what causes increase in blood pressure while on cruise

[owl61]

We cruise a lot (usually about 70 days a year) and had a related issue regarding swollen ankles. My wife noticed that her ankles would swell whenever we were on a cruise (and we tend to take long cruises of 14+ days) but she did not have this problem at home. Than on one cruise a physician at our table suggested the problem was simply that cruise lines cook banquet-type food and their chefs tend to add lots of salt to every dish to enhance flavor. He suggested my wife drink lots of fluids (much more than when at home) and that would solve the problem. Well, it did work and has continued to work on subsequent trips. For those whose BP is sensitive to salt/sodium (this is only a segment of the population) it is not surprising to have higher BP on cruises. If this is a major issue, you should speak to your physician who could suggest an adjustment to your meds (such as a diuretic) during your trip.

Hank

Thanks. I guess PHilip has not seen the request for his expertise on the water´s sodium level.

[Toto2Kansas]

Many will not believe this, but it isn't coming from the water. It is the food served onboard that has a high sodium content. If you would like to keep the sodium down, request a low sodium diet and drink more water onboard. You won't have the problem anymore with swelling and elevated blood pressure while on a ship. ;)

[Hlitner]

The drinking water on most newer ships is manufactured from sea water by a very high tech reverse osmosis system. This actually leaves the water virtually free of sodium or any other mineral (better than almost any bottled water brand). We have heard that some of the cruise lines add back some minerals to give the water some flavor, but have never been able to verify if this is true.

 

Hank

[Sir PMP]

too much sex?

 

That lowers the blood pressure!

[gggoodgggirl]

I'm replying 10 years late to this post, but want to share my experience.  I do not normally have high BP - my normal read is 128/70. I am 58 year old female that would be classified as overweight, but otherwise healthy.  I reversed my T2 diabetes with diet and exercise and my fasting glucose is in the low 90s. I control my diet by logging every oz of food that I eat and I carry a pocket food scale in my purse.  I normally eat 1600 calories per day but increased to 1800 calories for this vacation. I also had requested low sodium meals on my 5-day cruise, never ate at the buffet (we had Club Class dining on Princess), and drank no alcohol.

 

When the cruise was over my ankles were larger than coffee cans, my bp was 170/110, and I had gained 14 lbs. I had severe cranial pressure which led to emergency treatment for acute hypertension. I had to be monitored for 2 weeks.  I shared my logs, the cruise menus, and everything else I experienced for 5 days.  

 

So what did the doctors conclude?  The salty air I was breathing.  When you are on an ocean cruise the salt content in the air you breathe might be tripled.  That explanation actually makes sense to me.  And when I read all these posts from other cruisers with similar unexplained acute hypertention symproms I never have seen anyone talk about air quality as a trigger.  

 

After 2 weeks of treatment everything returned to normal and I have had no recurrence of symptoms.  Unfortunately I have been advised never to take an ocean cruise again.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 4, 2019 by gggoodgggirl
Spelling

[SRF]

On 3/20/2009 at 1:54 PM, TheVegasMan said:

No idea what units you or your DR. are using to measure but those are funny numbers. My normal range is anywhere from 112/72 to 140/80 and that is not high. For BP to be considered to be high it has to be 160/100.

 

Vacations and cruises are meant to lower BP and stress levels. If cruising causes your BP to go up, stay home.

 

Not true.

 

140/90 is considered borderline.

 

120/80 is the top of the "normal" range.

 

http://www.bloodpressureuk.org/BloodPressureandyou/Thebasics/Bloodpressurechart

 

 

[cb at sea]

Even if the food has "no salt added", doesn't mean it's not loaded with sodium when they get it.  Most pre-prepared foods are quite high in salt.

  Plus, you're in a humidity-enhanced environment...usually warmer than normal...doing more than you might at home (or at least, different things), drinking more....

Ask your doctor for a solution.

 

[gooch47]

I remembered a reference to BP with numbers like 14/9 so I googled it.  But I couldn't tell where numbers like that are used.

[chengkp75]

Not sure about your doctors, as there is really no "salt" in sea air.  Think about it, when you evaporate sea water into the air, what is left behind?  Salt.  So, unless you were taking salt water spray in the face the whole time you were cruising, you would not be inhaling salt.  The "salt smell" of the ocean is mainly caused by Dimethylsulfide, which has no sodium in it.  As you say, you retained water and gained weight, both of which cause a rise in blood pressure.  What caused this?  Possibly a change in activity level, a change in hydration, the chlorine in the tap water, or the lack of minerals (notably magnesium) in desalinated water produced onboard that can affect the thyroid and cause water retention.  I would say your problem could have several causes, but "breathing sea air" is not one of them.

