Making sure you get a chance to move around outside the truck can help keep your blood pressure low.
A frequent concern of commercial drivers involves whether or not they will pass the DOT physical exam with high blood pressure. Drivers who have high blood pressure can be medically certified to drive, so long as their blood pressure remains below 140/90. If your blood pressure rises above 140/90 you will have to get recertified on a more frequent basis, and are automatically disqualified from driving if your blood pressure reaches above 180/110. Drivers can reduce their blood pressure either through use of medication or by changing lifestyle choices.
How Does High Blood Pressure Affect Your Health?
People with high blood pressure are at a much greater risk for heart disease and other serious conditions. Hypertension can lead to blood vessel damage, heart attacks, heart failure, stroke, kidney failure, and eye problems. When fat collects inside arteries it restricts blood flow, which can cause life-threatening bodily damage. High-blood pressure presents a serious safety risk for people who make a living driving on the road.
Hypertension
Nearly one-third of people who have hypertension don’t know it, as symptoms are not typically obviously. Getting your blood pressure checked on a regular basis is the only way to know for sure. This is especially important if you have other medical conditions or are overweight. There are three stages of hypertension, and drivers with higher stages will either need more frequent recertifications or will be ineligible to drive.
Reducing Blood Pressure
The human body is designed to move, and your heart depends on this movement of the rest of your body to move blood around. That means movement is the best way to get your heart to function better, and therefore, reduce blood pressure. As a commercial driver, it’s inevitable that you will be sitting for hours on end with little to no movement. This puts all the heavy lifting on your heart to pump blood throughout your body. That doesn’t mean you can’t find ways to stay active outside the truck. Even short periods of exercise four to five times a day will do a lot to reduce blood pressure so that you can maintain your DOT medical card. The other part of reducing blood pressure is, as might expect, eating healthier foods.
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