I have high blood pressure.
I'd like to know.
Would bleeding (giving blood) lower my blood pressure?
If not, do you know why not?
2006-12-02 09:14:39 · 7 answers · asked by psych0bug 5 in Health ➔ Other - Health
Giving blood will temporarily volume deplete you. That MIGHT lower your blood pressure, but if it does, it would be very temporary, and quite unhealthy.
Our bodies compensate for blood loss by tightening up our arteries and by shunting blood from one area to another. We also speed up our heart rate to keep the amount of blood circulating per minute (cardiac output) roughly the same.
If you have hypertension, it is most likely "essential hypertension" - we don't know what causes it, it just is. Hypertensive patients sometimes require higher pressures to maintain perfusion of their brain because of changes in the autoregulatory function of the cerebral circulation. That means, if you drop your blood volume and blood pressure too quickly, you might not get enough blood to the brain and will pass out.
There are many different drugs to treat hypertension, and they work in different ways. Untreated hypertension leads to heart attacks and strokes, so it's best to keep it under control. But not by bleeding.
2006-12-02 09:29:17 · answer #1 · answered by Pangolin 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Donating blood will lower your blood pressure temporarily, but only for a short while. You need to fix the underlying reason why your BP is high. The reason that donating blood will lower your blood pressure slightly is just because there will be slightly less blood volume. It shouldn't be enough to affect you, and your blood pressure will return to normal within hours.
They key is to work with your family doctor to find out why your BP is high and work out a plan to reduce it (medications, healthy eating, weight loss, exercise, etc). It's important to have a healthy blood pressure, because a high BP greatly increases your risk of coronary disease, strokes, and heart attacks.
Hope this helps!
2006-12-02 09:19:18 · answer #2 · answered by rita_alabama 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
NOT MD, JUST OPINION: It would probably lower it temporarily. Every time you donate, you have to wait 8 weeks before you can donate again. I am sure it will go back up well before that. You have to figure out the underlying cause of the condition, clogged arteries etc and fix it. Give blood anyway, people can't live without it.
2006-12-02 09:19:31 · answer #3 · answered by T-Roc 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I has nothing to do with how much blood you have in your body, it is hard hard your heart has to push with pumping the blood. If you have high blood pressure you need to see a doctor.
2006-12-02 09:17:33 · answer #4 · answered by Mimi 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
no that would probably make it higher, because your heart would have to pump faster because it would have to pump more blood to make up for the blood you lost. If you eat salty foods that makes your blood pressure high.
2006-12-02 09:22:24 · answer #5 · answered by kstrzwsk 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ask a doctor
2006-12-02 09:16:15 · answer #6 · answered by simplydelicious 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No! I don't know why but I am sure it is a no.
2006-12-02 09:16:49 · answer #7 · answered by Webballs 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