How Does Dehydration Cause High Blood Pressure?
Understanding dehydration and high blood pressure is easily understood if we focus on the bend of the aorta. Thinking in terms of oatmeal can help with understanding what happens at the bend of the aorta. In this analogy, the oats represent the cells and other things floating in your blood. The water used to cook the oatmeal represents the liquid (serum) portion of your blood. If you cook oatmeal with plenty of water in the pot, you can turn the bowl of oatmeal upside down and the oatmeal will run out of the bowl. Why? Because gravity is strong enough to pull the very wet oatmeal from the bowl. If you put too little water in the pot when cooking the oatmeal causing a spoon to be to able to stand in it, the oatmeal will not run out of the bowl when you turn it upside down. Why? Because gravity is not strong enough to pull the dried out and thick oatmeal from the bowl.
If you drink enough water you keep your blood nice and thin and loose. When the heart squeezes and pushes the blood that is as thin and loose as it should be up into the aorta, gravity can easily pull the blood down out of the aorta where the aorta bends. If you don’t drink enough water and end up dehydrated, your blood will thicken. In this case, the heart must work harder using increased pressure to push the thick blood into the aorta. Then, after the aorta bends, gravity is unable to pull the blood down out of the aorta.
Thick Blood & Increased Blood Pressure
When the blood is thickened due to extra toxins floating in the blood, it has to use increased pressure to push and squeeze the blood up into the aorta. This increased pressure is a part of what physicians refer to as increased or high blood pressure.
Since gravity is not strong enough to pull the thickened blood down out of the aorta, the muscles of the blood vessels have to begin squeezing to push the blood down. The muscles have to keep squeezing to help push the blood all the way down to your feet. Each time these muscles squeeze, they increase the pressure inside the blood vessels. This increased pressure exerted by the muscles of the blood vessels is also a part of what physicians are referring to as increased or high blood pressure. Think about this the next time you hear a physician diagnose high blood pressure!
Now, think about what it would take to decrease the blood pressure. It would simply be a matter of thinning the thick blood. This is why doctors will prescribe blood thinners like warfarin. However, based on what you just read, wouldn’t drinking more water be the most natural way to thin your blood! Keep in mind that if your water level gets low enough, the blood pressure can switch to being too low causing a numerous major problems. Again, doesn’t it make sense increase your water levels.
At this point, you might be wondering why people drink less water than they need. At Optimum Health, we have found that a protein deficiency is the main reason. Our clients simply correct their protein deficiency and they begin to crave water and drink a lot of it. Then they can say,
“I can keep up with my children again.
My blood pressure stays normal!”
Gloria C, Richmond, Virginia
“I feel wonderful. I can walk long distances again and my
blood pressure sits right at 121/80.”
Valerie G, Richmond, Virginia
Thick Blood and Increased Systolic Blood Pressure
The top number of your blood pressure is your systolic blood pressure. This tells you the pressure inside your blood vessels when your heart is squeezing. Have you noticed that only your systolic blood pressure is elevated? Well, the oatmeal analogy can help with understanding this also.
Next:
Chinese Medicine’s View of Dehydration and High Blood Pressure
Should I stop my blood pressure medicine?
Could dehydration also cause high cholesterol levels?
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