[gggoodgggirl]

5 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Not sure about your doctors, as there is really no "salt" in sea air.  Think about it, when you evaporate sea water into the air, what is left behind?  Salt.  So, unless you were taking salt water spray in the face the whole time you were cruising, you would not be inhaling salt.  The "salt smell" of the ocean is mainly caused by Dimethylsulfide, which has no sodium in it.  As you say, you retained water and gained weight, both of which cause a rise in blood pressure.  What caused this?  Possibly a change in activity level, a change in hydration, the chlorine in the tap water, or the lack of minerals (notably magnesium) in desalinated water produced onboard that can affect the thyroid and cause water retention.  I would say your problem could have several causes, but "breathing sea air" is not one of them.

 

I'll respectfully disagree.   There is higher salt concentration in the ocean air, and you breathe in that air.  The air you breathe is absorbed into your blood, and filtered by your kidneys and liver.  You can google this on the internet and find articles that discuss the concept of how breathing in salt air can effect BP as much as consuming it in food.  

[chengkp75]

1 hour ago, gggoodgggirl said:

 

I'll respectfully disagree.   There is higher salt concentration in the ocean air, and you breathe in that air.  The air you breathe is absorbed into your blood, and filtered by your kidneys and liver.  You can google this on the internet and find articles that discuss the concept of how breathing in salt air can effect BP as much as consuming it in food.  

You can google anything and find articles that discuss finding Bigfoot, and Alien probings, but that doesn't make it science.  I'd like to see some data that shows a higher sodium particulate count in sea air than in land air.  I've spent my entire working career spending 180 days a year at sea, and I have a tendency towards hypertension (diet and weight), so if this was the case, my blood pressure would be through the roof, and no doctor I've ever seen has warned me about breathing sea air.  The articles I see are using dry salt particles in an aerosol, which is far, far different than sea air.  And most of the benefits I see refer to improvements in breathing, not blood pressure, and again, this is using a salt water mist, which has aerosolized salt particles.

[LHT28]

back in 2010  on a cruise my legs swelled so bad they were painful

I stopped ordering any sauces or dressings, drank more fluids & tried walking more

since then several cruises later I have not had an issue

all were ocean cruises  so I will disagree about breathing in the salt in the air 

Some food  may not taste salty  but  on ships  they do tend to use  more salt than you would at home

some foods  just have more sodium content  

JMO

[pacruise804]

6 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Not sure about your doctors, as there is really no "salt" in sea air.  Think about it, when you evaporate sea water into the air, what is left behind?  Salt.  So, unless you were taking salt water spray in the face the whole time you were cruising, you would not be inhaling salt.  The "salt smell" of the ocean is mainly caused by Dimethylsulfide, which has no sodium in it.  As you say, you retained water and gained weight, both of which cause a rise in blood pressure.  What caused this?  Possibly a change in activity level, a change in hydration, the chlorine in the tap water, or the lack of minerals (notably magnesium) in desalinated water produced onboard that can affect the thyroid and cause water retention.  I would say your problem could have several causes, but "breathing sea air" is not one of them.

 

I had not heard of chlorine causing a rise in BP - is this common?  We drink a lot of water at home and onboard, but home is well water without any chlorine.  Is there any way to counteract this or the lack of magnesium?  We prefer tap water but do drink a lot of it.

[chengkp75]

2 hours ago, pacruise804 said:

 

I had not heard of chlorine causing a rise in BP - is this common?  We drink a lot of water at home and onboard, but home is well water without any chlorine.  Is there any way to counteract this or the lack of magnesium?  We prefer tap water but do drink a lot of it.

The magnesium content depends on how much water the ship produces, and how much it loads from port.  Foods high in magnesium are cashews, avocado, spinach, and others, and this can make up for the lack of it in the water.

 

Even tap water on land that has been chlorinated, is not circulated, and can sit stagnant in the underground pipes for hours or days, and chlorine tends to dissipate naturally over time, which is why most households will show little or no residual chlorine in their water.  Ship's water is constantly circulated, and constantly monitored for chlorine level, and chlorine is dosed continually to maintain a residual of 0.5ppm at the furthest point in the system.  Water from drink dispensers, water dispensers, bar guns, or the water pitcher filling stations in the dining venues (as well as all ice makers) on ships are fitted with carbon filters to remove the chlorine before it enters the equipment.  This is because chlorine will form scale inside the equipment, and it eases maintenance to remove it prior to use.  So, if you drink ship's water that does not come from your sink faucet, it will not have chlorine in it.  You can also fill a pitcher with water from your bathroom, and leave it sit open for a few hours, and the chlorine will dissipate naturally.

