Those of us with home blood pressure monitors who have been monitoring our blood pressure regularly for any length of time know only too well that our blood pressure tends to be a little higher during the cold winter months and is also a little bit harder to control at this time of year. But just why should this be the case?
Well, there are all sorts of different reasons including the fact that in cold weather your blood vessels tend to constrict or narrow raising your pressure. In addition, many of the cold medicines and anti-inflammatory painkillers which we take at this time of year also cause an increase in blood pressure. Winter can also be a very depressing time of year for many people and this often pushes up coffee or alcohol consumption with a resultant rise in blood pressure. Perhaps most obvious of all though is the fact that we simply lead more sedentary lives during the winter months taking less exercise, eating more and putting on a bit of weight.
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