High blood pressure, or hypertension, is described as a systolic blood pressure of 140 or greater and a diastolic blood pressure of 90 or greater. On a blood pressure reading, the systolic rate is represented by the first, or top number, while the second figure represents the diastolic. According to the American Heart Association, over 74.5 million people who are 20 and older are diagnosed as hypertensive. The reasons for hypertension are not always clear, with the cause of hypertension in 90 to 95 percent of individuals being unknown. The good news is hypertension is treatable, and changes to diet and exercise habits can be highly beneficial in reducing high blood pressure. A regular exercise routine often reduces blood pressure and may even allow you to be free of your blood-pressure medications.
Definition
As your heart beats, there are two types of pressure produced. The systolic pressure represents the amount of pressure in your blood vessels as your heart contracts. The diastolic pressure represents the amount of pressure within your blood vessels in between your heart's contractions. When your heart contracts, it forces blood to move and surge against the walls of your blood vessels, and this is why the systolic pressure is higher than the diastolic pressure. According to the American Heart Association, a normal blood pressure reading should have a systolic of 120 or less and a diastolic pressure of 80 or less. Your blood pressure can vary at different times of the day for various reasons, including stress, exercise, medications and even things that you eat or drink, such as caffeine. In order to properly understand what your blood pressure is day to day, you should take your blood pressure regularly for a few days, at different times of the day, and track it to see the typical range. High blood pressure, over time, can damage your organs and also contribute to heart disease and stroke risk. If you find your blood pressure is consistently high, you should follow up with your doctor.
Significance
Exercise can be broken up in to three different types. Exercise sustained at a submaximal level, such as walking, jogging, swimming and using other continuous-motion machines is considered to be cardiovascular exercise. Strength training and flexibility are also forms of exercise that can be beneficial at improving your overall health. If you are attempting to use exercise to control your hypertension, cardiovascular exercise will provide you with the most benefit. The American College of Sports Medicine states a higher level of physical activity and fitness resulting from long-term, chronic exercise training has a protective effect against hypertension. The American College of Sports Medicine also states fitter people with hypertension will have lower blood pressure than those who are less fit, and those with higher baseline blood-pressure levels will experience greater blood-pressure reductions from exercise. A single session of cardiovascular exercise can provide an immediate reduction in blood pressure that can last up to 22 hours.
Considerations
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends if you have hypertension, you should exercise daily for 30 minutes or more at a moderate level. If you are just beginning an exercise program, it is best to first meet with your doctor and let him know about your plans for exercise. He may need to adjust your medications or provide you with some important considerations. You may not be able to tolerate 30 minutes of continuous exercise to start, so take your time and work up to it, starting with whatever time you can handle and slowly increasing it over a period of weeks. If you ever feel dizzy, short of breath, nauseated or experience chest pain during exercise, stop and let someone know.
Benefits
Exercise improves blood pressure immediately and in the long term for a variety of reasons. When you first begin exercising, your body begins to dilate the arteries in your working muscles to allow greater oxygenated blood flow to the area. When you finish exercising, these arteries stay dilated for a good portion of the day, and this is why you may see immediate reductions in your resting blood pressures after exercise. The American College of Sports Medicine states neural and vascular changes from exercise, over time, lead to long-term improvements in blood pressure. The Mayo Clinic says your heart becomes stronger over time from exercise and a stronger heart can pump more blood with less effort. All of this means that if your heart does not have to work as hard to pump, then the force on your arteries decreases and this results in the lowering of your blood pressure.
Warning
People using some medications, such as beta-blockers and calcium-channel blockers, should be cautious when exercising, as some medications can increase the chances of developing heat-related illness. Some of these medications can impair the ability to regulate body temperature. You should also make sure to cool down for a longer period of time if you have high blood pressure. A number of blood-pressure medications may cause blood pressure to lower too much after abruptly ending exercise, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. Work with your doctor to make sure you are aware of the potential affects of your medications when you exercise.
