High blood pressure is considered a 'silent enemy' because the symptoms are not as explicit as that. If there is no control, it is easy for the problem to go unnoticed. According to the Directorate-General for Health (DGS), it is the "excessive blood pressure on the artery wall, above the values considered normal, which occurs chronically".

This Friday, World Hypertension Day is marked. "Arterial hypertension is defined when the maximum pressure is greater than or equal to 140 mmHg (commonly 14), or the minimum pressure is greater than or equal to 90 mmHg (commonly 9)", continues the DGS.

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Understanding the causes can be tricky. To the 'website' EatingWell, the dietician Jill Weisenberger, explained some of the little-known reasons that may be causing blood pressure to rise. Get to know them.

You are consuming few fruits and vegetables

"When someone has low potassium intake, they are much more likely to have high blood pressure"

You are not controlling the sodium hidden in some foods

"A good rule of thumb is to check the nutritional labels, specifically the daily percentage value of sodium. A daily value of 5% is considered low, while 20% is considered high."

You are having bad nights of sleep

"Not getting enough sleep is like a physical pain for the body and can increase blood pressure."

Excessive alcohol consumption

"Men and women who consume more than two alcoholic drinks per day increase the risk of having high blood pressure by 51% and 42%."

Stress

"In the same way as sleep, when you are stressed it is more difficult to gather motivation to walk, run or prepare a meal from scratch."

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