To understand the correlation between caffeine and high blood pressure you must first understand the basics of high blood pressure. High blood pressure occurs when the arteries are constricted - through a variety of factors including poor diet, physical inactivity, genetics, smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption - and blood flow is slowed. Therefore, the heart is required to pump harder to get the blood where it needs to go. This puts an enormous stress on the heart; high blood pressure that is left untreated can result in heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, and a number of other conditions.

Caffeine elevates heart rate also causing the heart to pump harder thus exacerbating high blood pressure. For this reason caffeine and high blood pressure is not a good match.

Because caffeine is not limited to coffee, it can be tricky to eliminate it altogether from your diet. High levels of caffeine can also be found in tea, soft drinks, chocolate, and some medications. And for those of us with a full-blown caffeine addiction, eliminating it can be unfathomable. Luckily, when it comes to caffeine and high blood pressure, most health care professionals agree that it is not necessary to completely eliminate caffeine; simply reducing caffeine intake can be enough to lower blood pressure.

Work with your doctor to learn how to best approach caffeine and high blood pressure. You doctor can help you strategize ways to limit caffeine while still enjoying those things you love. Perhaps one cup of caffeinated coffee in the morning - followed by only decaffeinated beverages for the rest of the day - is enough of a lifestyle change to impact your blood pressure.

Tackling caffeine and high blood pressure is only one of the ways to successfully manage hypertension. Do your research, be proactive, and continue medical treatment; you'll be surprised to find you have more control than you think.