According To Research, Blood Pressure Is Higher And Hard To Control In Winter

Illustrations of research on blood pressure are higher in winter (Freepic/stockking)

YOGYAKARTA Weather and seasons actually affect a person's blood pressure levels. According to research, when temperatures are often low, blood pressure generally tends to increase and decrease during months with warmer temperatures.

Certified cardiac and lipidology experts at the MemorialCare Heart and Vascular Institute, Orange Coast Medical Center, Fountain Valley, CA, doctor Yu-Ming Ni said. That one way to regulate blood pressure in the body is to suppress or relax the arteries. Medically called vasoconstriction and vasodilatation. If the environmental temperature is cold, you become a vascodistriction, which means the arteries become tense and the blood pressure is higher. When you feel hot, the blood vessels widen and a vasodilatation occurs that can cool the body.

Research in April 2021 reported by Medical News Today, Sunday, September 24, found that raising room temperature by 10 degrees alone could cause significant changes in systolic blood pressure. Another study, in 2016, found elderly people living in cold homes with temperatures less than 17.7 degrees Celsius had higher blood pressure, worse blood pressure, and worse lung conditions.

For the latest study, researchers recorded electronic health recordings of more than 60,000 adults treated for high blood pressure between July 2018 and June 2023 at six health centers. The average research participant is 62 years old. More than half were identified as Caucasians and about 60 percent were identified as women.

While analyzing seasonal blood pressure readings, scientists found that, on average, the participants' systolic blood pressure increased to 1.7 mm Hg in winter months compared to the summer months. In addition, the researchers found that the levels of blood pressure control of participants decreased by 5% during the months of cold weather.

A software engineer at the American Medical Association and lead author of the study, Robert B. Barrett, said that people with high blood pressure tend not to control blood pressure in winter compared to summer. So he recommends a lot of doctor intervention and lifestyle changes that may be needed to maintain blood pressure in cold-temperature seasons.