With the added stress high blood pressure puts on your heart and body, you might assume exercise is the last thing you should be doing. But in reality exercise is exactly what you need to be doing to bring your blood pressure down and live a healthier life, the American Heart Association reports. In fact, exercise typically is included in the treatment plan for people with high blood pressure.
About High Blood Pressure
When your blood pressure is high, your heart must pump more forcefully to deliver oxygenated blood to the rest of your body. Over time, your arteries stretch, possibly leading an increased risk for blood clotting, increased plaque build-up within the arteries and scarring and weakness in your vascular system, the American Heart Association reports. In addition, your heart must work harder, which can cause damage as time goes by. Unfortunately, high blood pressure typically causes no symptoms. While about one-third of American adults suffer from high blood pressure, millions are unaware of it, the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute reports.
Why Exercise Helps
Basically, exercise can lower your blood pressure into a healthy range, lessening your risk for heart attack, stroke and other chronic conditions. When you exercise regularly, your heart becomes stronger, meaning it can more easily pump blood to your body. The Mayo Clinic reports that regular physical activity can bring your systolic blood pressure down by between 5 mm/Hg and 10 mm/Hg -- or millimeters of mercury. That's as effective as many medications prescribed for high blood pressure. However, to reap the benefits exercise has on blood pressure, you need to continue to do it regularly. If you suffer from hypertension and stop exercising, your numbers are likely to rise again.
How Much Exercise Do I Need?
For optimum benefits, you should strive to get at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise each day, the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute reports. If you don't know what qualifies as aerobic exercise, consider this: Any activity that causes an increase in your breathing and heart rates qualifies as aerobic. And you don't need to do your 30 minutes all at once. You can break it down into 10-minute chunks if that better suits your schedule. Remember, though, that if you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure you need to talk to your doctor about starting an exerciser routine and get approval before you start.
Danger Signs
High blood pressure takes its toll on your heart, which means you should know the signs of a heart attack. If you experience any of the following, Mayo Clinic advises, stop what you are doing and seek immediate medical attention: chest pain, chest tightness, an irregular heartbeat, pain in your arm or jaw, severe shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, or lightheadedness or dizziness.
