What Makes Blood Pressure Go Up? What Happens When it Does?

Blood pressure changes in each of us throughout our lives, and on a minute-to-minute basis. It tends to get higher as we age, and is usually lowest when we sleep. As we go through a normal day, it fluctuates and becomes elevated in response to stress, pain, hormonal levels, meals, and exercise. These are normal responses to our environment. In the disease of hypertension, the blood pressure becomes higher than necessary to maintain normal body functions. This elevation begins to damage the circulatory system, increasing the "wear and tear" everywhere there are blood vessels. The heart, which must work harder to push the blood through a higher-pressure environment, begins to increase in size. The walls of the heart thicken and the heart muscle doesn't relax normally. The walls of the blood vessels also thicken and become stiffer. They can develop damage to the inner lining of the blood vessel, with resulting cholesterol deposits at the places of damage. This process, known as atherosclerosis, can lead to strokes, heart attacks and blood vessel enlargements known as aneurysms.