Is it possible to take a bath with high blood pressure and how to do it correctly?

How does a hot bath affect the cardiovascular system?

People often ask why you can’t take a bath with hot water at high blood pressure? If, during hypertension, you completely (up to the neck and back of the head) immerse yourself in water heated above 37 ° C, the vessels of the internal organs and the brain expand sharply. This threatens collapse (a life-threatening drop in pressure), and sometimes rupture of blood vessels and hemorrhagic stroke.

In the early stages of hypertension, a contrast shower is useful. When water with different temperatures alternates, the vascular walls are strengthened due to alternate tension and relaxation, and blood circulation improves. When taking a shower, the difference between warm and cold water is gradually increased to train blood vessels and general hardening.

Important

The water in the bath cools at different rates - this must be taken into account. It all depends on the type of bathtub, the material of manufacture and the thickness of the walls. For example, steel bathtubs retain heat much worse than stone ones, and the cooling rate of acrylic ones is average.

This type of hydrotherapy is contraindicated for varicose veins and a tendency to form blood clots. When the blood vessels open, a blood clot can break off and clog the main arteries of the lungs, brain and heart.

For hypertension and even hypertensive crisis, local hot baths are allowed for individual zones. Local vasodilation ensures the redistribution of blood between parts of the body and relieves muscle and vascular tension.

Hot bath: benefits and harms, pros and cons, pros and cons.

First aid for hypertensive crisis

Hypertensive crisis (HC) is a condition manifested by high blood pressure (systolic “upper” blood pressure, usually more than 180 mm Hg; diastolic “lower” blood pressure - more than 120 mm Hg) and the following symptoms:

• headache, often in the occipital region, or heaviness and noise in the head;
• flashing “flies”, a veil or a net before the eyes;
• nausea, feeling of exhaustion, overwork, internal tension;
• shortness of breath, weakness, constant monotonous aching pain/discomfort in the heart area;
• the appearance or increase in pastosity/swelling of the skin of the face, arms, legs.

First aid measures

If symptoms of a hypertensive crisis appear, you must:

• Remove bright light, ensure peace, access to fresh air (unbutton your shirt collar, ventilate the room, etc.).
• Measure blood pressure (see the method for measuring blood pressure at the end of this section), and if its “upper” level is higher than or equal to 160 mm Hg. Art., you must take an antihypertensive drug previously recommended by your doctor. In the absence of a doctor-recommended antihypertensive drug or when a blood pressure level is recorded above 200 mm Hg. Art. urgently need to call an ambulance.
• Before emergency medical services arrive, you should, if possible, sit in a chair with armrests and take a hot foot bath (put your feet in a container of hot water).

Attention!

A patient with a hypertensive crisis is prohibited from any sudden movements (suddenly standing up, sitting down, lying down, bending over, pushing) and any physical activity.

• 40-60 minutes after taking the medicine recommended by the doctor, it is necessary to re-measure blood pressure, and if its level has not decreased by 20-30 mm Hg. Art. from the initial state and/or the condition has not improved - urgently call an ambulance.
• If you feel better and your blood pressure decreases, you need to rest (go to bed with the head of the bed raised) and then contact your local (family) doctor.

When talking with your doctor, you need to clarify what medications you need to take if you develop a hypertensive crisis, clearly write down their names, dosage and time sequence (algorithm) for taking them, and also check with your doctor for what manifestations of the disease you need to urgently call an ambulance.

All patients with hypertension need to create an individual mini-first aid kit for a hypertensive crisis and carry it with them at all times, since a hypertensive crisis can develop at any time and anywhere.

Blood pressure measurement

To diagnose a hypertensive crisis, it is necessary to measure blood pressure, which is performed manually using a stethoscope (stethophonendoscope) and a special inflatable cuff equipped with a bulb pump and a sphygmomanometer, as well as an automatic (semi-automatic) method using various models of tonometers specially designed for these purposes .

The accuracy of blood pressure measurement and, accordingly, the guarantee of correct diagnosis and severity of a hypertensive crisis depend on compliance with the rules for its measurement.

The measurement should be taken while sitting, leaning on the back of a chair, with relaxed and uncrossed legs, the hand resting on the table at heart level, in a calm environment, after a 5-minute rest. During the measurement, you should not actively move or talk. In special cases, blood pressure can be measured while lying down or standing.

The cuff is placed on the shoulder, its lower edge 2 cm above the elbow. The size of the cuff must correspond to the size of the arm: the rubber inflated part of the cuff must cover at least 80% of the shoulder circumference; for adults, a cuff 12–13 cm wide and 30–35 cm long (average size) is used; It is necessary to have large and small cuffs available for fat and thin arms, respectively.

