Does the number of unread emails correlate with blood pressure?

Yes, I must admit, the number of unread emails can correlates to blood pressure under certain conditions. If one is not happy with the work, or is under mental/physical thrust from anything which has direct or limited effect on his/her stability, then s/he must response to any email count and the blood pressure is going to increase definitely. The person who is fully deviated from the www, has the beautiful life in a sense, that s/he has developed a self mechanism which drive her/him with very limited thrust of information received in very short intervals.   

Studies exploring the psychological impact of email on employees have rather shown increase signs of elevated stress, potentially increasing blood pressure during email use. However unread emails may cause a lurking sense of anxiety, leading to discomfort and worry about whether there’s something you missed in your inbox.

I don’t think so because if you don’t read new emails, you will not be able to affect with any issues that can affect increase the blood pressure!

That is an interesting question! I believe that it is a real possibility, especially in individuals suffering from anxiety and/or OCD/OCPD. But whether that is clinically significant or not remains to be seen.

Unread emails can indicate a condition where someone in overwhelmed by receiving excess emails and at the same time, can create anxiety. However, this requires scientific investigation to see whether there is correlation to blood pressure

Although there are no scientific studies that establish a direct and causal relationship between the number of unread emails and blood pressure, it is possible to reflect on how this scenario may be associated with stress and, indirectly, with elevated blood pressure.
Research shows that chronic psychological stress is a well-known risk factor for hypertension. The accumulation of unread emails may be perceived by many individuals as a sign of task overload, unmet demands, or a loss of control. Such circumstances can contribute to increased mental stress.
When exposed to stress, the body activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the autonomic nervous system, triggering the release of hormones such as:
Cortisol, the so-called "stress hormone," which raises blood glucose levels and promotes sodium retention, both of which can contribute to increased blood pressure.
Adrenaline and noradrenaline, hormones responsible for the “fight or flight” response, which increase heart rate and the force of cardiac contraction, temporarily raising blood pressure.
Corticotropin-releasing hormone and adrenocorticotropic hormone, which regulate the release of cortisol by the adrenal glands.
Thus, the issue is not the emails themselves, but rather the emotional and physiological responses that the perception of overload and urgency can provoke. In an increasingly dynamic world, characterized by a constant flow of information and demands for immediate responses, there is a greater risk of prolonged exposure to stress, which may contribute to changes in blood pressure and negatively affect cardiovascular health.
Therefore, although the number of unread emails is not, in itself, a determining factor for changes in blood pressure, it may be a marker of an environment with high psychological demands, the health impact of which should not be overlooked.
It is important to understand the relationship between hyperconnectivity and digital overload in order to develop strategies that promote mental well-being and prevent hypertension.

I am a researcher in plant pathology, age 64, and in the past few years I am used to spend most of my working time at pc, writing or reviewing scientific papers besides handling emails. Last year I had a problem with high blood pressure, and my cardiologist asked me to record my blood pressure in the morning and in the evening daily. I did this for three months, and it resulted that on weekdays it was constantly higher in the evening, while on weekends it was normal and not significantly increasing in the evenings. His diagnosis was that my problem derived from the time spent at the pc, as he knows of a recent study documenting such a correlation. Considering that the number of unread emails also depends on the total number you get and on the efficiency of your antispam device, I do think that unread emails is not a better reference than the total time spent working at pc.

Yes. As a professional, if I see my inbox having lot of emails that needs attention (like sending Reference Letters for students, those emails needing urgent reply etc.) creates some sort of stress back of mind. It keeps on lingering unless the emails are read and responded. 

I would say no, there is no correlation. One specific email can give more pressure than hundreds of almost spam messages.

It´s difficult to assume this. One option it´s make an "ambulatory monitoring blood pressure test" in people that works with mails or internet. I think if you don't open the unread mails, you are relax and your blood pressure too.   

