Q: Blood pressure reading initially after exercise is up—i.e.(145/85) as expected…then taking subsequent readings blood pressure continues to rise for a few more readings(160-70/90-95) during like a 5 minute period before starting to come back down toward a more manageable range- 130/80….Can you explain why BP will rise like that while resting after exercise before eventually dropping back to the more manageable range?
A: Your blood pressure changes could be a sign of heart disease. You should have this evaluated by your doctor. Diastolic pressure that continues to rise after exercise and the delay in lowering of systolic pressure both are worrisome. If you are on blood pressure medicine, these changes may be related to the medicine you are taking.
(11 votes, average: 3.82 out of 5)
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Do you cool down? If your exercise with moderate intensity, you need to spend 4-8 minutes for cooling down continuing exercising lightly to bring your heart rate gradually down. When you exercise your blood is directed to extremities. If you stop abruptly, your heart will not pump blood as forcefully as during the exercises, so your body most likely raises the blood pressure to provide blood flow to essential organs.
I agree with GaryA.
As far as I know in non-hypertensive people blood pressure goes up during exercise, comes down after exercise and stays down (this is important!). In hypertensive people it goes up with exercise, comes down after exercise, then goes up again and stays up.
To my great horror I too was told by a specialist in a very firm and authoritative manner that I had heart disease and that I also had left ventricular hypertrophy. I requested tests to prove it and the specialist did not like the idea at all. All tests came back negative, my heart function, flow patterns, wall thicknesses, everything was normal, no indication whatsoever that I may have had long-term “hypertension”, as my doctors insisted I had. I asked the cardiologist for a certificate to prove that I could do exercise and he looked at me very surprised and said: “What for? You don’t need a certificate. You don’t have heart disease!” . My PP is not perfect, mid 120s/mid70s to mid 130s/80 (I am 61) and the docs still talk about the need for me to take BP medication which I think is rubbish in my situation. (Low cholesterol, normal weight, low triglycerides, fit and healthy).
So, don’t panic, but not knowing your general condition I too would suggest to have it checked out.
One piece of important information is missing. Are you talking about after aerobic exercise or after anaerobic exercise like weight training? Lifting weights, for example, tends to increase blood pressure while aerobic exercise tends to reduce blood pressure. After lifting weights, I always do a period of at least 20 minutes of aerobic exercise to bring blood pressure back down.
All the best!!
Remember the old saying “Question Authority”? The more information you have about your health, the better, and if you encounter a doctor that is unresponsive to your questions and requests for confirmation of a condition that is being diagnosed, go find another doctor! They don’t know everything…..obviously! You are the best advocate for your health.