Before starting the measurement, the mercury column or sphygmomanometer needle should be at the zero mark and in front of the researcher’s eyes.

Blood pressure measurement technique:

• Place the head of the phonendoscope in the cubital fossa above the brachial artery passing through it.
• Quickly inflate the cuff to a pressure of 20–30 mmHg. Art. higher than the normal level of “upper” systolic blood pressure for a given person. If the measurement is made for the first time, the pressure level in the cuff is usually raised to 160 mmHg. Art. If at this pressure level the pulsation of the vessel in the cubital fossa remains, then the pressure in the cuff continues to be increased to a level of 20 mm Hg. Art. above the pressure level at which the pulsation of the artery in the cubital fossa disappears.
• Open the air release valve from the cuff, located next to the pump bulb, and reduce the pressure in the cuff at a speed of approximately 2–3 mm Hg. Art. per second.
• As air is released from the cuff, two parameters are simultaneously monitored: the pressure level on the manometer scale, and the appearance of artery pulsation sounds (called Korotkoff sounds) in the cubital fossa. The pressure level at the moment of the appearance of pulsation sounds corresponds to the level of “upper” systolic blood pressure, and the pressure level at the moment of complete disappearance of arterial pulsation sounds corresponds to the “lower” diastolic blood pressure. In children, adolescents and young people immediately after physical activity, in pregnant women and in some pathological conditions in adults, arterial pulsation sounds do not disappear, then the “lower” diastolic blood pressure should be determined by the moment of significant weakening of the sounds.
• If the pulsation sounds of the artery in the cubital fossa are very weak, then you should raise your hand and perform several squeezing movements with the hand, then repeat the measurement, but you should not strongly compress the artery with the phonendoscope membrane.
• When measuring blood pressure yourself, the head of the phonendoscope is fixed above the cubital fossa using a cuff.

For a reliable assessment of blood pressure, it is necessary to take at least two blood pressure measurements on each arm with an interval of at least a minute; in the pauses between measurements, it is necessary to completely loosen the cuff. If a pressure difference of more than 5 mm Hg is detected. Art. One additional measurement is made; the average of the last two measurements is taken as the final (recorded) value.

Source: Boytsov S. A., Ipatov P. V., Kalinina A. M., Vylegzhanin S. V., Gambaryan M. G., Eganyan R. A., Zubkova I. I., Ponomareva E. G., Solovyova S. B., “Organization of clinical examination and preventive medical examinations of the adult population.” Guidelines. 2nd edition with additions and clarifications, M., 2013.

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Therapeutic baths for high blood pressure

There is a myth that hypertension and a bath are incompatible and even dangerous things. Actually this is not true. There are not only safe, but also therapeutic water procedures for people with high blood pressure.

For therapeutic purposes, hypertensive patients can take a bath with cool or moderately warm water. This procedure tones the muscles, and elastic muscles promote active venous outflow of blood, preventing the development of edema and stimulating arterial blood flow. But cool water can provoke a spasm of the arterial walls in an untrained person and thereby increase blood pressure.

Ideally, a bath for hypertension is prepared from medium-warm water (from 35 to 37 ° C) to reduce the risk of spasms or rupture of blood vessels to a minimum. A good therapeutic effect for high blood pressure is produced by a trunk bath. During it, a folded towel is placed under the head, and the neck, upper chest and heart area are not covered with water.

Baths for hypertensive patients

There are many supplements that help overcome hypertension - infusions and decoctions of medicinal plants, sea salt, aromatic oils. They relax, calm the nervous system, relieve vascular spasms and, accordingly, lower blood pressure. Here are some bath recipes for hypertension.

Coniferous

Stabilizes blood pressure thanks to the relaxing effect of essential oils. Indicated only for stage 1 hypertension.

125 g of pine needles are poured into 3 liters of water, brought to a boil and boiled over low heat for 15 minutes. Let stand for 6-7 hours, filter, pour into a warm bath. The procedure is taken before bed for 15 minutes, then rinsed in the shower. The frequency of administration is once every 3-4 days, the duration of the course is 12 sessions. This bath effectively reduces blood pressure even as a one-time procedure during an exacerbation.

Needles are replaced with powder or liquid extract, as well as tablets. For a full bath you need 2 tbsp. spoons of powder, 2 crushed pine tablets or half a glass of liquid preparation.

Coniferous-herbal

A special herbal mixture in combination with pine needles eliminates spasms in the coronary arteries, which contribute to an increase in pressure.

