Causes of high blood pressure

It's not always clear what causes high blood pressure but your lifestyle may increase your risk of developing it if you:

• are overweight
• eat too much salt
• don’t eat enough fruit and vegetables
• don’t do enough exercise
• drink too much alcohol
• drink too much coffee (or other caffeine based drinks)
• smoke
• don’t get enough sleep or have disturbed sleep

Other factors out of your control include:

• age: blood pressure may increase as you get older
• ethnic origin: if you're of black African or black Caribbean descent you have a higher risk of developing high blood pressure
• family history: high blood pressure sometimes runs in families

Even in these cases you may be able to improve your blood pressure by making changes to your lifestyle.

In about 1 in 20 cases, high blood pressure occurs if you've an underlying health condition or are taking a certain medicine. Visit the NHS website to find more information.

Although stress is not a direct cause, it may contribute to your risk of high blood pressure if you cope with it by smoking, drinking too much alcohol or overeating.