How to Lower Your Blood Pressure – THE ONLY Relaxing Habit to Follow
If your blood pressure is high, your risk of a number of serious problems such as heart attacks and strokes is increased. There is a range of treatments for high blood pressure, from lifestyle changes to medicine, and it’s important that you see your GP to find out how to move forward as soon as you find out you have high blood pressure. arterial. You can lower high blood pressure in as little as three days to three weeks. Express.co.uk discussed with Dr Deborah Lee about Dr Fox Online Pharmacy to discover A relaxing habit involving hot water that helps lower your blood pressure.
How to Lower Your Blood Pressure – THE ONLY Relaxing Habit to Follow
When you step into a hot tub, hot tub, or sauna, you may not realize that you are doing your heart a favor by lowering your blood pressure.
Most hot tubs operate in temperatures of 95-104 F (35-40C) – which is hot!
After immersing yourself at this temperature, your own body temperature, including your core temperature, will rise by approximately one degree.
Dr Lee explained, “When your body warms up, it causes vasodilation, lowering your blood pressure and speeding up your heart rate.
“Your body mistakenly thinks that you exercise – and as you know – exercise is good for you.”
But does this reduction in blood pressure last, and is taking a hot bath or going into the hot tub or sauna really a good solution to high blood pressure?
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It appears that even those treated for hypertension can sit safely in the hot tub, according to a 2003 Canadian study.
The researchers measured the blood pressure of two groups of adults, before and after being immersed in a hot tub for 10 minutes.
One group consisted of adults aged 46 to 76 on treatment for hypertension, and the second group consisted of controls who did not have hypertension.
Blood pressure was lowered to a similar degree in both groups, so the authors concluded that it should be safe for people with treated hypertension to sit in a hot tub.
However, immersion in hot water in a hot tub, hot tub, or sauna is not suitable for all adults.
Anyone with uncontrolled chest pain (unstable angina), poorly controlled high blood pressure, or anyone diagnosed with severe heart disease should avoid immersion in hot water.
Dr Lee said: “Always take advice from your GP or cardiologist if you have heart problems before you start to undergo regular hot water immersion.
“Let yourself cool down slowly after a hot tub / bath and drink two or three glasses of water to avoid becoming dehydrated. “
Does it last?
Your blood pressure will not be reduced forever after a sauna or hot tub session or a bath.
Studies report that a half hour sauna bath experience reduced systolic blood pressure (the upper reading) from 14 to 16 mm Hg, diastolic blood pressure (the lower reading) was reduced between 9 and 10 mm Hg.
The systolic blood pressure was still lower than the pre-sauna reading, half an hour after the end of the sauna session.
This is why it is important to keep this habit regularly to see any benefit.
In a 2015 prospective study, a group of 2315 middle-aged Finnish men were followed for more than 20 years.
Those who have taken regular hot saunas have been found to have a significant reduction in sudden cardiac death. The more frequent the saunas, the greater the benefits.
Those who had a hot sauna two to three times a week or more had lower rates of fatal heart events, fatal coronary events, and overall mortality, than those who only took a sauna once. per week.
The greatest benefits were seen in those who stayed in the sauna for 19-minute sessions.
To get the best cardiovascular benefits, other studies have shown that you need to pair regular hot baths, saunas with regular exercise.
Interestingly, taking regular saunas or soaking in hot water has been shown to have health benefits similar to regular walks.
These two activities lead to:
- Lowered blood pressure
- Improvements in the responsiveness of the endothelium (inside the walls of blood vessels)
- Reduced oxidative stress
- Decreased levels of chronic inflammation
- Improved responsiveness of SNS and PSNS
- Improvement of arterial stiffness, arterial compliance and intima medial thickness (thickness of the arterial walls)
- Improved cardiorespiratory function
- Improved heart function
The British Heart Foundation has recognized the potential benefits of taking regular hot baths, however, it points out that these are usually small studies and more research is needed to be able to confirm the benefits, Dr Lee said.
She warned: “They also point out that in order to reduce your risk of heart disease other factors are more important, such as quitting smoking, improving your diet, losing weight, reducing your alcohol intake and making sure you are exercising. exercise regularly. “
