How Do Sports Affect Hypertension?

Hypertension and Exercise, Hypertension and Sports

Playing a sport on a regular basis can be a good thing for your high blood pressure if it is done at least once a week. Competition in a medium sport activity will probably raise the blood pressure because of the stress involved. While actively participating in a sport that is not too strenuous will raise the blood pressure some but only during the activity, an extreme sport effort on the other hand could raise the pressure considerably.

Studies done by medical researchers have revealed that sports participation may result in a reduction of blood pressure anywhere from 5 to 25 mm Hg. on the higher number of the reading and anywhere between 3 and 15 mm Hg. for the lower pressure reading.

The studies also show that results can happen in about a period of 3 weeks while regularly training for the sport. The pressure will begin to be lower. As a norm though, it will take around 6 months to see how really effective sports participation has been in reducing the hypertension.

There are of course, other positive results from actively practicing in a sport on a regular basis. This can mean a loss of excess fat that has been stored in the body and the reducing of levels of cholesterol. Besides these benefits, the blood becomes more fluid and flows easier through the blood vessels exerting less pressure and causing less stress.

Another benefit of participating in a sport on a regular basis is that this effort will actually guard against a degenerative disease of the arteries. This disease is called arteriosclerosis and it will deposit cholesterol structures in the arteries. The amount of energy expended in the activity will dictate the amount of the benefit in fighting against this disease.

There is something to take into consideration as a caution here. When a person with hypertension plays a sport that they do not do on a regular practice basis, especially if they are not actually an athlete, it is a good idea to consult a health care professional before getting involved. It may be necessary to take a test to evaluate the activity of the heart and the blood pressure before considering participating in a sports activity.

When the individual does have danger signs of heart disease in combination with hypertension, a test is definitely a necessity. The risk factors to look for are smoking, carrying too much excess weight, excessive amounts of cholesterol in the blood, diabetes or in women a post-menopausal condition.

Before beginning any sports activity it would be best to check the blood pressure and it should be lower than 140/90 mm Hg. If there is any question, the health care professional will probably prescribe the use of a blood pressure devise that is mobile to get an accurate reading for a 24 hour period.