Having to get up to pee in the middle of the night could mean you have high blood pressure, scientists found.
The risk increases by 40 percent by trips to the toilet. The more times you need to get up, the higher the risk.
High blood pressure can result in strokes and heart attacks if left untreated. More than 1 in 4 adults in the UK have high blood pressure but many are not aware of it.
Dr. Satoshi Konno of Japan’s Tohoku Rosai Hospital questioned almost 4,000 people and warned sufferers to reduce salt intake.
Compared to western countries, Japanese tend to eat more salt and they are more likely to be salt insensitive, which means their blood pressure rises more when salt is ingested.
“The average salt intake in Japan is approximately 10 g/day, which is more than double the average salt intake worldwide (4 g/day),” said Dr. Mutsuo Harada, press coordinator for JCS 2019.
“This excessive salt intake is related to our preference for seafood and soy sauce-based food, so salt restriction is difficult to carry out.”
ESC President Professor Barbara Casadei said: “More than one billion people have high blood pressure worldwide. High blood pressure is the leading global cause of premature death, accounting for almost ten million deaths in 2015.
“ESC guidelines recommend medication to reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease. A healthy lifestyle is also advised, including salt restriction, alcohol moderation, healthy eating, regular exercise, weight control, and smoking cessation.”
The results were presented to the Japanese Circulation Society.
What’s your take on this? Let us know in the comments section and SHARE this info with your family and friends!