 

It is not that chlorine or magnesium raises blood pressure, it is that the presence of chlorine, or the absence of magnesium can lead to fluid retention, which does raise blood pressure.

[jagsfan]

I have to say that since I started bringing  bottled water onboard, or in the case of Princess, ordering it, my feet and ankles aren’t swelling as much. I only drink water and occasionally iced tea in the dining room. 

 I used to fill a glass in our cabin and add flavoring to it, but not any more. 

The only other difference is that I ask for a pillow to go under the covers to put my feet on. I sleep with my feet raised, and put them up frequently during the day. 

There is a real difference these days in the amount of swelling. I’m going to bring my blood pressure cuff on my April cruise to see if being at sea makes a difference. 

And I’m one of the unenlightened ones! 

I always assumed  it was the salt in the air. 😔

[MCC retired]

Bikini’s , but only on those that should be wearing them 😉

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 2/4/2019 at 5:55 PM, gggoodgggirl said:

I had gained 14 lbs in 5 days. So what did the doctors conclude?  The salty air I was breathing. 

Seriously? Salty air? I call BS.

My mom cruised with us thrice now and every year she and dad go to Florida beaches in the summer. She is in late 60s, with very bad BP problems, but not overweight or diabetic at all. Not once did she gain that much weight (she gains about 3# per cruise), and she's never had any acute hypertension episodes while cruising or in Florida. She brings her BP measuring device. And she eats at the buffet! A lot. Even stops by after MDR to have a snack.

I too swell up badly during cruises, but I don't have any hypertension episodes.

Edited February 6, 2019 by Itchy&Scratchy

[pacruise804]

17 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

The magnesium content depends on how much water the ship produces, and how much it loads from port.  Foods high in magnesium are cashews, avocado, spinach, and others, and this can make up for the lack of it in the water.

 

Even tap water on land that has been chlorinated, is not circulated, and can sit stagnant in the underground pipes for hours or days, and chlorine tends to dissipate naturally over time, which is why most households will show little or no residual chlorine in their water.  Ship's water is constantly circulated, and constantly monitored for chlorine level, and chlorine is dosed continually to maintain a residual of 0.5ppm at the furthest point in the system.  Water from drink dispensers, water dispensers, bar guns, or the water pitcher filling stations in the dining venues (as well as all ice makers) on ships are fitted with carbon filters to remove the chlorine before it enters the equipment.  This is because chlorine will form scale inside the equipment, and it eases maintenance to remove it prior to use.  So, if you drink ship's water that does not come from your sink faucet, it will not have chlorine in it.  You can also fill a pitcher with water from your bathroom, and leave it sit open for a few hours, and the chlorine will dissipate naturally.

 

It is not that chlorine or magnesium raises blood pressure, it is that the presence of chlorine, or the absence of magnesium can lead to fluid retention, which does raise blood pressure.

 

Thanks for the explanation.  My bp tends to run low so I'm not as concerned about it, but I have noticed a lot more swelling.  I guess I'll be packing some cashews for the cabin (not used to seeing them on the ship) and eating more spinach (not a fan of avocado).

 

17 hours ago, jagsfan said:

I have to say that since I started bringing  bottled water onboard, or in the case of Princess, ordering it, my feet and ankles aren’t swelling as much. I only drink water and occasionally iced tea in the dining room. 

 I used to fill a glass in our cabin and add flavoring to it, but not any more. 

The only other difference is that I ask for a pillow to go under the covers to put my feet on. I sleep with my feet raised, and put them up frequently during the day. 

There is a real difference these days in the amount of swelling. I’m going to bring my blood pressure cuff on my April cruise to see if being at sea makes a difference. 

And I’m one of the unenlightened ones! 

I always assumed  it was the salt in the air. 😔

 

I'll definitely start doing this.  I remember it made a big difference in my first pregnancy when I had extreme swelling in my feet and ankles.

[gggoodgggirl]

I shared my experience on this thread in a sincere effort to help others.  And my experience includes input from licensed medical professionals who have researched this very issue.   There is no need for anyone to be condescending or rude to me - you can do what you want with the information, but if it helps even ONE person, then I am happy.  

 

To say that airborne substances cannot be inhaled into the lungs or absorbed through the skin and wreak havoc on one's health is ludicrous.  Reactions to airborne substances is common - think pollen, mold, chemicals, and more.  Exposure might not effect everyone, and severity may vary from person to person.  I never made claim that everyone's edema or hypertension was caused by salty air... I said that my doctors concluded that the higher content of salt in the ocean air was a likely trigger for me, and I shared the info here in case it MIGHT be helpful for someone else. 

 

I am honestly shocked by the tone and attitude of some people on this board.  There is always an opportunity to warm and friendly.  

 

With that, I'm out.