Is Blood Pressure Affected By Cold Weather?

Hypertension (chronically high blood pressure) is a direct link to cardiovascular diseases. This may sound like a depressant but the good news is that there are ways of lowering your blood pressure and reducing your risk. Your best protection is knowledge, management, and prevention, so today, we will talk about how the weather influences your blood pressure.

Weather can play a significant role in the emergence of certain health issues. For people with high blood pressure or heart disease, low temperatures can have serious health consequences. In the winter your blood pressure gets significantly high and in the summer gets significantly low. This is mostly due to the low temperatures causing your blood vessels to constrict. This constriction on your blood vessels increases your blood pressure because more pressure is required to force blood through your constricted veins and arteries.

Epidemiologic studies have consistently shown that colder temperatures increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. According to a study, a 1°C decrease in mean daily outdoor temperature was associated with a 0.26mmHg (millimeters of mercury) increase in systolic blood pressure. The studies have shown that the results were more pronounced in people with cardiovascular disease.

The significant difference in blood pressure between colder and warmer months may increase the incidence of hypertension and lower the rate of hypertension control. This disparity could lead to an increase in cardiovascular risk, particularly among those who are at risk of heart disease. To reduce the risk of cardiovascular mortality, applications of warm clothing has noted to have a huge impact in cold weather.

We're All at Risk of Having High Blood Pressure

Wearing warmer clothes may apply to all people who work in colder settings, such as farmers, construction workers, meat cutters, and police officers. If you already have hypertension and are taking medication, please contact your doctor to see if you need to adjust your medication. In the winter, we're all more susceptible to high blood pressure, but we can avoid it by adding more layers of clothing and yearly checkups with the doctor.

Chronic diseases – such as diabetes, cancer, asthma, and heart disease – are leading causes of death and disability. The Liu Foundation offers philanthropic The app and video series promoting evidence-based lifestyle habits to prevent chronic diseases. Harvard, Stanford, and CDC’s Public Health findings into an easy-to-use behavior conditioning app and series of lifestyle motivation videos to prevent chronic diseases.

Living It Up Anywhere

The idea of living your best life can be done anywhere, at any time, and all it really takes is a mindset shift. Take it one core lifestyle habit at a time, whether that is eating healthy and less, daily exercise, quitting bad habits, getting a routine checkup, or being positive. Take a chance today to Live It Up!