6 Older age
As people get old, the blood vessel walls get stiff. In fact, some studies have shown that men over age 45 and women over age 65 are more prone to develop hypertension.
Likewise, women have an increased risk of developing a cardiovascular disease after menopause, including hypertension.
7 Alcoholism
Although the mechanism why alcohol causes hypertension is not completely clear, there are many hypotheses about it. Among the most common theories that have been proposed are (apologies for getting technical) the impairment of the baroreceptors, inappropriate stimulation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, imbalance of the central nervous system, increased cortisol levels, enhanced sympathetic activity and increased vascular reactivity due to increase in intracellular calcium levels.
