Written by Kristy Durso, February 25, 2025
Have you ever wondered what it looks like when Gulliver is tasking for my heart?
This is it.
I’ve recently developed some fantastic new features with my blood pressure. While I am used to dealing with low blood pressure crashes, recently, it’s started spiking as well.
We have definitively ruled out any heart, disease, risk of embolism, etc. I had an extensive cardiac work up last week, and the team of doctors determined I am in no risk of heart failure.
However, high blood pressure symptoms are scary, uncomfortable, and still problematic.
Enter Gulliver.
Had already been trained to be on my lap for blood pressure drops. Today he has spent about two hours laying not just across my lap, but on my entire lower body.
Within 10 minutes my blood pressure went from 145/109 to 127/85.
Deep pressure therapy (DPT) can help lower diastolic blood pressure in dysautonomia by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing sympathetic overactivity, and promoting vasodilation. This pressure-based stimulation (such as weighted blankets, compression garments, or firm touch) can improve autonomic regulation, decrease stress-related catecholamine release, and enhance baroreceptor sensitivity, leading to better blood pressure stability. While individual responses vary, DPT is often beneficial in managing autonomic dysfunction symptoms, including blood pressure dysregulation.
While it may just look like Gulliver is laying in my lap for snuggles, he is, in fact, working.
In truth, Gulliver is not a dog that really enjoys being held. He loves his people, he likes to be next to me, and we are very much companions. However, unless he is tasking, he does not ever just lay in my lap. He only does this when he is working .
[photo description: Kristy is sitting on the floor with her hair pulled up in a ponytail, leaning against a brown desk. Gulliver is laying stretched out on top of her legs]
