Most People Don’t Realize This Common Daily Habit Is Spiking Their Blood Pressure originally appeared on Parade.
If you have high blood pressure (or it runs in your family), you’ve likely talked with your doctor about the best ways to keep it in check. You know tobacco use is completely out of the question (as it should be for everyone anyway), to go easy on foods like bacon, sausage, French fries and donuts) and the importance of regular exercise.
But another important part of managing blood pressure is stress management. Experiencing stress is inevitable (according to The Institute of Stress, 43% of adults reported feeling more anxious in 2024 than they did in 2023), but how you deal with it is within your control.
And according to cardiologists we talked to, there’s one common habit in particular that is a constant source of stress, but it’s become so normalized that many people don’t even realize it.
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The Surprising Daily Habit That Raises Blood Pressure
How often do you check your email? According to statistics compiled by Email Tool Tester, 61% of people check their email on their phone, which means it’s accessible any time of the day. This is often a habit that’s done continuously, from the moment we wake up (fifty-eight percent of people check their email first thing in the morning) until the moment we go to bed.
Dr. Aye Thandar Win, MD, FACC, a cardiologist with Banner Health, explains that constantly checking your email can lead to living in a state of fight-or-flight without you even realizing it—and that’s bad news for your heart.
“In today’s hyper-connected world, email has become a constant companion—and for many, a source of relentless stress,” she says. “The ping of a new message can trigger a cascade of anxiety, especially for those who feel compelled to check their inbox obsessively, even late at night. Each time you check your inbox, your body may release stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones prepare you for a ‘fight or flight’ response, temporarily increasing heart rate and blood pressure.”
Related: Cardiologists Swear By This 2-Minute Exercise for Lowering Blood Pressure
Dr. Mona Shah, MD, who is board-certified in cardiology and holistic medicine, echoes that checking email throughout the day can lead to a constant stream of cortisol and adrenaline that is hazardous to health long-term.
“Cortisol creates increased inflammation, weight gain and worsens our immune response. Adrenaline streaming throughout our bodies can increase blood pressure, cause platelets to be stickier which can cause clotting in our arteries and increase the stiffness and constriction in our arteries,” she says.
Dr. Shah adds that both cortisol and adrenaline from increased stress can even affect DNA and accelerate aging. “Stiffened arteries, sticky platelets, inflammation and higher blood pressure all are linked to increased heart attacks and coronary artery disease,” she emphasizes.
One indication that your emails are stressing you out without you even realizing it is a change in your breathing. Dr. Win explains that often when someone is anxiously scrolling their emails, their breathing will become shallow; an unconscious switch many people don’t even realize is happening. “This pattern, unlike deep and steady breaths, reduces oxygen intake and keeps the body in a heightened state of alert. Over the long term, habitual shallow breathing can subtly but significantly impact heart health,” she says.
Related: ‘I Had Sky-High Blood Pressure for Years, Now It’s 112/72—Here’s What I Did’
Dr. Win explains that shallow breathing negatively impacts heart health in several ways, including reducing oxygen delivery, keeping the body in a stress-response mode (which elevates blood pressure) and releasing cortisol and adrenaline, which, as previously mentioned, can harm blood vessels and heart function.
If you check your email before going to bed, both doctors say this could make it harder to fall asleep—and getting consistently good sleep is essential for healthy blood pressure and heart health. “Sleeping less than six hours a day can increase heart disease risk by almost 20%!” Dr. Shah emphasizes.
How To Stop Compulsively Checking Your Email
It’s important to manage both major sources of stress as well as micro sources of stress, like emails. “I have seen time and time again chronic stress take a major toll on overall health, specifically heart disease risk and an increase in heart attacks,” Dr. Shah says.
To break the cycle of constantly checking your email, Dr. Win recommends setting boundaries, designating certain times of the day for checking email and not checking it outside of those windows. To avoid checking it compulsively, she recommends turning off your notifications.
Related: 7 Simple Tricks to Tame Your Blood Pressure Quickly, According to Heart Health Experts
Throughout the day, Dr. Win says to check in with yourself, noticing your breathing. If you notice that you’re taking shallow breaths instead of deep, full ones, take a few deep breaths. “Try diaphragmatic breathing—slow, deep breaths through your nose, expanding your belly—for five to 10 minutes daily. This calms the nervous system, lowers heart rate and improves oxygen flow,” she shares.
Just like how the stress from constantly checking your email negatively impacts heart health, Dr. Shah explains that taking actionable steps to reduce stress benefits heart health, including blood pressure. She explains that the relaxation response causes “happy” hormones serotonin, oxytocin and dopamine to be released. When this happens, she says that the arteries are relaxed and dilated, blood pressure lowers and inflammation lowers.
“We need to make the choices for ourselves to have a healthy sustainable future and longevity. Unfortunately, no one is going to say ‘put the phone down’ or ‘close the laptop.’ Have non-negotiables with yourself that after a certain amount of time or emails you are shutting it down, remembering your heart is at risk,” Dr. Shah says. No email is worth sacrificing your health over.
Up Next:
Related: The One Supplement You Should Never, Ever Take If You Have High Blood Pressure
Sources
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Dr. Aye Thandar Win, MD, FACC, cardiologist with Banner Health
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Dr. Mona Shah, MD, cardiologist
Most People Don’t Realize This Common Daily Habit Is Spiking Their Blood Pressure first appeared on Parade on Aug 16, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
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