There are numerous lifestyle and diet related factors which could be causing a spike in our Blood pressure levels. Here is a list of the most common causes of high blood pressure.

• Age: The older we get, the higher we face the risk of having HBP
• Family history: If close members of our family have hypertension, our chances of developing the condition become higher.
• Obesity or overweight: Overweight refers to a condition where we have extra body weight from muscle, bone, fat and/or water. Obesity generally refers to a condition of just having a high amount of extra fat in our body. Overweight and obesity are more likely to cause high blood pressure compared with people who possess normal weight.
• Physical inactivity: Lack of exercise coupled with a sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of hypertension.
• Smoking: Smoking causes our blood vessels to narrow, which results in higher blood pressure. Moreover, it reduces the oxygen content in our blood and thus, our heart has to pump faster to compensate for this, which causes a rise in our blood pressure level.
• Alcohol intake: People consuming alcohol regularly have higher systolic blood pressure compared with those who do not.
• High salt intake: People who do not consume much of salt have lower blood pressure compared with those consume a lot of salt.
• High-fat diet: A diet high in fats makes one highly vulnerable to HBP. However, it is important to know that the problem is not how much fat we consume, but rather the type of fats. Fats sourced from plants such as avocados, nuts, olive oil, and omega oils, which are commonly found in fish, are good fats whereas saturated fats, which are commonly found in animal sourced foods along with trans fats are bad fats.
• Mental stress: Mental stress built over a long term can cause HBP and adversely impact our health.
• Diabetes: People with an existing diabetes condition are at a higher risk of getting hypertension or HBP.
• Pregnancy: Pregnant women stand a higher risk of getting hypertension or HBP compared with those who are not pregnant.