Hypertension is a common problem in the contemporary society. Hypertension is defined as having an elevated blood pressure of 140/90 and above. Hypertension is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular risk such as congestive heart failure, cerebrovascular accident and atherosclerosis which ultimately predisposes someone to coronary heart disease. Hypertension also damages the kidney leading to loss of renal function which increases the risk of premature death (Carpio-Rivera, Moncada-Jiménez, Salazar-Rojas, & Solera-Herrera, 2016). As a result, it is very important that blood pressure is maintained within the normal levels in order to prevent the risk of premature death from cardiovascular and renal complications. Hypertension is classified into two; primary hypertension and secondary hypertension. Primary hypertension is elevated blood pressure of idiopathic origin. Secondary hypertension on the other hand is elevated blood pressure secondary to another disease. Conditions such as renal failure and tumors of the adrenal gland which results in increased secretion of catecholamines are known to cause high blood pressure. Individual risk factors such as obesity, being of African descent, advanced age among other factors are also known to increase the risk of hypertension. This paper aims to discuss the role of exercises in preventing hypertension. It targets people at risk of hypertension as well as those already diagnosed with hypertension. This topic is important to me because I have seen many patients who have sustained complications resulting from hypertension yet through exercises they could have easily prevented becoming hypertensive at the first place. The topic is relevant to Human Services profession because of the high number of patients who seek health services as a result of hypertension related complications.
The role of exercises in preventing hypertension
Physical exercises refer to any bodily movements that involve contraction of skeletal muscles and which result in increased energy expenditure by the body (Diaz & Shimbo, 2013). One of the mostly recommended methods of preventing hypertension is by being physically active. Exercises have also been shown to be effective in controlling hypertension in hypertensive patients. A study by Kim et al (2010) involving Korean adults found out that those who regularly exercised had lower progression rates from prehypertension to hypertension as compared to those who did not engage in exercises. Similarly, a study involving Chinese adults, it was found out that, those who never exercised had a higher risk of progressing from prehypertension to hypertension as compared to those who regularly engaged in exercises. These findings show the importance of exercises in preventing hypertension. Similar other studies have been conducted with almost similar results. A study by Jae et al (2012) which aimed to investigate changes in cardiorespiratory fitness and the risk of hypertension showed that individuals who maintained high level of fitness had reduced risk of suffering from hypertension while individuals who lost their fitness over time had an increased risk of suffering from hypertension. Lee et al (2012) showed that the risk of hypertension was inversely related to the level of fitness of an individual. These studies prove beyond reasonable doubt that there is an inverse relationship between exercise and the risk of suffering from hypertension. It is important to note that there is a dose-response relationship between exercises and the risk of developing hypertension (Diaz & Shimbo, 2013). Individuals who exercises more frequently have significantly lower chances of suffering from hypertension as opposed to those who exercise occasionally. Therefore, individuals must make exercises part of their normal routine if at all they want to significantly lower their chances of suffering from hypertension. Exercises have also been shown to be effective in lowering both diastolic and systolic pressure in both normotensive as well as hypertensive patients. In a study involving 29 study groups, exercises were shown to reduce both the diastolic and systolic pressure. In normotensive patients, exercise reduced the blood pressure by -4/-1mmHg on average. In hypertensive patients, exercises produced a drop in pressure of about -11/-6mmHg (NA,1991).
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Types of exercises
High intensity interval training
This is a form of exercise where individuals engage in high energy bouts of exercises lasting a few seconds to a few minutes punctuated by resting periods in between. These exercises have been praised because in addition to being effective in lowering the blood pressure, they are time efficient as compared to prolonged exercises that consume a lot of time. Hence, individuals with tight work schedules can opt for these forms of exercises.
Aerobic Exercise
These are exercises of low-high intensity that derive energy primarily from aerobic metabolism. Such exercises include swimming, running, hiking, dancing among others. These forms of exercises have also been proven to be effective in reducing the risk of hypertension.
Resistance training exercises
These are exercises that involve contraction of muscles against resistance with the aim of increasing the tone, strength and endurance of muscles. These exercises have also been proven to be effective in lowering blood pressure as well as reducing the risk of hypertension.
Hypertension is a leading cause of cardiovascular and renal health complications which ultimately lead to premature death. It is therefore important that people take measures that will prevent hypertension. Hypertensive patients also need to make sure to adhere to treatment in order to make sure that their blood pressure falls to normal/near normal levels. Exercises have proven to be effective in preventing as well as lowering the blood pressure in hypertensive patients. There are many types of exercises that an individual can engage in to help lower the blood pressure. These include aerobic exercises, resistance training exercises and high intensity training. All these have been proven to be efficacious in preventing and lowering blood pressure in hypertensives. A dose-response relationship has been shown to exist between exercises and their effect on lowering the blood pressure. Individuals should therefore make exercises part of their routine in order to reap maximum benefits.
References
&NA;, &. (1991). Physical exercise in the management of hypertension: A consensus statement by the world hypertension league. Journal of Hypertension , 9 (3), 283-287. doi:10.1097/00004872-199103000-00013
Carpio-Rivera, E., Moncada-Jiménez, J., Salazar-Rojas, W., & Solera-Herrera, A. (2016). Acute effects of exercise on blood pressure: A meta-analytic investigation. Arquivos Brasileiros de Cardiologia . doi:10.5935/abc.20160064
Diaz, K. M., & Shimbo, D. (2013). Physical activity and the prevention of hypertension. Current Hypertension Reports , 15 (6), 659-668. doi:10.1007/s11906-013-0386-8
Jae, S. Y., Heffernan, K. S., Yoon, E. S., Park, S. H., Carnethon, M. R., Fernhall, B., … Park, W. H. (2012). Temporal changes in cardiorespiratory fitness and the incidence of hypertension in initially normotensive subjects. American Journal of Human Biology , 24 (6), 763-767. doi:10.1002/ajhb.22313
Lee, D., Sui, X., Church, T., Lavie, C., Jackson, A., & Blair, S. (2012). Changes in Fitness and Fatness on the Development of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors. Journal Of The American College Of Cardiology , 59 (7), 665-672. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2011.11.013
