Exercises to control blood pressure

High blood pressure (BP)

is a common non-infectious disease. Statistics show that 75million Americans are suffering from high blood pressure. Their lifestyle, dietary habit, and stressful working environment are the main predisposing factors to develop high blood pressure.

There are some nonmodifiable risk factors to prevent and control blood pressure, such as-.

Age -increasing age causes an increase in the risk of high blood pressure.
Sex- Male are more prone to develop high blood pressure than females etc.
Family history- History of high blood pressure in your close relatives of your family, such as father, mother, grandfather, etc., is a risk factor for an individual.

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These risk factors are not in our hands. We can’t do too much with these risk factors.

But some other very important modifiable risk factors of high blood pressure can be controlled by us-

A diet with high saturated fat increases the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease, and it is estimated to cause about 31% of coronary heart disease. ( http://goo.gl/pAB0XC )So choosing a careful diet plan is very important.
Physical inactivity also increases the risk of high blood pressure.
Obesity is a significant risk for high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and predisposes you to diabetes and the formation of atherosclerosis.
Some diseases, such as Type2 diabetes, Dyslipidemia (High cholesterol level), etc., can raise our blood pressure.
Some bad habits, such as tobacco intake, high alcohol intake, etc.
Some medicines - OCP and hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
Mental stress etc.

These factors can be easily controlled, and they can play an essential role in preventing and controlling high blood pressure.

Physical inactivity is a major cause of developing high blood pressure in the USA. Increased stressful office work with less physical activities predisposing to the development of high blood pressure and causing weight gain, which is another risk factor of developing high blood pressure.

So, increasing physical activity with appropriate exercise may reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure and controlling it.

Why should we control high blood pressure?

It is the leading cause of several heart diseases, such as acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, arrhythmias, etc.
It is the number one cause of acute stroke and sudden death.
It is one of the most important causes of renal diseases.

All these diseases are fatal, and survival is challenging in an acute attack of any of them.

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But the facts are-

High blood pressure increases the chances of heart attack or stroke.
More than 70 million Americans are suffering from high blood pressure.
About 75% of people over the age of 60 years have high blood pressure.
It is almost symptomless; that’s why maximum people don’t know about it even they are suffering from high blood pressure.
High blood pressure can be controlled, and complications can be prevented easily.
And hopeful news is mortality rates from heart attacks and strokes in the USA have decreased by 50-6o% over the last 30 years by controlling high blood pressure and changing lifestyle.

Exercise is one of the best ways to decrease or control your blood pressure.

What types of activities and exercises should you choose to reduce your blood pressure?

Let’s start with your daily life:

Try to increase your movement: If your workplace is near to your house, try to go there walking. You can park your car a little far from your workplace. So you have to walk for a bit of distance to get into it.
Try to do household activities: Depends upon a maid? Try to clean your house by yourself. You can clean your lawn and car every weekend.
Give time to your kids: Try to play with your kids. Go for a walk to the nearest park with them. Be active all day.
Use stairways: If possible, try to take the stairways as much as possible. Don’t look at the elevator.
Do shopping from a distanced shopping mall and try to go there walking.
Be strict on your appropriate diet habit and try to be an early riser to using 30 minutes extra time for some exercises.

It’s simple. These activities will also help you to get relief from your stress.

Exercises:

There are two headlines in exercise classifications regarding cardiovascular disease and hypertension.

Aerobic exercise
Isometric exercise

Aerobic exercise:

Aerobic or dynamic exercise is also known as cardiac exercise. They are perfect for our cardiovascular system. Aerobic exercises increase the ability of the heart to tolerate a high workload. It involves all muscles of our body and also stimulates the heart muscle to improve its function to meet the increased body demand. It may cause a slight or no rise in blood pressure. It also helps to reduce cholesterol and blood lipids. So, it reduces atherosclerosis and lowers blood pressure, risk of stroke, and acute heart attack.

Aerobic exercise includes-

Jogging
Swimming
Cycling
Aerobics
Brisk walking etc.

Isometric exercise:

Isometric exercises or static exercises are done to build muscles. Exercises are done at a particular time with a specific group of muscles. This causes stimulation of the heart and increases blood supply. But the only group of muscles relaxed and capable of taking extra blood flow, so blood pressure increased.

Examples of isometric exercise-

Weight lifting
Pushups etc.

Isometric exercises should be avoided. But, this can be practised after consulting with a doctor. The sudden pick of blood pressure may be beneficial if it is practised regularly. It will increase the body's capability to reduce blood pressure. (http://goo.gl/kKnnJM)

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How many hours do you have to exercise?

For moderate activities-

Brisk walking: 30 minutes a day for five days a week.
Vigorous activity: Jogging- 20 minutes a day, 3 to 4 days a week.

An inactive person should try to increase the time and the amount of exercise gradually.

After a few weeks, you can adjust your requirement for exercise, and it will be fine.

Steps to follow,

Warm up for 10 minutes, which will help your body to adjust and prevent injury.
Then increase the intensity of your exercise. Don’t try to overdo it. Continue it up to the level you have fixed.
At last, be calm down. Gradually slow down and give your heart to adjust blood pressure with your body. Avoid sudden stopping of exercise.

When to stop?

Don’t overdo any exercise. Be careful about your health condition. Always try to consult with your doctor about choosing a good exercise plan. It would be best if you stopped exercising when the following episodes occur-

Chest pain, chest discomfort, Chest heaviness, or tightness.
Faintness or dizziness with profuse sweating
Pain in the chest with radiation to your left arm or your jaw
Breathlessness
Irregular pulse etc.

If these conditions arise, stop your exercise and urgently visit your nearest hospital and call for help.

Moderate exercises like daily at least 30 to 60 minutes of light exercise like fast walking or jogging can lower your blood pressure by 4 to 9 mm Hg. (http://goo.gl/BFKZYd ). It prevents several cardiac and brain diseases. It helps to reduce your weight and makes you fit.

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Don’t think you are normotensive or pre-hypertensive; you don’t have to be worried. Without exercise, you are at significant risk of developing hypertension. It is also like a medication for a hypertensive patient and helps to prevent many complications of hypertension or high blood pressure.

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Dr. Hasan Ebna Amin

Exercises to control blood pressure