5 Lesser-Known Causes Of High Blood Pressure That Have Nothing To Do With Salt, According To Cardiologists: Too Much Caffeine, More
Your daily habits can make or break your efforts in maintaining healthy blood pressure. From what you eat (or don’t eat) to how much caffeine you consume, even seemingly minor missteps can contribute to higher blood pressure levels over time—especially as you age.
To help you stay on track and keep your cardiovascular system in great shape, we spoke with doctors and heart health experts about some of the most common habits that may be secretly raising your blood pressure. Whether it’s skipping meals, overdoing it on the caffeine, or ignoring underlying health issues like sleep apnea, steering clear of these pitfalls can protect your heart and support your overall wellbeing.
In This Biography
1. Skipping breakfast
Whether you’re busy, find it hard to work up an appetite in the morning, or are trying to cut back on calories, there are many reasons you might find yourself skipping breakfast. However, you know what they say: breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It’s crucial to your health that you eat something in the morning for several reasons. As it turns out, Dr. Ramit Singh Sambyal, MD, says it can help you maintain healthy blood pressure. “Not eating a proper, balanced meal in the morning can cause your body to go into starvation mode which will raise your blood pressure levels significantly,” he says.
However, what you eat is also crucial. “Eating something high in sugar can also be just as bad as not eating anything at all because it could still trigger a rapid rise in blood pressure,” Dr. Sambyal warns. Fortunately, there are plenty of healthy breakfast options to choose from. He recommends something with both protein and complex carbs, like health benefit-packed Greek yogurt. “This combination will give you sustained energy throughout the day while keeping your blood pressure levels stable,” he concludes.
2. Too much caffeine
Sorry, coffee lovers! We get it: there’s nothing like a hot cup of joe in the morning. In fact, drinking coffee can even be good for you, with health benefits that include weight loss. However, Dr. Sambyal warns consuming too much caffeine in the morning could lead to unhealthily high blood pressure.
He says you should especially be careful of your caffeine consumption if you’re over 60. “Consuming caffeine in the morning may seem like a good way to get your day started, but for people over 60 it can be dangerous,” he tells us. “Caffeine is known to raise blood pressure levels and over time it can cause permanent damage to your cardiovascular system. I recommend avoiding any caffeinated beverages first thing in the morning and instead opt for non-caffeinated options such as warm lemon water or herbal tea. These drinks are much lower in caffeine and don’t come with the same risk of elevated blood pressure.” Got it!
3. Ignoring Sleep Apnea
Poor sleep quality is linked to higher levels of stress hormones, increased blood pressure, and a greater risk of heart disease and stroke. Over time, the cumulative effect of inadequate sleep can have severe consequences for cardiovascular health.
“Hypertension and sleep apnea have a very close relationship. Sleep apnea, which is characterized by unstable breathing or pauses in breathing cycles during sleep, can lead to increased blood pressure at night and during the day. If untreated, sleep apnea results in hypertension that becomes chronic and increases the risk of such cardiovascular episodes as heart attacks and strokes,” Michael O. McKinney, a physician and a specialist in cardiovascular health, says.
4. Sedentary Lifestyle
Regular physical activity strengthens the heart muscle, enabling it to pump blood more efficiently with less effort. A sedentary lifestyle, on the other hand, can lead to a weaker heart that has to work harder to circulate blood, increasing blood pressure.
“Indisposition for routine exercise is attributed to excessive weight gain and thus a weakened heart muscle. Inactivity also puts pressure on the heart, where the heart has to work harder to pump blood, which in turn leads to the rise of pressure levels. Prior evidence also shows that hypertension, a condition that is characterized by enough blood pressure, is a result of consistent inactivity,” McKinney says.
5. Taking Certain Supplements
Many people turn to supplements to treat their health issues—but even natural supplements don’t come without risks. A lot of popular options can contribute to high blood pressure, in particular.
Licorice root is one potentially dangerous option. Often used for its potential digestive and anti-inflammatory benefits, this supplement leads to sodium retention, and potassium loss caused by glycyrrhizin can result in elevated blood pressure. Prolonged or excessive use of licorice root can exacerbate hypertension.
“Licorice root contains glycyrrhizin, a compound that can cause sodium retention and potassium loss in the body. This imbalance can lead to fluid retention and elevated blood pressure. Prolonged use of licorice root supplements can contribute to hypertension and worsen existing cardiovascular conditions,” Dr. Kubanych Takyrbashev, MD and health & wellness advisor reveals.
