Americans' blood pressure climbed during the pandemic

Americans' blood pressure climbed during the pandemic   American adults -- especially women -- have seen a rise in blood pressure during the coronavirus pandemic, a new study suggests.   The study looked at data from 464,585 employees and their spouses from all 50 states and Washington, DC, and had their blood pressure measured for three years -- in 2018, 2019 and 2020.   The researchers found that the blood pressure readings appeared to be significantly higher during the pandemic in April through December of 2020 compared to 2019, with increases ranging on average from 1.1 to 2.5 millimeters of mercury, or mmHg, for systolic blood pressure and 0.14 to 0.53 mmHg for diastolic blood pressure.   The study found that weight gain was not the apparent reason for climbing blood pressure levels during the pandemic -- even though making poor diet choices during the pandemic could have played a role, among other factors.   "Too much sodium or drinking more alcohol -- that's been well documented during the pandemic, and we know that increases blood pressure," said study  author Dr. Luke Laffin.   "And then we know blood pressure is also affected by things like sleep, taking your medicine -- all that plays a role," he said.   Laffin added that while acute stress can raise blood pressure, the ongoing pandemic has been more so associated with long-term chronic stress.