Is it possible to bathe in a bath with hypertension?

Steaming in the bath and visiting the sauna has long been considered beneficial to health. Unfortunately, not for all people and not in all situations. For example, for hypertensive patients who do not have an initial stage of the disease, doctors unequivocally forbid visiting baths and saunas due to the fact that humid air and high temperature in the steam room can aggravate the patient's condition and lead to undesirable consequences, and sometimes death (death). person). Although numerous studies prove that in the first or so-called initial stage of hypertension, when high blood pressure is not beyond the critical level, you can go to the bath and sauna.

Experts say

The condition and well-being of a hypertensive patient differs significantly from which institution he visits. So, a wet bath can cause very noticeable changes in the functioning of the circulatory system. High humidity and hot air literally make the heart contract harder, naturally, this increases the pressure. Blood begins to flow more actively and this leads to the fact that the capillaries expand, and due to the fact that the volume of blood remains unchanged, the heart has to pump it more intensively. With increased pressure, the heart muscle is forced to contract more often and, thereby, accelerate blood flow.

As a result, the metabolic processes occurring in the cardiac system are disturbed. The pulse quickens. It has been proven that when the heart rate rises to 160 beats per minute, the heart muscle does not feel the best. Even after a person has already left the steam room, the heart rate cannot return to a normal state for quite a long time.

Now let's consider the option when a hypertensive visits a sauna with dry air. Experts say that the sauna has a very gentle effect on the functioning of the circulatory system and, in particular, on the work of the heart. Basically, the pulse when exposed to dry hot air rarely increases more than 120-130 beats per minute, and this does not have a detrimental effect on physiological processes. About half an hour (sometimes a little more) is required for the heart to work in the same rhythm.

An interesting fact: doctors have developed special methods for the so-called baths with a healing effect for people who have high blood pressure. Of course, in some cases, doctors "reinsure themselves" and argue that hypertensive patients cannot be in the steam room for a long time. However, with well-chosen treatment, you can pamper yourself with a bathhouse.

Contraindications

Hypertension of the second and third stages is a contraindication for visiting baths and saunas. People with such a diagnosis should not go to the bath. Everyone knows that in the steam room the temperature of the human body increases dramatically, and this entails a change in the temperature of the internal organs, including the heart muscle. Hence the increased pressure. For hypertensive patients, such a change in temperature can be deplorable. The least that can happen is a loss of consciousness for a short time. The situation is worse if a person has serious complications, for example, myocardial infarction, kidney failure or stroke.

Often, during a visit to the bath, bleeding from the nose opens. Bleeding is so severe that only medical professionals can stop it.

Doctors do not forbid people with hypertension in the initial stage (1st degree) to go to the bath and visit the sauna, but only if up to this point the patients have been in good health for a long time, and there were no sharp pressure surges.

It is important to remember that visiting the steam room can lead to a hypertensive crisis.

General recommendations for hypertensive patients

In addition to the recommendations given by the attending physician, people diagnosed with hypertension must adhere to such rules as:

• On the eve of visiting a sauna or a bath, a person should measure the pressure readings, if the readings are normal, then there are no contraindications for bath procedures.
• The patient should always take with him a drug that lowers blood pressure, a measuring device (tonometer), as well as cardiac medications when you need to take a steam bath.
• To avoid overheating of the head, it is necessary to be in a steam room in a special cap.
• Hypertension patients should not go to the steam room alone, another person should always be next to them, so that in the event of a hypertensive crisis, he can provide timely emergency assistance.

• Hypertensive patients are not recommended to jump into a pool of cold water after a steam room or take a cool shower, because as a result of such actions, the pressure on the heart muscle increases many times over. Sudden hypothermia can cause pain in the region of the heart or discomfort in the sternum, because the heartbeat is very fast.
• It is important to monitor the temperature in the steam room and not allow it to rise above 50 ºС when the humidity is more than 80%, and it is allowed to bring the temperature up to 90 ºС if the humidity is 15-20%.
• The time spent in the steam room should be limited and, moreover, gradually increased upon subsequent entry. Steaming "until you lose your pulse" is simply unacceptable.
• Between visits to the steam room, you need to rest lying down or sitting in a room with good ventilation.
• Before going to the bath, you can not eat plentifully (overeat).
• Drinking alcohol and smoking while in the bath is strictly prohibited.
• You can drink diaphoretic tea and herbal decoctions, rub with medicinal compounds, but only if the doctor allows. By the way, it is reliably known that one herbal decoction lowers blood pressure, and the other, on the contrary, increases it, so you should know exactly the effect of healing drinks so that unforeseen situations do not occur.