Home Men's Health Can You Exercise While Taking Beta-blockers?

Can You Exercise While Taking Beta-blockers?

by Glenn Fitzpatrick
dumbbell push-ups

You always heard about the great benefits of exercise in your entire well-being. It helps you lower your risk of various diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity. It is the best way to burn energy, as well as to relieve you from stress.

But millions of Americans are currently taking beta-blockers as a medication for hypertension. And most of them are concerned whether or not exercise is advisable even if they are taking beta-blockers. In this article, you will learn if you can still exercise while taking beta-blockers.

How Beta-blockers Affect Exercise?

Beta-blockers can slow down your heartbeat, thereby relieving stress on your heart. If this happens, the contraction of the blood vessels in the heart as well as in all parts of your body is reduced. It also decreases the heart’s demand for oxygen; that is why it is used to treat chest pain. It prevents you from experiencing abnormally fast heart rate; that is why it is used to treat atrial fibrillation. It is also used to prevent and treat a heart attack.

Beta-blockers and exercises have something in common. They have similar effects on your body. Beta-blockers can change your heart rate and blood pressure, just like exercise. But this doesn’t mean that you no longer need to exercise; instead, you just have to take beta-blockers. Exercise is very vital to maintain your entire health.

checking heart rate after a run

Your heart rate typically increases if you engage in physical activities. But this is prevented if you take beta-blockers as these can slow down your heart rate. This means that if you are taking beta-blockers and exercise at the same time, it may be hard for you to reach your target heart rate. According to experts, it might not be possible for you to have your target heart rate even if you exercise hard enough when taking beta-blockers. But it is still recommended for you to maintain your physical activities even if it seemed like you didn’t reach your target since you can still get benefits from exercise.

But then, the effects of beta-blockers on your heart rate cannot be precisely predicted. Some experts recommend you to take an exercise stress test to measure how your heart responds if you are engaging in physical activities. It can measure your blood flow while taking beta-blockers. Others use an exertion scale to determine how hard you are working according to breathlessness, effort, and fatigue.

What Happens If You Exercise While on Beta-blockers?

Beta-blockers slow down your heart rate, just like when you exercise. That is why it is important to monitor your heart rate during exercise if you are taking beta-blockers. As mentioned earlier, it might be impossible for your heart rate to go up. So, don’t try to overdo your exercise just to increase your heart rate.

Yes, you can exercise while taking beta-blockers. But you should be aware of the risks involved, including dehydration and over-exertion. Dehydration is characterized by fatigue, excessive thirst, and diminished sweating. That is why it is a must to keep you hydrated by drinking a lot of water when exercising.

On the other hand, over-exertion can make you experience lightheadedness, shortness of breath, chest pain, and inability to talk. This usually happens when you have a target heart rate when you exercise. Remember not to overdo things. You should not push yourself so hard, as beta-blockers can inhibit the heart rate you normally have. 

Using an exertion scale, try to aim from 3 to 5 out of a scale of 10. Exercise is for everyone. So whether or not you are taking beta-blockers, you need to be active at least four days a week. You can walk, swim, run, cycle, and other low-impact aerobics. You can also try to do tai chi and yoga.

Reasons to Exercise While on Beta-blockers

Here are the reasons why you need to exercise:

It can help decrease your risk of heart diseases

Exercise can improve your circulation and strengthen your heart. Oxygen levels in your body increase as your blood flow increases. This can lower your risk of heart-related conditions such as coronary artery disease, high cholesterol, and heart attack. It can even lower your blood pressure. Yes, beta-blockers can also aid in treating high blood pressure. If you take these drugs together with regular exercise, you will most likely obtain the utmost benefits.

It can maintain your weight

stepping on a scale

Obese people are more likely to be at risk of high blood pressure. People who have high blood pressure are usually prescribed to take beta-blockers. To reduce the risk of obesity, you should consider having a proper diet and regular exercise. If you are already taking beta-blockers, exercise can make these drugs more effective in preventing high blood pressure.

It can improve your mental health

Your body produces chemicals that help you deal with stress, anxiety, and depression during exercise. Beta-blockers, on the other hand, are known to treat symptoms of anxiety. If you combine exercise and beta-blockers, you will get a better result.

Conclusion

Exercise can improve your general wellness. But some people are in doubt whether or not they can still exercise even if they are taking beta-blockers. Beta-blockers and exercise have something in common- both of these can affect your heart rate and blood pressure. And yes, it is recommended for you to engage in physical activities for as long as you keep yourself hydrated and you don’t overdo it.

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