Hot weather and humidity impact blood pressure and your heart – expert shares safety tips

Health Fitness: The body’s efforts to dissipate heat can have an effect on blood pressure in humid conditions. High humidity and temperature can increase the amount of blood flowing to the skin. Due to this, the heart beats more rapidly and circulates twice as much blood per minute as compared to an average day.

Decreased blood volume due to heat and sweating can lead to dehydration, which can also lead to low body fluid levels. This can affect the body’s ability to cool down and put a strain on the heart.

In conversation with Zee English, Dr Mohit Tandon, Consultant Non Invasive Cardiologist, Fortis Escorts Hospital, Okhla-New Delhi talks about how hot and humid weather affects our heart.

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When we are exposed to hot weather, our body works harder to maintain normal body temperature, this puts extra strain on our heart, lungs and kidneys.
This could have a significant impact on people who already suffer from heart disease.

heat, humidity and medicine

Because the heart has to work harder, it can cause people with heart failure or coronary artery disease to experience angina, irregular rhythms, and heart failure.

A study in Kuwait found a strong association between rising temperatures and cardiovascular deaths, with most deaths occurring in the temperature range of 35 to 43.8 °C. Such temperatures are common in the Indian monsoon.

Our body releases heat to maintain body temperature by radiation of heat and evaporation of sweat, both of which involve increasing blood flow to the skin, which radiates body heat and produces sweat that evaporates.

The heart works harder for this to happen, and on hot and humid days your heart can pump 2 to 4 times more blood per minute than on a cool day.

Also some drugs given to heart patients can worsen the condition, for example, betablockers (drugs given to control heart rate and BP) may not allow the heart to beat faster.

Diuretics are drugs that increase the amount of water excreted in your urine to reduce body swelling, which can cause a person to develop dehydration and electrolyte abnormalities.

Tips to take care of your heart in monsoon

1. Don’t go out unless necessary in hot weather, even if necessary, try to time your outdoor trips to avoid the hottest period, which is usually between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

2. When going out, wear light-coloured, breathable material such as cotton that absorbs sweat.

3. Drink sufficient amount of water to keep your body cool and hydrated.

4. Avoid caffeinated drinks and frequent tea drinking as it leads to diuresis and thus water loss

5. You can drink juicy fruits like watermelon, melon, lemon water, sugarcane juice, citrus fruits.

6. Avoid exercising in hot weather, prefer to exercise early in the morning or late in the evening when it’s cold

7. Try to keep the indoor temperature in a comfortable zone with the help of air conditioner, cooler or fan with natural ventilation Studies show that for most of the Indians, the indoor temperature is comfortable between 25 to 30 degree Celsius.

8. Always check weather advisories for conditions of heat waves, high and low temperatures and humidity levels. Even on short hot days in extremely humid conditions, dehydration can occur due to increased sweating and lack of cooling effect of evaporation.

Note: Patients with congestive heart failure who have been advised to control their water intake should consult their doctors to know the amount of water and fluid intake allowed and the need for adjustment in their medicine dosage.

9. Diabetics should consult their doctors and dietitians before trying to keep themselves hydrated by consuming fruit juices continuously or by eating more fruits than the permissible limit.

10. Heart patients and people with BP problem should avoid adding various additives containing salt in the juice to enhance the taste, as it may increase BP.

11. Do not stop or change the dosage of any medicine without consulting your doctor.

By keeping these tips in mind, you can enjoy summer and stay cool.