Exercise hypertension is a temporary increase in blood pressure during physical activity that can lead to permanent high blood pressure. It is caused by blood vessels not expanding enough during exercise. Systolic measurements should not exceed 120 mm of mercury, but people with exercise hypertension experience levels of 250mm or more. Exercise is recommended for hypertension, but people with exercise hypertension should switch to less rigorous forms of exercise or stop immediately. Exercise hypertension is a risk factor for developing chronic hypertension, which can lead to heart disease.
Exercise hypertension is characterized by a person experiencing a significant increase in blood pressure while engaging in physical exercise. Medical research, including sports medicine research, indicates that this particular type of hypertension can lead to a permanent increase in blood pressure that is evident even when a person is not engaging in strenuous activity. The root cause of exercise hypertension is not fully understood, but researchers believe it can be attributed to cells located in a person’s blood vessels not expanding enough to allow an increase in blood circulation during exercise.
When evaluating blood pressure, the measurements are divided into two categories: systolic and diastolic. Systolic measurements indicate the amount of pressure in the arteries during heartbeats, and diastolic measurements indicate the amount of pressure present in the arteries in the intervals between heartbeats. Both measurements are made by evaluating how many millimeters of mercury are present at this time. A normal systolic measurement should not exceed 120 millimeters (mm) of mercury, while a normal diastolic measurement should not exceed 80 mm of mercury.
As a person engages in strenuous activity, such as physical exercise, blood circulation naturally increases and systolic measurements can increase up to approximately 200 mm of mercury. Under such circumstances, this increase is generally not considered abnormal. However, people with exercise hypertension experience levels of 250mm or more during strenuous training. Although such increases are only temporary, this elevation is dangerously high.
Exercise is highly recommended by medical professionals as a remedy for hypertension. Typically, when combined with dietary changes, lifestyle changes, and other therapies, exercise is known to help stabilize blood pressure and reduce high readings to more normal, healthy levels. However, people who suffer from exercise hypertension find the opposite to be true. When blood pressure levels are known to rise too much during exercise, medical experts recommend switching to less rigorous forms of exercise or stopping it immediately in an effort to return levels to a normal range.
People with exercise hypertension may appear healthy and fit, but this unnatural rise can be a precursor to elevated blood pressure levels, even at rest. In fact, exercise hypertension is counted as a risk factor for developing chronic hypertension, which can lead to heart disease. Experts recommend that people with this condition pay close attention to resting blood pressure levels to determine if or when exercise hypertension becomes chronic hypertension.
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