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As soon as winter comes, Lao Tang likes to soak in hot water before going to bed, he is 64 years old this year, a little high blood pressure, and usually pays attention to health. Every night, he prepared a basin of boiling hot water, put his feet into it, and soaked until he was sweating, feeling warm and relieved after soaking his feet. But one night, less than half an hour after soaking his feet, he suddenly felt tightness in his chest, his head was a little dizzy, and he even felt struggling to stand up.
The family rushed him to the hospital, and after examination, the doctor found that his blood pressure had soared to 180/110, fortunately, he was sent to the hospital in time, otherwise it might cause more serious cardiovascular and cerebrovascular problems. This frightened the whole family, how could Tang, who usually pays attention to his diet and controls blood pressure, have problems because of foot soaking?
Does the small matter of soaking your feet really have such a big impact on blood pressure? What is the right water temperature? How long is it safe to soak your feet?
1. The warm-up magic of soaking your feet
Many people like to soak their feet, especially in winter, when you soak in hot water, the capillaries on the soles of your feet will relax, blood circulation will speed up, and you will feel a lot more relaxed.
But behind this comfort, there are some unexpected hidden dangers, especially for some people with underlying diseases, which is not an absolutely safe thing.
When hot water stimulates the feet, the blood vessels on the soles of the feet will expand rapidly due to heat, and more blood will rush to the limbs, which is why many people will feel that their bodies gradually become warmer when they soak their feet. This change may seem like a good thing, but for people with high blood pressure, it can be problematic, and the speed of blood flow increases, which makes the heart work harder.
The consequences of a spike in blood pressure are not negligible. When the heart beats rapidly in response to changes in blood circulation, it needs more oxygen, and in the process, some older people may experience chest tightness or even shortness of breath because the heart is unable to overload.
If you have a history of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, such as arteriosclerosis or coronary heart disease, then the blood pressure fluctuations during foot soaking may be like a "time bomb", which may cause a myocardial infarction or cerebral infarction at any time.
The high temperature of the water is another factor that complicates the problem, some people feel that the feet must be hot to be comfortable, the higher the water temperature, the better, and even use hot water to soak their feet directly. As everyone knows, too high water temperature will stimulate the blood vessels very much, which will make the blood vessels over-expand all of a sudden. In this case, the blood supply increases instantaneously, and the pressure on the heart and brain also increases.
The environment when soaking feet in winter also needs to be paid attention to, the weather is cold in winter, and the temperature difference between indoor and outdoor is large, many people like to soak their feet before going to bed and use hot water to drive away the cold. At this time, the body's biological clock has entered "rest mode", and the heartbeat and vasoconstriction have stabilized.
If you suddenly soak your feet in hot water, your blood vessels will be "woken up" and violently dilated, just like a car that suddenly brakes sharply at high speed, which is not only easy to lose control, but may also bring "sequelae".
There is nothing wrong with soaking your feet, but there are a lot of places to pay attention to, for some healthy people, soaking your feet may be just a comfortable little thing, but for people with high blood pressure or patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, it is a thing that needs to be vigilant.
Only by mastering the scientific way of foot soaking, reasonably controlling the water temperature and time, and avoiding unnecessary burden on the body, can you truly enjoy the benefits of foot soaking.
2. Why can foot soaking cause blood pressure fluctuations?
Soaking your feet seems to be a trivial matter, but I didn't expect it to have an effect on blood pressure. The reason behind this is actually closely related to the body's blood circulation system and cardiovascular function.
The blood vessels in the human body are like a complex network of pipes that carry blood throughout the body, and when you soak your feet in hot water, the heat is transferred to the whole body through the soles of your feet, and the blood vessels in your feet expand rapidly to dissipate heat. For the average person, this change may only bring comfort, but for people with high blood pressure, it can become an "invisible danger".
When blood vessels dilate, the heart's workload increases suddenly. This is because the heart needs to pump more blood to fill dilated blood vessels while keeping blood circulating throughout the body. For people with a good heart function, this may not be a problem, but if the heart function is weak or the blood pressure is unstable, the extra burden on the heart can easily cause discomfort and even cause blood pressure to spike.
The temperature stimulation brought by hot water is also an important factor, the nerve endings on the soles of the feet are very rich, and the hot water stimulation will be quickly transmitted to the brain through nerve signals, and the brain will mobilize various systems of the body to make adjustments, such as accelerating the heartbeat and increasing the speed of blood flow. This rapid response can cause blood pressure fluctuations in a short period of time, especially when the water temperature is too high, and if the blood vessels are not elastic, the blood pressure fluctuations may be more dramatic.
The length of foot soaking time can also affect blood pressure changes, and prolonged hot water foot soaking will allow more blood to flow to the lower limbs, while the blood supply to vital organs such as the heart and brain may be temporarily reduced. For healthy people, this change can be adjusted by the body, but for the elderly or patients with cardiovascular disease, it may cause dizziness, fatigue and other problems, and even induce myocardial infarction or cerebral infarction in severe cases.
Soaking your feet may seem simple, but it actually affects the blood circulation and nervous system of the whole body, and too high water temperature and too long soaking time will cause additional pressure on the cardiovascular system. Patients with high blood pressure or cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, because their body's ability to regulate is already weak, this pressure is more likely to cause problems. If you want to avoid blood pressure fluctuations, the key is to control the way you soak your feet.
