Exercise Induced Hypertension

[Bellacheshire]

I’ve been diagnosed with exercise-induced hypertension, where my blood pressure rises excessively during physical activity. I’m trying to manage it with diet, exercise modifications, and monitoring, but I’d love any recommendations, tips, or experiences from others.

[happyrosie1]

I’ve never heard of such a thing as this! Your body would naturally increase the pressure in your arteries in response to exercise. Blood pressure is measured when you are at rest. This is the way to establish a correct baseline.

A good source of information is the website of Blood Pressure UK, the specialist charity.

As a matter of interest, what is your blood pressure at rest?

[Bellacheshire in reply to happyrosie1]

The Cardiologist advised following a stress test that my BP rises to significant levels causing my symptoms of dizziness and fatigue etc following exercise. Hypertension is induced by the exercise, so its balance between exercising for health and not going to crazy to induce hypertension BP at rest is within normal limits. Thanks for the tip of BPUK

[Blearyeyed]

It is a matter of listening to your body and changing the type of exercise you do , doing it slower with more breaks , choosing seated exercises until your exercise intolerance improves and drinking before , during and after the activity.Sometimes exercise induced hypertension or hypotension can be caused by automatic dysfunction ( Dysautonomia) or orthostatic change.

So keeping your head and shoulders raised and moving from one position to another helps reduce the rapid rise of your blood pressure.

Having a snack with a drink of water about 30 minutes before exercise can help because as well as helping you to get a slower increase sugar/ energy release , digestion naturally reduces your heart rate and blood pressure because it's done by the " rest and digest" side of your nervous system.

Sometimes wearing medical grade compression sleeves and leggings can help reduce how your body reacts to movement and standing.

Doing some relaxation and deep breathing before exercise can also help, as can learning to breath more deeply and regularly as you do your activity.

I've just started to have day time orthostatic/ activity induced hypertension and night time/ orthostatic hypotension as my Chronic Dysautonomia ( P.O.T.S / S.N.R.T) is progressing.

It's frustrating, especially if you really feel like being active, but you need to get used to exercising in much shorter amounts and much slower.

Walking on flat routes instead of running or hiking. Giving yourself breathing breaks and sips of water every five minutes, or choosing to do a few walks of 10-15 minutes at time instead of one long one.

Cycling at a slow rate or using a recumbent exercise bike so your body doesn't have to raise the blood pressure because your legs are down even before you start pedalling.

Gentle stretching exercises , no toe touching .

Things like Tai Chi , seated pilates can allow you to exercise longer before the Hypertension spikes.

Aqua exercises are also useful but do these under supervision at first.

Use a seat if you are gardening etc.

Depending on your other health issues , and if you don't usually get low blood pressure or low heart rate at night some doctors suggest doing exercise within hours of taking your blood pressure medication or suggest an extra dose of BP meds in the day if it causes hypertension in the afternoon with whatever you do. It's a lot of trial and error.

[Bellacheshire in reply to Blearyeyed]

That is fantastic advice and tips and thank you! I do the opposite to some of it currently, (hence the spikes) so going to change and follow your guidance. It makes such sense

Thank you

[Identiy in reply to Bellacheshire]

I have exercised for most of my life, and when I was 69, I did an effort ECG with a cardiologist. My blood pressure went to 240/100 at peak exercise, and it settled back to normal with rest. Now 75 and still exercising, but not as intensely. The blood pressure response to maximal exercise was considered normal and I understand that elite marathon runners maintain a similar high blood pressure for the duration of the marathon. My blood pressure was taken recently while in hospital for a separate issue and was averaging 120/80.

Perhaps get a second opinion

[MoretonCross in reply to Identiy]

I read recently that elite marathon runners don't tend to live too long in general. Just sayin', as the youngsters say...

[Identiy in reply to MoretonCross]

I haven't read that but studies in the Nordic countries where long distance cross country skiing is a national sport have being recording longevity in the skiers for many years and found that elite, life long cross country skiers live, on average longer than he non exercising population.

[MoretonCross in reply to Identiy]

I can quite believe that they live on average longer than the non exercising population. In fact that's what I'd expect really.

[Identiy]

Adding to the above, it is known that elite endurance exercisers tend to get atrial fibrillation due to the stain on the heart, so the current advice is to exercise but avoid extreme and endurance exercise

[Bellacheshire in reply to Identiy]

As I am not elite - just a normal 5km runner couple ofttimes a week in fair weather - the concern is AF and strain on heart as BP takes a while to drop and then dizziness, fatigue and other symptoms kick in a few days later. I aim to keep exercising but not quite as vigorous so slowing pace and keeping heart rate within set limits to support BP.

Thank you for your guidance and at 75 the exercise is doing you good as they say :). I hope I am still running at 75

[Identiy]

I asked AI the question regarding longevity and endurance exercise

Do elite marathon runners have a shortened life expectancy because of intensive , prolonged exercise

ChatGPT said:

ChatGPT

Elite marathon runners generally do not have a shortened life expectancy due to intensive, prolonged exercise. In fact, most studies suggest that regular endurance training and high levels of physical fitness are associated with longer life expectancy and reduced risk of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and certain cancers.

Key Considerations:

Cardiovascular Health

Marathon running strengthens the heart and improves overall cardiovascular health. However, some studies have found that extreme endurance exercise might lead to rare cases of cardiac scarring or arrhythmias. These issues are generally observed in individuals with genetic predispositions or those who train excessively without adequate recovery.

Joint and Musculoskeletal Health

Contrary to popular belief, running does not inherently increase the risk of osteoarthritis in healthy individuals. Elite runners often have a lower risk of joint issues due to their optimized training techniques and superior biomechanics.

Immune Function and Hormonal Balance

Prolonged, intense training can occasionally lead to periods of immune suppression or hormonal imbalances, but elite athletes typically have well-designed training programs that minimize such risks.

Longevity Studies

Research on elite athletes, including marathon runners, has shown they often live longer than the general population. This is likely due to their high levels of physical fitness and healthier lifestyles overall.

Risks with Excessive Training:

"Too much of a good thing" can be problematic:

Chronic overtraining without sufficient recovery can cause conditions such as overtraining syndrome and increase susceptibility to injuries or illnesses.

Extremely prolonged and frequent ultra-endurance events might slightly elevate risks for heart conditions like atrial fibrillation in certain individuals.

Conclusion:

For most elite marathon runners, the benefits of their training and lifestyle outweigh the risks. Long-term health outcomes tend to be positive, especially when training is balanced and paired with proper nutrition and recovery.