Is it safe to exercise with high blood pressure?
For most people, exercise with high blood pressure is safe and is one of the treatments. Regular activity lowers resting pressure by 5 to 8 points over weeks. That is comparable to a starting dose of medicine.
Sensible rules: build up gradually, breathe through every repetition rather than straining against a held breath, and skip exercise on days a reading is very high, above about 180/110, until reviewed.
Walking, cycling and swimming are the easiest wins. If your pressure is untreated and consistently high, see your doctor first, then start.
See a doctor promptly if
- A reading of 180/120 mmHg or higher with chest pain, breathlessness, weakness on one side, slurred speech, confusion or sudden visual change. This is an emergency
- Blood pressure of 140/90 mmHg or higher in pregnancy, especially with headache, upper abdominal pain, visual disturbance or sudden swelling
- A repeated reading of 180/120 mmHg or higher even without symptoms. This needs same-day medical assessment
- New severe headache, nosebleeds that will not stop, or breathlessness lying flat alongside high readings
- Blood in the urine, or a sharp fall in how much urine you pass, together with high readings
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Answered by the AskDoc Medical Team · Medically reviewed under our Medical Director, MBBS · How we review
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