Place 50 g of pine needles, 12 g of crushed berries and hawthorn leaves, 15 g of hop cones and cudweed grass in an enamel pan, and pour 5-7 liters of boiling water. Heat the mixture in a water bath for 15 minutes, leave for 40 minutes, filter and pour into a bath of warm water. The procedure is carried out no longer than 15 minutes, twice a week, for a total of 8 sessions.

Currant

Regulates metabolism and normalizes blood pressure. Recipe:

7 tbsp. Place a tablespoon of dry crushed leaves and the same amount of dried currant berries in a saucepan, add 2 liters of cold water, and let it boil. Reduce heat and simmer for another 20 minutes. The cooled broth is filtered and added to the bath (temperature no more than 37 ° C). The procedure is repeated every other day for a month.

With lavender or peppermint oil

A soothing therapeutic bath relaxes muscles and relieves physical and emotional stress.

Place sea salt in warm water and stir until completely dissolved, add 8-10 drops of essential oil. The bath is continued for 20 minutes; after exiting, the skin is blotted with a towel.

With valerian decoction

Normalizes heart rate and blood pressure.

0.5 kg of valerian herb is boiled for 15 minutes, left for 30 minutes. After straining the broth, pour it into a warm bath. The course of treatment is 12 procedures over 6 weeks.

High blood pressure in the summer heat. How to escape?

Too much heat quickly turns into autumn slush, puddles and rain, and then frost is not far away. And every year this picture goes in circles, causing more and more difficulties for people. People who have a history of persistently impaired blood pressure especially suffer from such changes in temperature. And while the vast majority of people know how to provide first aid to hypertensive patients, with hypotensive patients it is not so simple.

In some cases, they themselves do not understand what needs to be done to increase blood pressure, which has decreased due to the heat. For example, can I drink a cup of strong coffee, or is it better to take a medication prescribed by a doctor?

The ideal blood pressure for any person is 120/80; 110/60 is considered acceptable. If the bar drops a few millimeters of mercury lower, then consultation with a doctor is necessary.

Due to low pressure, the full functioning of internal organs is disrupted, neurocircular dystonia, endocrine disorders, and adrenal cortex deficiency may occur. Therefore, it is necessary to find out why blood pressure drops in the heat? What to do in such a situation, and which medications increase blood pressure, tells the edstar portal.

Why does blood pressure drop in hot weather?

High air temperatures are poorly tolerated by many people. It is the hardest for hypertensive and hypotensive patients. For the first, these are upward pressure surges, accompanied by a whole range of negative symptoms. In general, the best climate for hypertensive patients does not involve heat.

And in hypotensive people, blood pressure drops sharply, which leads to weakness, tinnitus, clouding of consciousness, severe headache, pain in the heart, nausea and other negative symptoms.

As medical practice shows, blood pressure often drops due to temperature changes, in particular in hot weather and extreme cold.

If a healthy person feels slight discomfort in the heat, and maybe there is no deterioration in health at all, then with hypertension the person will suffer and suffer until the weather conditions become acceptable for him.

Signs of low pressure in hot weather:

— Frustration, apathy, unreasonable fatigue. - Nausea, maybe vomiting. — My temples and the back of my head hurt. - It’s difficult to breathe, there seems to be not enough air, resulting in a state of panic. — Increased sweating, impaired visual perception, numbness of the hands. - Increased irritability, absent-mindedness. Sometimes there may be fainting.

This entire clinical picture characterizes the condition of hypotension. And with a sharp decrease in blood pressure, it is necessary to raise it by all available means, since complications of this condition can be serious and life-threatening. Against the background of heat, blood viscosity increases, vascular walls lose their tone, the human body lacks oxygen, and adaptation mechanisms decrease - this is why blood pressure decreases in the heat.

What to do if you have low blood pressure?

It is worth saying right away that the treatment of arterial hypertension and hypotension should always be comprehensive. Therapy involves a healthy diet (consuming only approved foods), optimal physical activity (cycling, swimming), and regular medication.

If the pressure has dropped slightly, a hypertensive person can drink one cup of coffee, but no more. Since this drink in large quantities negatively affects the functioning of the cardiovascular system.

It is recommended to breathe from your belly throughout the day. Why is that? Doctors say that one of the reasons for the decrease in pressure is pinching of some part of the vascular system due to muscle tension.

Therefore, if you do breathing exercises using slow deep breaths and exhalations, this will help relax the muscle corset and blood pressure will increase.

