Carotid arterial stiffness is an issue faced by many people, especially older people. Swimming is a form of exercise that can help to alleviate the symptoms associated with carotid arterial stiffness. It’s generally been seen that this stiffness can either be increased or decreased as a result of exercise. This means that the kind of exercise you do can end up improving or worsening your condition.
While high-impact exercises like running may negatively affect people with carotid arterial stiffness, the same can’t be said for people who go swimming.
Why Swimming Is A Good Exercise For People With Carotid Arterial Stiffness
There are people who aren’t suited to certain kinds of exercise. If you suffer from carotid arterial stiffness, then high-impact exercises such as running can end up worsening your condition. There are land-based exercises that are associated with helping deal with arterial stiffness. But if you’re overweight, then these exercises may not be perfect for you.
Should you have difficulty moving, as a result of carotid arterial stiffness, then it could be difficult for you to do land-based exercises as well. If you already have a fibreglass pool at home, then there’s a solution for you that might just work out in your favor.
Swimming is considered a low-impact exercise. When you enter the pool water, you’ll be moving against the resistance of the water in the pool. You’ll also be helped by the buoyancy of the water. This buoyancy helps you to float in the pool water. Going swimming also enables you to exercise all the major muscles in your body, this can also be good for reducing carotid arterial stiffness.
If you find yourself dreading your next workout routine, because of your health, then swimming may be the perfect solution for you.
Carotid Arterial Stiffness And Swimming
Research has been done to try to assess the effects of swimming on people with carotid arterial stiffness. For this research, around twenty men were studied, who suffered from carotid arterial stiffness. They had to participate in swimming training that lasted for eight weeks. This was followed by a detaining period of around four weeks.
Of these, five people ended up withdrawing. They either lost interest or did not follow the protocol they were provided with. Through the course of the study, researchers looked at the body fat percentage of the participants. They also measured the carotid hemodynamic variables on a regular basis, on the day the participants were resting.
These were measured at the baseline level, meaning before the participants started the exercise period. Then, it was measured four weeks after the training began, and eight weeks after as well. Finally, the levels were measured one more time – four weeks after the detraining process was completed.
What researchers found was that moderate swimming for around eight weeks can end up decreasing a person’s BFP. In adults who were overweight, even four weeks after they stopped training, their BFP decreased in their lower extremities on the left as well as the right. In addition to this, it was also seen that carotid arterial stiffness decreased as well.
What This Shows
Essentially, people who have carotid arterial stiffness benefit from going swimming on a regular basis. When you exercise at a moderate intensity on a regular basis, you’ll be able to improve the systolic blood pressure of your body. Your blood pressure will improve and you can better deal with arterial stiffness, especially if you’re overweight.
Arterial stiffness can be seen as a risk factor when it comes to cardiovascular issues that could affect you in the future. It could also indicate cerebral issues as well. The carotid arteries are primarily responsible for supplying the brain with oxygen.
Should there be any changes to the structure of the carotid arteries, then this could cause several health issues to develop. These health issues range from a stroke to atherosclerosis. You could even end up getting coronary ischemia.
In order to mediate arterial stiffness, hemodynamic modulation is important. This can end up helping prevent cardiovascular diseases from developing as well. If you have carotid arterial stiffness, then there are chances that you could be overweight as well.
Studies done post-mortem on people who are obese suggest that they tend to have coronary atherosclerosis, among various other issues. Their metabolic requirements could end up inducing changes in the body that affect, among other things, the smooth muscles that are present on the walls of the artery. This can go on to accelerate arterial stiffening.
Exercise, on the other hand, can be beneficial for this arterial stiffness. Land-based exercises, which are high-impact exercises, may not always suit people who have carotid arterial stiffness. They are at risk of injuring their joints, especially should they be obese. Going swimming, on the other hand, is an excellent idea.
How Swimming Helps People With Carotid Arterial Stiffness
When you go swimming, the water helps you to stay buoyant. You don’t need to apply the same amount of stress on your body, as you would with high-impact exercises like running. While swimming, you’re also in an environment that’s humid, and it’s also colder than the surrounding atmosphere as well.
Swimming habitually can improve your endurance and also decrease carotid arterial stiffness, especially if you’re more than fifty years old.
Conclusion
Studies have been conducted on how swimming affects people who have carotid arterial stiffness. It has been seen that when compared to exercises like running or intense workouts at the gym, swimming can be better. This is especially for people who have carotid arterial stiffness. If you are interested in learning more about swimming pools, visit blog so you can see more health benefits of swimming, as well as how to take care of your poolside and pool.
Swimming is a low-impact exercise, where your weight is supported by the water. This means that it’s easier on the body to exercise in the water, especially if you’re obese. You can also exercise for longer in your fibreglass pool, without worrying about it affecting your health. The stress on your joints will be less, and you’ll be able to reduce symptoms associated with carotid arterial stiffness as well.
