High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a long-term medical condition which involves the blood pressure in the arteries which becomes persistently elevated. The symptoms of having high blood pressure are not obvious and if left untreated it puts a person at high risk of developing coronary heart disease, stroke, heart failure, vision loss, chronic kidney disease and dementia. A person’s evening toilet habit could be a sign of the condition and frequent trips to the loo at night could mean you are at risk of having high blood pressure. Needing to urinate at night every now and then should not be a cause for concern but if you are going to the loo every night, this could be a major sign of high blood pressure.
A study in Japan looked at 1,882 people who had an annual health check that included blood pressure measurements. Of the 1,882 participants 1,295 got up to pee at least once a night on average.
Researchers from the division of hypertension in Tohuku Rosai Hospital evaluated the association between high blood pressure and nocturia, a condition that causes frequent urinating at night.
This is compared to those who slept all night without going to the bathroom and those who got up to urinate at least once per night and were 1.4 times more likely to have high blood pressure.
Doctor Satoshi Konno of the division of hypertension at the Tohoku Rosai Hospital said: “Our study indicates that if you need to urinate in the night, called nocturia, you may have elevated blood pressure or excess fluid in your body.
“If you continue to have nocturia, ask your doctor to check your blood pressure and salt intake.”
The frequent need to go to the toilet at night not only disturbs one’s sleeping pattern but could also be a sign of a serious health condition.
Researchers believe the connection between getting up to urinate at night and high blood pressure is down to the dietary salt intake and previous studies have shown a diet high in salt is associated with having to urinate more at night.
There is a strong link between salt in the diet and high blood pressure.
Cutting back the salt intake in your diet could help lower your blood pressure, put you less at risk of developing serious health conditions and ensures a better night’s sleep. Foods such as ham, sausage, bacon, ancovies and pizza have a very high salt intake and you should try to avoid these types of foods.
Other symptoms of high blood pressure:
- Headaches
- Shortness of breath
- Dizziness
- Chest pain
- Nose bleeds
- Stomach pain
- Fever
High blood pressure puts a major strain on all the blood vessels in the body with some leading to the brain. A person with high blood pressure is at risk of having a stroke due to the blockage of blood vessels or weakening and bleeding blood vessels.
A healthy lifestyle is strongly advised to reduce your risk of having serious health related issues caused by high blood pressure.
Reducing your salt intake, controlling your weight, moderating your alcohol consumption and quitting smoking are all ways to help reduce your risk.