Exercise to Lower and Control Hypertension
Hypertension, perhaps more commonly known as high blood pressure, is an ever present medical state, where the arterial blood pressure is raised. As one grows older, the risk of acquiring hypertension increases but although medication is available in the vast majority of cases, there is also a drug-free way through which you can help keep hypertension in check. A dirty word to some but it should be no surprise to hear that it is Exercise and it can be of major benefit in reducing and avoiding hypertension. So where is the connection between exercise and hypertension?
What Actually Happens When You Exercise?
Broadly speaking, exercise will help to make your heart strong and a strong heart will not struggle to pump blood around your body. Less effort used for pumping the blood means the loads – the pressure in other words – on the arteries is reduced, resulting in lower blood pressure. In many instances, planned exercise can work better than medication in reducing blood pressure and equally exciting, regular ongoing exercise can help keep future raised blood pressure at bay. Even if exercise cannot produce the full required reduction in pressure, it will frequently allow a reduction in the dose of medication, which of course is always to be preferred.
Exercise – Your Weight – Your Blood Pressure
Weight is of course very important in the control of blood pressure and unlikely to be kept at an acceptable level without the help of some exercise but it is important that you understand these benefits will only last as long you continue exercising on a regualr basis.
What Sort Of Exercises Should You Do?
Aerobic exercises, commonly called “Aerobics”, are said to be the most helpful exercises when it comes to exercising your heart and usually with least risk compared to other exercise regimes. Nevertheless, other options are available such as weight lifting, which appeals to many. Although there is an initial increase in blood pressure during a weight lifting session, it is an excellent longer term way of reducing and controlling blood pressure. Amongst other good cardiac control exercises, you could also engage in.cycling, climbing stairs, walking, swimming and jogging. These are good examples of undemanding yet highly helpful exercises, where you have control over the pace. You can even listen to your iPod or watch television whilst engaging in some of them!
Safety
One crucial thing you must do prior to commencing an exercise program is getting the go-ahead from your physician. If you are on medication of any sort, it would also be wise to check with your doctor if exercise may affect its efficacy or perhaps produce undesirable side-effects.
It is imperative that you precede your exercise session by performing some stretch exercises to avoid pulling any muscles or straining yourself and preferably also carry out a short warm up period of a few minutes. If you feel faint, experience shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, chest pains or dizziness during your exercises, then stop immediately. If this were to happen, it would be sensible to return to your physician to discuss what took place
Don’t Get Dehydrated!
It is essential that you remember to drink plenty of water. You will be perspiring a lot and the fluid must be replaced.
Monitoring Your Blood Pressure
It is sensible to check your BP before commencing your exercise session and note down the reading. We recommend that you take a further reading at the end of your session when you will normally find your pressure is lower than at the start. We have dealt with acceptable blood pressure levels in other articles.
What Type Of Blood Pressure Monitor?
There is a huge choice of home blood pressure monitors available and for reasonable cost, additional features being the main cause for varying prices rather than superior or inferior accuracy. An automatic digital blood pressure monitor is an ideal choice but at least one retailer we know will give you a free basic monitor if you buy one of their other products!
White Coat Syndrome
A point-of-interest as an aside for a moment, you may find that when you take your BP at home, you achieve a lower reading than the doctor’s. This is not an indication that you messed up! It is more likely due to “white coat hypertension”, which it is thought is caused by the nervousness some people feel during a medical checkup.
The Bottom Line
If you suffer from hypertension, exercise will provide the easiest and cheapest way of lowering and controlling it.
A semi-retired professional of age 62, now with the freedom to work at occupations I really like, I write about what interests me and apply the same critera to the sites I operate.http://www.bloodpressureconcern.com is one such site, which I have been developing for personal reasons as much as others. Three years ago, I underwent a full cardiac investigation and two years ago, my wife sustained a heart attack. Increasingly, much of the content on the site has come from the heart – excuse the irresistable pun.http://www.bloodpressureconcern.com genuinely aspires to be of benefit to those who have blood pressure concerns and cardiac concerns generally.