3. "Safety Guidelines" for Foot Soaking in Patients with Hypertension
Patients with high blood pressure should soak their feet, not because they can't soak it, but because they must be "smart". Soaking your feet is a small act, but if you don't do it in the right way, it can cause big trouble.
The water temperature is the first level of foot soaking, and many people like to soak their feet in particularly hot water, feeling that the hotter it is, the more fatigue it is. However, for patients with high blood pressure, too high water temperature is a strong stimulus, which will make the blood vessels dilate instantly, the blood flow speed will increase, and the heart pressure will increase greatly, the ideal foot soak water temperature should be kept between 40 °C and 45 °C, try it with your hands, feel warm but not hot.
The time of foot soaking should also be controlled, many people forget the time when soaking, patients with high blood pressure should not do this, too long foot soaking time will allow more blood to flow to the lower limbs, resulting in insufficient blood supply to the heart and brain, and increasing health risks. The safest time to soak your feet is about 20 minutes, too short a time may not have an obvious effect, but too long may make the body "unbearable".
The timing of foot soaking is also very important, and the evening is a time when many people like to soak their feet, especially before bedtime. However, patients with high blood pressure should be extra careful when soaking their feet at night, because the night is the stage when the body enters a state of rest, and the heartbeat and blood pressure tend to stabilize, and soaking in hot water may break this balance. After soaking your feet, sitting down and resting for a while and drinking some warm water is also a way to help your body adjust.
The environment of foot soaking can not be ignored, the temperature difference between indoor and outdoor in winter is large, patients with high blood pressure must pay attention to keeping warm when soaking their feet, so as to avoid hot feet and cold bodies. During the foot soaking process, you should also pay attention to your posture, it is best to keep your sitting posture comfortable, put your feet in the foot bathing basin, and do not lean forward for too long, so as not to cause back pain or other discomfort.
For people with high blood pressure, it is a good habit to measure blood pressure before and after foot soaking. If you find that your blood pressure rises significantly after soaking your feet or you feel unwell, you should stop it in time and consult a doctor as soon as possible.
Mastering the scientific way of foot soaking can not only allow patients with hypertension to enjoy the comfort of foot soaking safely, but also effectively avoid the health risks caused by improper foot soaking, so that foot soaking can truly become a healthy lifestyle.
Fourth, those people can't soak their feet easily?
Although foot soaking is a way of health preservation, it is not suitable for everyone, and some people blindly soak their feet, which not only does not play a role in health care, but may even bring health risks.
People with weak constitution need to be cautious about soaking their feet, and many people with weak constitution and insufficient qi and blood may put more pressure on their hearts due to the sudden acceleration of blood circulation when soaking their feet. The body's ability to regulate in this group is already weak, and the changes in blood distribution caused by vasodilation are easy to exceed their tolerance.
Special attention is also needed for people with diabetes, who often have a dull sensation in the feet due to neuropathy. If they soak their feet in hot water, they may not be able to detect it in time, resulting in burns to the feet, while diabetics have poor wound healing and can cause more serious infections if they develop burns or broken skin.
People with serious cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases are not recommended to soak their feet at will, such as patients with hypertension, coronary heart disease, and cerebrovascular disease, the dilatation of blood vessels and the rapid heartbeat during foot soaking may increase the burden on the already fragile cardiovascular and cerebrovascular vessels, and even induce acute myocardial infarction or cerebral infarction. Patients with these diseases have a poor ability to regulate blood pressure, and even if they soak their feet daily, they need to pay special attention to the temperature and time of water, and be accompanied by family members.
Pregnant women should also be cautious when soaking their feet, many of them want to relax their bodies by soaking their feet, but the overheated water temperature may stimulate uterine contractions and increase the risk of miscarriage or premature birth. Especially in the early and third trimesters of pregnancy, it is not recommended to soak your feet for a long time or use excessively hot water. Soaking your feet in warm water can relieve fatigue, but be sure to control the temperature of the water and the time you spend soaking your feet.
Although foot soaking is a traditional health habit, it is not a "one-size-fits-all health method", and for the above-mentioned groups, foot soaking may hide a lot of risks.
epilogue
Foot soaking, a simple and traditional way of health preservation, seems ordinary, but there is a lot of knowledge behind it, especially for patients with high blood pressure and some special groups, a little carelessness may cause health risks.
Scientific foot soaking needs to be considered from many aspects such as water temperature, time, scene and physical condition, and it is not a "casual thing". For ordinary people, the improvement of blood circulation and comfort brought by foot soaking is of course a good thing, but for patients with high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and even pregnant women, the wrong way of soaking feet may become a burden on the body and even bring danger.
This article starts from the relationship between hypertension and foot soaking, deeply discusses the scientific principle of foot soaking that causes blood pressure fluctuations, and provides a practical foot soak guide for hypertensive patients. At the same time, it also reminds specific groups of people of the precautions and potential risks when soaking their feet, if it is a high-risk group, they should be treated with caution, and even decide whether to soak their feet under the advice of a doctor.
Although it is good to soak your feet in winter to warm up, health comes first. While enjoying comfort, we should also be alert to hidden risks, develop scientific and moderate foot soaking habits, and truly achieve both comfort and safety. Soaking your feet in the right way is the only way to make this ancient form of health care play its due role in modern life.
References:
Rising blood pressure, palpitation, shortness of breath, varicose veins! Such people need to be cautious when soaking their feet!
2024-04-22 Hanfang Zhang, Master of Traditional Chinese Medicine
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