Blood pressure: stress reduction

Everyone agrees that stressful situations make your blood pressure take off. It's the fight-or-flight, prepare-to-do-something-dramatic response your ancient ancestors had when being charged by a woolly mammoth. Your body releases stress hormones that make your heart beat faster and your blood vessels constrict, and blood pressure rockets. When the stressful situation is resolved, blood pressure comes back down.

February 8, 2010