Tips for hypotension in the heat:

Drink 250 ml of regular still water every 80-90 minutes. If the blood is too thick, the blood pressure becomes lower as it moves slowly through the blood vessels, so you need to drink as much water as possible to increase the viscosity of the blood.

A contrast shower lowers blood pressure. This simple measure is suitable not only for hypotensive patients, but also for hypertensive patients. Contrast water procedures increase the tone of the vascular walls, resulting in normalization of blood pressure.

Instead of coffee, drink a refreshing juice. Definitely, coffee can increase blood pressure as quickly as possible, but if the cause of the heat is neurocircular dystonia, then caffeine, once in the body, will lower the pressure even more.

Massaging blood vessels. During the heat, the human body lacks oxygen, and the vascular walls lose their tone. Walking will help increase blood pressure, since during movement not only the muscles of the lower extremities work, but also the fibers of blood vessels.

If the day promises to be hot, then immediately after sleep you can take this “drink”: add 10 drops of eleutherococcus to a glass, or ginseng tincture, take on an empty stomach. Duration 2-4 weeks.

For hypotension, diet is important, since not only the composition of the blood, but also the health of the vascular walls depends on the products. You need to include red caviar, liver, spices, various berries, vegetables, and seasonal fruits in your menu. Acupuncture can effectively cope with increased blood pressure. To do this, you need to press on a person’s biologically active points for 4-6 minutes.

As practice shows, after such manipulation the pressure normalizes, increasing to the usual level.

What to do if you have high blood pressure?

Heat with hypertension negatively affects a person, leading to serious disorders and disruptions in the functioning of the body. In hot weather, hypertensive patients should not self-medicate and if they feel unwell, they should visit a doctor.

All medications previously recommended by the doctor should always be with you. Be sure to always carry a small bottle of water with you. It is important to remember that you need to drink water wisely. Abuse of fluids can lead to swelling of the lower extremities and shortness of breath. And with low water consumption: blood viscosity will increase, the likelihood of blood clots will increase several times, as will the risk of developing a heart attack or stroke.

Speaking of water, it is assumed that all liquids are consumed: first courses, compote, juice, tea, mineral water, and so on.

Tips for hypertensive patients in hot weather:

— Don’t forget to take the necessary medications. — You can’t stay in the scorching sun for a long period of time. — Herbal medicinal tea (the mixture can be purchased at a pharmacy) will help reduce blood pressure. — In summer, it is recommended to wear light-colored clothes and be sure to wear a hat. — The ideal time for a walk is before 11:00 am and after 17:00 pm. — Avoid sudden changes in temperature. For example, you can take a cold shower after a hot street. — Eliminate any physical activity from your lifestyle. Walking should be slow and leisurely, it is better to choose shady places; and there’s no point in talking about playing sports in the sun - it’s strictly prohibited. - In addition, exclude alcoholic beverages, fried and smoked foods, and fatty foods from your diet. It is better to give preference to fresh juicy fruits, vegetables, and cool fruit drinks. Mandatory strict and targeted diet for hypertension.

In the summer, as a rule, if there is a high temperature outside, the doctor reviews the dosage of medications and the frequency of their administration in order to improve the patient’s quality of life in the summer.

In a number of situations, if a patient has increased blood viscosity due to arterial hypertension, blood thinners are necessarily recommended to prevent the formation of clots.

So, in order to survive the hot season, you need to follow the main recommendations and not rush anywhere. Do not engage in sports, enjoy moderate optimal exercise through swimming in a lake or river, pleasant walks in the evening and relaxing rest, watch your diet. All this will help you enjoy summer days without changes in blood pressure.

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General tips for taking medicinal baths for hypertensive patients

Therapeutic baths with decoctions or essential oils are prepared according to the following rules:

• use only enameled containers (galvanized or plastic are not suitable);
• add a decoction of 50-70 dry medicinal raw materials or 200 g of freshly collected ones to 10 liters of water;
• large pieces of stems, branches or rhizomes are boiled for 15 minutes, allowed to brew under the lid for at least 40-60 minutes, filtered and the strained infusion is poured into a bath or basin.
• The bath begins no earlier than an hour after eating. When checking the temperature, the thermometer is not removed from the water for a minute. The accuracy of the measurement is very important, since a deviation from the norm of even 1-2 °C is undesirable. After the session, rest for 30-60 minutes (you can sit or lie down).

