Diastolic Blood Pressure During Exercise
When you hear someone in a hospital or on a medical drama yell out a blood pressure reading such as "120 over 80," you are hearing the patient's systolic and diastolic readings. In the case of 120/80, the patient has normal blood pressure. If the top number, the systolic reading, is over 130, there may be cause for concern. Over 140 is unhealthy. A diastolic reading between 85 and 89 is a cause for concern, but over 90 is definitely considered high. Consistent weekly exercise can help lower blood pressure over time, but during exercise, blood pressure will increase.
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Blood Pressure Ranges
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Blood pressure readings are taken with an inflatable cuff. The cuff is put around a person's arm and inflated until blood pressure is cut off, or blood can no longer flow into the arm due to the pressure. When a stethoscope is place on the arm, there will be no noise when the cuff is at it's most inflated point, as there is no blood flow. As air is slowly released, blood again begins to flow. The reading at this point is the systolic number. As more air is let out of the cuff, the sound of the blood moving will become quieter until it is no longer able to be heard. This point is considered the diastolic number. A diastolic reading below 80 is ideal. Below 85 is normal and below 89 is still normal but is a potential cause for concern. Any reading above 90 indicates hypertension. Between 90 and 99 is considered Stage 1, 100 or over is Stage 2, and anything over 109 is considered Stage 3. When there is hypertension, the heart is forced to expend more energy pumping blood to the body than necessary in a person with normal blood pressure. Eventually, this can lead to heart failure. Exercise can help alleviate this problem, as both the systolic reading and the diastolic reading should decrease over time with consistent exercise.
How Exercise Lowers Diastolic Blood Pressure
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Muscle burns fat. The more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism will be, and the more calories you will burn throughout the day, even while you're at rest. Less fat will lower blood pressure. This is just one way exercise can lower your diastolic blood pressure.
Another way that exercise reduces blood pressure is it causes you to sweat. Releasing water and salt as you sweat reduces blood pressure. -
Cardiovascular Exercise
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Aerobic exercise, like running, walking, swimming, and using cardio machines, has a positive impact on diastolic blood pressure. Exercise should be done at an intensity level of 50 to 60 percent of an individual's VO2max, or aerobic capacity, for at least 30 minutes. Daily exercise is ideal, but 3 to 5 cardio sessions a week at this intensity along with some physical activity (such as gardening, sports or weightlifting) on other days is good. Figuring out your VO2max is helpful (see the Resources section). However, during this type of exercise your diastolic blood pressure can rise to dangerous levels, though typically it will not be affected too greatly. If it reaches 115 mm Hg, you should stop exercising. Also, if it reaches a level more than 20 mm Hg above your resting blood pressure, you should stop.
Strength Training
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Strength training was once considered dangerous for those with coronary disease. However, for people with a good level of overall fitness, strength training is safe and can help lower blood pressure in the long-term. Any exercise, though, can increase blood pressure during exercise. Blood pressure should be monitored with the same guidelines as mentioned above for cardiovascular exercise. It may be worth it. A study done in 2000 by Kelley and Kelley showed that resistance training, or strength training, lowered diastolic blood pressure by 4 percent. This was achieved after an average of 14 weeks. Strength training should be done at least 3 days a week. Performing between 8 and 12 reps and between 2 and 3 sets is ideal.
Upper Body vs. Lower Body Exercise
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Working your upper body, primarily your arms, during exercise will produce a greater blood pressure response than working the lower body. Be more careful and monitor blood pressure when working chest, shoulders, biceps, and triceps.
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