I’ve been wondering whether the number of unread messages — especially emails — might actually have some correlation with blood pressure. It’s not hard to imagine how digital clutter could serve as a kind of low-grade, chronic stressor. From what we know in physiology, persistent cognitive load and social obligation can activate the sympathetic nervous system or the HPA axis — mechanisms directly involved in blood pressure regulation.
Personally, I grew up using email before social media took hold. That may be why I still perceive email as relatively manageable — it’s slower-paced, more formal, and doesn’t demand instant replies. By contrast, platforms like LINE, Instagram, or X have always felt more intrusive to me. They’re designed for immediacy and constant interaction, which creates a subtle but real pressure to respond. I find unread LINE messages from friends or colleagues particularly stressful. Even promotional messages sometimes trigger an uncomfortable sense of being overwhelmed.
In that sense, it’s not just about how many messages are left unread, but what kind they are, who they’re from, and how the platform conditions us to react. I think this could be a simple but powerful proxy for measuring digital stress. And perhaps, in some individuals, that stress could show up — quite literally — in their blood pressure.

Investigating the link between unread emails and blood pressure is definitely feasible. With wearable tech for monitoring blood pressure and digital tools to track email habits, data collection is relatively straightforward. The real value lies in raising awareness about digital stress. If a clear correlation is found, even a moderate one, it could encourage people to manage their digital habits more mindfully, potentially improving both their mental and physical health. Plus, it's a relatable issue – who *hasn't* felt stressed by an overflowing inbox?

The number of unread emails should correlate with blood pressure. While unread emails may suggest that the end-user does not read them to avoid stress and maintain his/her blood pressure, the fact that there are multiple contacts sending emails to the user implies months if not years of mounting stress from building connections and collaborating on projects or reports. There must have been ample time for blood pressure elevation to develop during this time.

It's difficult to answer this question by any kind of study. The relationship is confounded by several factors. Is unreading emails related to their content or not? For example, the patient knows the headings of the unread emails and decided not to open them or they are not aware about them at all. Do patients allow for real time notifications or they check emails at specific time and place. Is unreading emails related to their content? All these factors shape the potential relationships between unread email and blood pressure. In my opinion, unread emails are trivial factors affecting blood pressure in normal individuals. In susceptible individuals, it can play a role in either way. Unread emails can be a way to escape stress or can carry stress by continously thinking of their content.

To me, unopened email could raise the blood pressure for a while to some people although I didn't measure my BP at that time, but I feel stress like anxiety most often as I have multiple manuscript submissions in numerous journals. When I see the decision as a subject in the editorial email I feel stress until open those mails. Moreover, as a chairman of my department I have to touch all mails sent by the university authority. According to numerous research findings, both anxiety or stress can trigger temporary spikes in blood pressure. It is because these situations are interconnected with high blood pressure. Taken together, unopened emails may trigger temporary spikes in blood pressure to some people, especially who have to check their emails continuously and give feedback or take necessary actions according to the email contents. It is because some receivers may need to break their present attention to solve many immediate issues or challenges for which they were not ready at all. 

I'm afraid that DOGE will not allow you to receive a grant to study this.

The unopened emails from the official/organisational email account gives anxiety to the recipient and the case might be different when have unopened emails in one's personal email account.
I believe that the number of unread emails correlate with blood pressure and it worths exploring with cases to quantify it.
The best way, maybe the organisations and the bosses can stop sending the emails beyond working hors. Alternatively, one should turn off the APP notifications to avoid distraction and anxiety because of the emails. 

I am not sure about the unread emails, but sometimes, definitely, reading emails can increase blood pressure. Digital life should not be matched with physical health. Proper work-life balance is mendatory. 

Interesting question! Unopened emails could indeed be a good proxy for stress. Would love to study this, and it shouldn't be too difficult or expensive? 

But, reading the previous answers, it would be essential to distinguish the cause of the number of unread emails: e.g. not receiving many emails in the first place vs. receiving many but not opening all emails because you don't care vs. not having had time to open all emails, but feeling you should. 

So additional variables to consider - maybe as effect modifiers - would be:
- not just the number of unread emails, but also the total number of emails received.
- overall attitude towards (unread) emails: leaving emails unopened because one doesn't care or the emails are considered not important vs. leaving emails unopened because they are still on a to-do list. 

Any additions? Maybe we can develop a little protocol ;-) 

Oh no !there is no direct relation or causal relation between un read email and blood pressure but may have indirectly related as email overload leads to stress related increment in blood pressure