Basically, it can be said that sport in the form of endurance training leads to a reduction in high blood pressure in the long run. To better describe the effects of sport on the heart and thus also on blood pressure, here is an example. Through endurance training, which lasts about 30 minutes and is performed three times a week, high blood pressure can be reduced by 10-20 mmHg.
In addition, the pulse rate drops by 20% and the heart‘s sputum increases. In addition, the resting blood pressure decreases by about 10 mmHg. In order for the training to have an effect, however, at least 20-30 minutes of training is required.
The training can be divided into 10 minute phases. It is important to ensure that the intensity is slowly increased at the beginning. It is also important to keep an eye on the pulse rate.
This must not be too high, otherwise the heart rate will be too high. It is best to write a suitable training plan with the help of your doctor. The doctor can determine the exact level of performance through ergometric examinations. These ergometric examinations can be carried out using a treadmill or bicycle ergometer. In addition, the physician can assess previous damage, cardiac arrhythmia or coronary heart disease (CHD) of the heart with the help of stress and resting ECGs.
Dangers in sport
The question of whether sport is useful or dangerous in the case of high blood pressure is determined first of all by the severity of the hypertension. Basically, sport is recommended for mild or moderate hypertension, but not for high blood pressure if it is still too high under medication. Mild and moderate hypertension would be defined as blood pressure values of <160 mmHg systolic and <100 mmHg diastolic.
High blood pressure would be defined as values above 160 mmHg systolic and above 100 mmHg diastolic. If the blood pressure is too high, however, it can be adjusted with medication so that sports can now be practiced. In this way, patients with very high blood pressure can also take part in sports.
However, physical activity can be increased somewhat in all degrees of severity, for example by walking or hiking. Patients with mild or moderate high blood pressure should preferably prefer endurance training. These include jogging, walking, cycling, rowing, cross-country skiing, swimming or hiking.
Unfavourable, on the other hand, are sports that require a lot of effort, such as lifting weights, expander training, martial arts, wrestling, boxing, diving, climbing or bodybuilding. Also unsuitable is sport where the body is subjected to abrupt stress. This includes sports such as tennis or weight training.
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