Can High Blood Pressure Make You Feel Constantly Tired and Fatigued?

Can High Blood Pressure Make You Tired?

Feeling constantly exhausted is frustrating and can really impact your quality of life. If you have high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, you may be wondering if it's contributing to your fatigue. There are a few different ways that high blood pressure can make you tired and drained of energy.

How High Blood Pressure Impacts Energy Levels

High blood pressure affects your circulation and cardiovascular system, which can lead to fatigue in various ways:

• Poor blood flow - Hypertension damages blood vessels and makes them stiffer. This restricts blood flow to your tissues, reducing oxygen and nutrient delivery. Your cells need oxygen to produce energy, so less blood flow leads to tiredness.
• Increased workload on the heart - When your blood pressure is higher, your heart has to work harder to pump blood through your narrowed vessels. This extra workload can wear out the heart muscle over time.
• Sleep disturbances - High blood pressure can disrupt sleep by causing anxiety, headache, shortness of breath, and frequent urination at night. Poor sleep leads to daytime exhaustion.
• Side effects of medications - Some blood pressure medications like beta-blockers or diuretics can cause fatigue as a side effect.

How Does High Blood Pressure Cause Fatigue?

To understand why high blood pressure is tiring, it helps to look at how your cardiovascular system functions normally:

• Your heart pumps blood through your arteries using force. This pumping pressure is your blood pressure.
• Arteries carry oxygen-rich blood from your heart to tissues throughout the body. Veins return oxygen-depleted blood back to the heart.
• When tissues receive blood, oxygen and nutrients move from the blood into your cells. This provides energy for daily activities.

With hypertension, a few things happen to disrupt normal blood circulation:

• The extra force of high blood pressure damages the arteries, causing their walls to stiffen and thicken.
• Stiffer vessel walls reduce elasticity, which restricts blood flow to organs and muscles.
• Narrower arteries and vessels also mean your heart has to pump harder to move blood through your circulatory system.
• The increased workload causes the muscular heart walls to thicken, reducing blood flow even more over time.

This cascading effect means your tissues get less of the oxygen and nutrients they rely on for energy production. You feel chronically tired, even when resting, because your cells lack the fuel they need.

Medical Conditions Linked to Fatigue

Several medical problems associated with high blood pressure can also cause exhaustion, including:

• Chronic kidney disease - High blood pressure damages the small arteries in kidneys, reducing their ability to filter waste. Toxins build up in the bloodstream, causing fatigue.
• Heart failure - If hypertension leads to heart failure, the weakened heart muscle can't effectively pump blood. This results in crushing tiredness and shortness of breath.
• Sleep apnea - This disorder causes breathing interruptions during sleep. Hypertension increases risk for sleep apnea, which leads to daytime drowsiness.
• Stroke - A stroke or mini-stroke can occur if high blood pressure damages arteries in the brain. Extreme fatigue often happens after stroke damage.

Treating medical conditions associated with hypertension may help relieve exhaustion in some cases.

Lifestyle Changes To Boost Energy

The good news is that treating your high blood pressure can help increase your energy levels. Here are some lifestyle measures that can improve hypertension and make you feel less tired:

Focus on heart-healthy eating

Your diet plays a major role in controlling blood pressure. Follow these nutrition tips:

• Eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein.
• Limit salt, sugar, refined carbs, and unhealthy fats.
• Increase potassium intake from foods like bananas, salmon, and potatoes.
• Reduce portion sizes and maintain a healthy body weight.
• Stay hydrated by drinking water instead of sugary drinks.

A heart-healthy diet provides energy by giving your cells the balanced nutrition they need. It also prevents weight gain that can worsen hypertension.

Increase physical activity

Regular exercise offers huge benefits, including:

• Strengthening your heart muscle and enhancing blood flow.
• Reducing blood pressure by keeping arteries flexible.
• Improving stamina and energy levels when done consistently.
• Aiding weight loss and reducing body fat percentage.
• Lowering stress hormones that constrict blood vessels.

Aim for at least 150 minutes per week of moderate activity, like brisk walking. Strength training also helps improve circulation.

Optimize sleep habits

Poor sleep often goes hand-in-hand with high blood pressure. Prioritize rest with these tips:

• Maintain a regular sleep-wake cycle by going to bed and waking up at the same times daily.
• Make sure your bedroom is cool, dark, and quiet for better sleep quality.
• Limit screen time before bed and avoid stimulating activities near bedtime.
• Manage stress through relaxing techniques like meditation, massage, or yoga.
• Avoid caffeinated drinks late in the day that interfere with falling asleep.

Adults should aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Catching up on missed shut-eye can improve hypertension and replenish your energy reserves.

Quit smoking and limit alcohol

Cigarette smoking causes immediate spikes in blood pressure. Over time, smoking damages blood vessels. Alcohol also transiently raises blood pressure. Avoid tobacco products and limit alcohol intake to help control hypertension.

Medical Treatments To Reduce Fatigue

If lifestyle measures aren't enough, your doctor may prescribe medication to lower your blood pressure. Effective options include:

• Diuretics - Help flush extra fluid and sodium from your body.
• ACE inhibitors - Relax blood vessels to improve blood flow.
• Angiotensin II receptor blockers - Protect blood vessels from damage.
• Calcium channel blockers - Prevent calcium from narrowing arteries.
• Beta-blockers - Reduce how hard the heart has to work.

Finding the right medication or combination can take some trial and error. Tell your doctor if a medication makes you feel drained so they can adjust the dosage or try a different class.

Some people with resistant hypertension may benefit from specialized treatments like:

• Renal denervation - Disrupts nerves to kidneys to reduce blood pressure.
• Baroreceptor stimulation - Uses an implanted device to trigger receptors that widen blood vessels.

Talk to your doctor about whether you might be a candidate for these interventional procedures if medications haven't worked well for lowering your blood pressure.

Evaluate and treat secondary causes

In some cases, an underlying condition is causing high blood pressure. Common secondary causes include:

• Sleep apnea
• Chronic kidney disease
• Thyroid problems
• Adrenal gland tumors
• Congenital defects in blood vessels
• Illegal drugs like cocaine and amphetamines

Diagnosing and properly treating the underlying disorder may help normalize blood pressure and relieve associated exhaustion.

The Takeaway

Uncontrolled high blood pressure can definitely leave you feeling drained. Hypertension restricts blood flow to your cells, which reduces the oxygen and nutrients needed to produce energy.

The good news is that effectively lowering your blood pressure can increase your stamina. Be proactive by adopting heart-healthy lifestyle habits like diet, exercise, and sleep optimization. Work with your doctor to keep your blood pressure well-managed through medications or minimally invasive treatments if necessary.

With a multilayered approach, most people with hypertension can avoid the fatigue that comes with this common condition. You'll be energized to take on each day when your blood pressure is under control!

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.