Blood pressure is the force at which the blood pushes against the walls of blood vessels. High blood pressure is also known as hypertension. It is potentially dangerous as it requires the heart to work harder for pumping blood into the vessels. This in turn leads to several complications with the functioning of the heart and other organs. The causes of high blood pressure are obesity, leading a sedentary life style with very less physical activity, genetics as persons with family history of high blood pressure at a higher risk, old age and chronic kidney disease. Other causes include improper diet especially the one which is high in salt and low in fiber. Adrenal disorders and that of thyroid are also a cause of high blood pressure. Smoking and alcohol also increase the risk of high blood pressure. Stress also plays a role in the development of high blood pressure.