How to quickly reduce blood pressure using water treatments

Local baths and showers help to quickly normalize blood pressure at home. They have proven their effectiveness in experiments conducted by cardiologists from different countries. Here are some recipes to help fight hypertension:

• Cold foot bath. The feet are lowered into the pelvis and they perform active movements. At the same time, the vessels dilate, blood flow improves, and blood pressure levels decrease.
• Contrast shower for feet. Turn on hot and cold water alternately. Place each foot under the stream for 1-2 minutes. By improving vascular tone, blood circulation is activated and pressure is equalized.
• Hot bath for hands or feet. Hands or feet are lowered into a basin of hot water for 10-15 minutes. During this time, the vessels of the limbs dilate, blood flow to them increases, and the pressure returns to normal. Table salt, medicinal herbs, and essential oils are used as additives. There are recipes with mustard: when heated, it releases volatile substances that irritate the skin and dilate blood vessels.
• Warm shower for the neck. A stream of warm water is directed to the neck area, where the main blood arteries pass. The procedure improves blood supply and nutrition to the brain, eliminates headaches.

In the article we examined the question of whether it is possible to take a bath with high blood pressure. We tried to cover it as much as possible and provided useful tips. We hope the publication was useful. Don't forget to share it with your friends!

A hot bath every day is an effective prevention of heart attack and stroke

: 27.03.2020

Back in 1872, the doctor of the German resort F. Beneke found out that warm carbon dioxide baths calm the heart and help compensate for circulatory disorders in general. And although this idea has long been the subject of controversy, today balneological treatment is widely used to treat heart patients. But, as scientists from Japan recently found out, the exotic resort will successfully replace a daily home bath with ordinary hot water.

Japan is one of the countries with the highest life expectancy: the average age of Japanese exceeds 80 years, and Japanese women are gradually approaching 90. Among the healthy habits and lifestyle features of the local population, visitors note not only traditional food with a large content of seafood and vegetables, but also a love of hot bath. This love, like many other things in Japan, has long historical roots; it is not for nothing that the Japanese treated the first Europeans as “unwashed” barbarians.

The Land of the Rising Sun has many volcanoes and thermal springs, so baths with hot mineral running water, which can be taken directly on the balconies of numerous resort hotels, are very popular. The Japanese do not part with a hot bath even at home: traditional furo

(
o-furo
), which provides a wooden barrel where you can take a bath in a semi-sitting position, is a direct “successor” of natural hot springs. Most Japanese take a daily half-hour bath in the evening, and many even do it twice a day.

Modern medicine considers such water procedures as a means of preventing cardiovascular diseases. It is believed that the pressure of water on the body causes the heart to work under stress, which gives an effect similar to that of physical exercise, and has a beneficial effect not only on the circulatory system, but also on the quality of sleep and overall well-being of a person. However, until recently there was no rigorous scientific data on the long-term impact of such a habit on the risk of cardiovascular disease.

To investigate the relationship between frequency of bathing, water temperature and the development of these diseases, a team of Japanese scientists analyzed data from more than 30 thousand people who took part in a large-scale survey of the health of the adult population of the country, which was conducted in Japan from 1990 to 2009. The age of participants at the beginning of the study was 45–59 years. During the analysis, scientists took into account other factors that could influence the state of the cardiovascular system, such as smoking, physical activity, eating habits, etc.

It turned out that, all other things being equal, a daily hot bath reduced the risk of developing many cardiovascular diseases, including stroke, by more than a quarter (!). The researchers then excluded from the analysis those participants who became ill or died from cardiovascular disease within 5 to 10 years of the start of the study, as they may have taken baths less frequently due to poor health. However, the connections remained statistically significant, although less pronounced.

As for the optimal water temperature, study participants assessed it subjectively (warm-hot), and although hotter water appears to be more effective at first glance, this relationship is unreliable and requires further study.

Thus, it can be considered proven that a daily hot bath is an excellent prevention of heart and vascular diseases. But there are exceptions here too. Although scientists have not found a connection between the frequency of bathing and the risk of sudden cardiac death or subarachnoid stroke, statistics on such deaths in Japan exist. It is believed to be caused by a heart attack due to a sudden change in body temperature or heat stroke. This means that older people should be careful not to take a bath that is too hot, and should immerse themselves gradually or gradually increase the temperature of the water.

By the way, frequent bathing can also be beneficial for people with diabetes. At least, when patients with type 2 diabetes took a half-hour bath daily at a temperature of 37.8–41.0 ° C, their glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin levels decreased after three weeks.

In any case, the Japanese now have one more reason to consider furo not just a means of hygiene, but a source of mental harmony and physical health. Fortunately, in Russia there is an analogue of furo - the Russian bath, but an ordinary household sanitary product as a preventive measure will work no worse than exotic Japanese thermal baths.

Photo:

: 27.03.2020