Stay safe!
How you position your arm can alter blood pressure readings, according to scientists
High blood pressure drives heart attacks and strokes, yet the routine test that spots it can be surprisingly fragile. Two inches of arm drift are enough to nudge the reading into the danger zone.
A crossover trial at Johns Hopkins now shows that a patient who lets an arm dangle may appear up to 7 millimeters of mercury higher than one whose arm rests on the exam‑room desk.
That difference can tip a person’s blood pressure reading from “elevated” into dangerous “stage 2” territory.
Tammy Brady, MD, PhD, of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, led the investigation that re‑created three real‑world postures seen in clinics every day.
How the study was designed
To mimic real checkup conditions, researchers asked each participant to walk for two minutes before every blood pressure reading. Then they rested for five minutes in a quiet room, seated with back and feet supported.
Each person went through four rounds of triplicate measurements using different arm positions. By repeating the desk-supported reading at the end, the team accounted for natural blood pressure shifts over time.
Why blood pressure can fool us
Nearly half of U.S. adults live with hypertension, the persistent elevation of arterial pressure that strains the heart and vessels.
Clinicians rely on a single snapshot often taken in less than a minute, to decide whether to start lifelong medication.
The study enrolled 133 Baltimore volunteers aged 18 to 80 and rotated them through desk‑support, lap‑rest, and side‑dangling positions.
Researchers used automated cuffs to remove observer bias and repeated the desk posture at the end to control for natural fluctuations.
Compared with the desk standard, a lap‑supported arm averaged 3.9 mmHg higher systolic and 4 mmHg higher diastolic. An unsupported arm reached 6.5 mmHg and 4.4 mmHg above the baseline for those same numbers.
What the trial uncovered
In fast-paced clinics, staff may skip best practices without realizing the consequences. It’s common to see rushed exams where patients hold their own arms or sit on exam tables without support.
What the trial uncovered
In fast-paced clinics, staff may skip best practices without realizing the consequences. It’s common to see rushed exams where patients hold their own arms or sit on exam tables without support.
These shortcuts might seem minor in the moment, but repeated over time, they add up. Misreadings can creep into charts, shape diagnoses, and affect treatment plans that last for years.
“If you are consistently measuring blood pressure with an unsupported arm, and that gives you an overestimated BP of 6.5 mmHg, that’s a potential difference between a systolic BP of 123 and 130,” warned Sherry Liu, M.H.S., referencing the clinical jump from “elevated” to “stage 1”.
The pattern held in younger and older adults, in people with and without obesity, and in those already diagnosed with high pressure.
How to properly take blood pressure
Desk‑level support keeps the cuff’s mid‑point at mid‑heart height, equalizing hydrostatic pressure along the arteries.
Drop the arm, and gravity demands a higher force to push blood upward, so the gauge records extra pressure.
The American Heart Association instructs nurses to seat patients in a backed chair, feet flat, legs uncrossed, and arm resting on a firm surface that aligns with the right atrium.
Even well-trained clinicians don’t always follow textbook guidelines. In busy offices, there’s pressure to move quickly, and details like arm height can get overlooked.
Some providers might think close is good enough, but the research shows that “almost right” still leads to wrong numbers. Unless someone checks posture intentionally, errors can become routine.
At‑home monitors need help
Millions measure at home, yet many kitchen tables are too low to mimic clinic desks. A pillow under the elbow or sliding the device onto a higher counter can close the gap.
Cuff size matters as well; sleeves that are too narrow can push readings 5 to 10 mmHg higher, a problem affecting about 12 percent of Black Americans with larger arm circumferences.
Poor technique leads to misdiagnosis
Even small inaccuracies in readings can have a big impact on a person’s health journey. An overestimated result could lead to an incorrect hypertension diagnosis, prompting unnecessary prescriptions or anxiety.
On the other hand, a reading that seems only slightly elevated might prevent someone from getting the treatment they actually need. Proper positioning is not just about data quality – it can change real-life decisions and outcomes.
Brady’s team plans to test whether a simple reminder on the device screen: “Rest arm on table” nudges behavior in primary‑care offices. They also want to see whether the error shrinks with wrist cuffs that use built‑in position sensors.
Public‑health specialists hope standard positioning can prevent thousands of unnecessary prescriptions each year, reducing side effects and costs without compromising cardiovascular safety.
The study is published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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