Blood pressure has become a major problem worldwide. It has gained particular importance in western countries over the past decade. So, if you have hypertension and want to treat it without medication, this article is for you. Medication, albeit an important factor in maintaining or bettering your health, is not the only factor that can help in reducing or mitigating your conditions. It’s equally important to practice and implement healthy lifestyle changes that can bring about better results. This article will discuss lifestyle changes or exercises that may help you in preventing or handling this potentially lethal disease.
Exercise is the first thing that comes to our minds whenever we think of a medicine-free daily routine. But the question that comes to most patients’ minds is ” How does exercise actually lower blood pressure?” The simple answer is that low activity increases blood pressure and high activity helps in reducing it. This occurs when a person is active in his daily routine and performs exercise regularly. He has better energy, stamina, blood flow, lower blood resistance, and maintained cardiac output. All these mechanisms unite to form a body free from many diseases, including hypertension or high blood pressure.
Best Exercises to Lower Blood Pressure
As already discussed, exercise plays a vital role in lowering blood pressure. Here we will discuss a few exercises that will ease your life.
Aerobic Breathing
In a study at the University of Arizona, researchers instructed the participants to breathe through a breathing device for 5-10 minutes daily. At the end of trials, they noticed a 9mmhg decrease in the systolic blood pressure of these participants. This is a tremendous achievement for mild hypertensive patients.
This happens because aerobic breathing causes an increase in cardiac strength, hence perfect heart functioning and improved blood flow. Thus there is a fall in blood pressure to a normal level.
Walking
Walking can help reduce your blood pressure as it causes an increase in muscle strength. This gives extra energy to the body. On the other hand, increased muscle strength demands an increased blood flow to the muscles. So the blood is distributed to the muscles efficiently, and there is also perfect blood circulation. Both these processes combined lower blood pressure.
However, tremendous running can cause an increase in blood pressure as the body cannot cope with the increased physical demands.
Swimming
This may seem unconventional, but swimming helps in reducing blood pressure. In research, swimmer participants steadily increased their swimming time over 12 weeks to 45 minutes at a time. The swimmers’ systolic blood pressure had decreased by an average of nine points by the end of the research.
Swimming actually helps to reduce weight and increase muscle strength. Thus it helps in reducing blood pressure
Proper Sleep
Not a part of the exercise but a lifestyle change that can provide you tremendous results. Anxiety and fatigue actually play a major role in lowering or increasing blood pressure. You must have noticed that anxious people are more prone to hypertension. The same is for fatigue. Proper sleep helps you eliminate both these problems and hypertension indirectly.
Exercises to Avoid by Hypertensives
Heavy exercise can also prove fatal when exercise causes a decrease in blood pressure. Such exercises require more energy and stamina; hence, the body cannot deliver all these at once. Here are some exercises that should be avoided by a person suffering from hypertension.
- Scuba Diving
- Weight lifting
- Skydiving
- Sprinting
So, as with anything where you’re uncertain whether you should be doing it, consult with your healthcare provider.
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