Hypertension is high blood pressure, and it's bad news. High blood pressure damages your heart, other organs and blood vessels without your even knowing it's there. When you're under stress, your body starts an ancient reaction designed to help you get out of danger. But in the case of everyday stress, there's nothing to fight or run away from. The adrenaline rush leaves you all revved up with no place to go.
Blood pressure drops slowly, until the next aggravation comes along.
Too much of this and the body gives up and boosts its baseline blood pressure to a permanently higher level. Stress and High Blood Pressure Studies now show that people who experience chronic stress are more likely to have chronically high blood pressure. In fact, people vary widely in their reaction to stress. That's why those who get upset easily are more likely to have stress-induced hypertension. What You Can Do A feeling of helplessness is one of the most common stressors in our society.