5 morning habits that can spike your blood pressure without you knowing

While this might seem like a harmless habit most people have, checking your phone first thing in the morning can adversely affect your blood pressure levels! Scrolling through messages, emails, or social media can instantly activate your body’s stress response. In return, the flood of cortisol and adrenaline increases the heart rate and narrows blood vessels— thus causing temporary spikes in blood pressure. Over time, this “digital stress” in the morning can lead to consistently high blood pressure levels.
A 2024 study titled ‘Associations of screen time with symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression in adolescents’ found that those who had a screen time of more than 4 hours daily had more symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression. This indicated raised sympathetic nervous activity in response to screen exposure.
So, instead of checking your phone right after waking up, spend the first 10-20 minutes of the morning stretching, drinking 1-2 glasses of water, and meditating to start your day on a calm note.