When summer arrives, hypertensive patients often find a decrease in blood pressure compared to winter when measuring their blood pressure during the day. Many hypertensive patients believe that during the summer, their blood pressure is low and they can reduce their medication and dosage on their own. Dr. Li pointed out: In summer, the blood pressure will be higher at night. Unauthorized drug reduction is prone to stroke and other cardio cerebral Vascular disease. Stable control of blood pressure at night is the focus of blood pressure management in summer.
Why can't medication stop when blood pressure drops in summer?
Human blood pressure varies regularly in different seasons and at different times of the day. Research shows that in summer, the daytime blood pressure of patients with hypertension will be lower than that in winter. "This may be because people sweat more in summer and drink less water, which leads to the reduction of blood volume. In addition to the rule of" Thermal expansion ", blood vessels tend to expand in hot days, and these two factors will lead to the reduction of blood pressure.
Research has found that nighttime blood pressure in hypertensive patients is actually higher in summer than in winter. High blood pressure in summer evenings may be related to decreased sleep quality and mental excitement. In addition, the reduction or discontinuation of anti-hypertensive drugs is also an important reason for the increase in nighttime blood pressure.
Stable control of nighttime blood pressure is a key aspect of summer blood pressure management. User friendly portable blood pressure monitors are popular and useful and hypertension patients need to monitor their blood pressure more in summer. After symptomatic Hypotension occurs, cardiovascular specialists should decide whether to adjust the medication plan rather than reduce the antihypertensive drugs without authorization. In addition, patients should choose long-term medication that is administered once a day and lasts for 24 hours to achieve stable blood pressure reduction day and night.
The following 4 tips should be noted when managing blood pressure in summer:
1. Pay attention to cooling and avoiding heat
(1) Try to minimize going out when the temperature is high
It is best not to walk in the scorching sun from 10am to 4pm. If you must go out at this time, you must do a good job of protection, such as playing a sunshade, wearing a Sun hat, wearing sunglasses, etc.
(2) The temperature difference between indoor and outdoor air conditioning should not be too large
It is advisable to use an air conditioner with a temperature difference between indoor and outdoor temperatures not exceeding 5 ℃. Even if the weather is hot, the indoor temperature of the air conditioner should not be lower than 24 ℃.
2. It is advisable to have a light diet and eat more vegetables and fruits
Limit sodium intake: no more than 3 grams per day.
Limit total calories: The daily amount of cooking oil should be less than 25 grams (half liang, equivalent to 2.5 tablespoons), reduce animal food and oil intake, and choose olive oil in moderation.
Nutritional balance: Eat an appropriate amount of protein (including eggs and meat), and eat 8-1 jin of fresh vegetables and 1-2 fruits every day. Hypertension patients with diabetes can choose low sugar or medium sugar fruit (kiwi fruit, pomelo), and eat about 200g a day as an extra meal.
Increase calcium intake: Daily intake of 250-500 milliliters of skim or low-fat milk.
3. Exercise moderately and "exercise your blood vessels"
Try 3-5 times a week for 30-45 minutes each time. Able to engage in aerobic exercise (such as aerobics, cycling, jogging, etc.); Flexibility exercises (2-3 times a week, each time stretching reaches a taut state, hold for 10-30 seconds, and repeat stretching for each part 2-4 times); Push, pull, pull, lift and other strength exercises (2-3 times per week).
Early morning blood pressure is at a relatively high level, which is not suitable for exercise and is prone to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. Therefore, it is best to choose afternoon or evening exercise. If the patient's blood pressure cannot be well controlled or exceeds 180/110mmHg during a quiet state, exercise is temporarily contraindicated.
4. Good sleep helps reduce blood pressure
The 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring of people with poor sleep quality will find that most people have no Circadian rhythm in their blood pressure fluctuations, and their blood pressure at night is not lower than that during the day. High blood pressure at night prevents the whole body from getting sufficient rest, which can easily damage target organs. After insomnia, hypertensive patients often experience symptoms of increased blood pressure and faster heart rate the next day. Therefore, people with poor sleep should seek medical help to regulate and take hypnotics or sleep aids as instructed to improve sleep quality.
Professional blood pressure monitoring and management can help our hypertensive patients spend the scorching summer comfortably and effortlessly.
