heart to work harder to pump blood through the body. This process may cause tiredness or exhaustion, especially if a person has another underlying condition.

Statistics show that approximately 47% of Americans have high blood pressure. Although often high blood pressure doesn't cause any symptoms, some people with hypertension can experience symptoms such as feeling more tired than usual.

Keep reading this post to understand the link between high blood pressure and tiredness, how to manage and tackle the fatigue, and when to see a doctor.

What is high blood pressure?

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a condition in which the force of blood pumping against the walls of the arteries is high enough to cause health problems.

Healthcare providers measure blood pressure in two ways: systolic pressure, which happens when the heart contracts, and diastolic pressure, which occurs when the heart rests.

For most people, normal blood pressure is about 120/80 mmHg. If the blood pressure is consistently above average, this is called hypertension.

While high blood pressure itself is not an immediately life-threatening condition, it can lead to serious medical conditions such as heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure, if left untreated.

For instance, anyone with severely high pressure above 180/120 mmHg should seek emergency treatment. These levels can damage the arteries and reduce the amount of oxygen-rich blood reaching the organs and tissues.

Fortunately, people can control high blood pressure with lifestyle changes and medications.

What are the symptoms of high blood pressure?

Hypertension usually doesn't have any symptoms. So, the best way to know whether someone has high blood pressure is to check with a blood pressure monitor or a sphygmomanometer.

When high blood pressure does cause symptoms, the most common ones include:

• A feeling of pressure in the chest.

• Shortness of breath.

• Irregular heartbeat or palpitations.

• Nosebleed.

• Mild or severe headache.

• Confusion.

• Fatigue or lack of energy.

• Blurry vision.

Does high blood pressure make you tired?

High blood pressure may cause tiredness, but not always. When someone has high blood pressure, the heart has to work overtime to pump blood throughout the body. The eventual process leads to decreased energy levels and fatigue.

Also, high blood pressure can cause problems with blood flow, impair adequate rest, and cause tiredness.

Feeling tired may also occur because of another condition in the body. Whatever the case, people with high blood pressure and fatigue should visit a healthcare provider to get more information. A doctor can check the blood pressure and determine if there is something else causing tiredness.

The link between high blood pressure and tiredness

The link between high blood pressure and tiredness may be a result of other complications, such as:

1. Stress

When the body releases stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline in response to a perceived threat, they cause an increase in heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration. This "fight-or-flight" response happens in order to give people the energy and strength they need to defend themselves or escape from danger.

However, activating the response to everyday stressors such as work deadlines, traffic jams, or family conflict can stress physical and emotional health. Over time, chronic stress can lead to high blood pressure, fatigue, and a weakened immune system.

2. Sleep disturbance

There are many potential causes of sleep disturbance, which can make it challenging to identify the root cause of the problem. However, sleep disruption is often a symptom of underlying medical conditions, such as sleep apnea and insomnia.

Sleep apnea is a condition when a person’s breathing stops for a few seconds while they’re asleep. These brief pauses in breathing may occur dozens or even hundreds of times per night. Sleep apnea can cause fatigue and daytime sleepiness, which may lead to high blood pressure.

Moreover, insomnia is a condition that makes it difficult for someone to fall asleep or stay asleep. Various factors which can cause insomnia include stress, anxiety, depression, and medications. Insomnia can lead to daytime fatigue and other health problems.

Sleep disturbance disrupts the body's natural sleep cycle leading to inadequate rest. Eventually, not getting enough sleep may cause both fatigue and hypertension.

How to tackle tiredness

The best way to tackle tiredness, and find out if its linked to high blood pressure, is to investigate what’s causing the tiredness.

For instance, anyone experiencing tiredness caused by sleep disturbance should consult a doctor to determine the underlying issue. Diagnosing and treating the underlying problem can improve sleep quality, control high blood pressure, and tackle fatigue.

How to prevent fatigue from high blood pressure

For those with high blood pressure, below are significant ways to keep the blood pressure in check and prevent fatigue from hypertension.

1. Eat a healthy diet and maintain a healthy weight

Eat a balanced diet including plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to manage blood pressure. Also, maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight makes the heart work harder, causes fatigue, and may increase blood pressure.

2. Get regular exercise

Exercise is a great way to keep blood pressure in check. For instance, 30 minutes of moderate exercise each day can regulate and lower blood pressure.

3. Limit your alcohol consumption

Drinking too much alcohol can raise blood pressure, but limiting alcohol to less than two drinks per day maintains healthy blood pressure levels.

4. Quit smoking

Smoking is one of the leading causes of elevated blood pressure. Quitting smoking often significantly lowers high blood pressure.

5. Reduce salt intake

Reducing salt intake decreases the amount of sodium in the body and lowers blood pressure.

6. Reduce stress

Stress can raise your blood pressure. Learning how to manage stress can keep blood pressure in check.

When to see a doctor

High blood pressure rarely shows symptoms or warnings. Therefore, regular blood pressure checks during healthcare visits can help to assess any underlying conditions.

Moreover, anyone experiencing tiredness associated with high blood pressure should consult a doctor for further diagnosis. While fatigue and hypertension result from various factors, including stress, diet, and lack of sleep, seeking professional medical advice can rule out any related complications.

Final thoughts

Tiredness associated with high blood pressure may result from stress, depression or anxiety, or sleep disturbances. Also, high blood pressure associated with an existing health condition can cause more fatigue. Therefore, it’s important to check your blood pressure regularly with your doctor when you feel more tired than usual. In addition, an excellent health provider, such as HealthTap, can diagnose and evaluate all the conditions associated with high blood pressure.

Therefore, if you have fatigue or high blood pressure, book an appointment with a HealthTap doctor today. HealthTap has board-certified doctors ready to diagnose and treat underlying conditions linked with fatigue or high blood pressure.