HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE? LET'S CONTROL WITH DHUHA PRAYER!

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE? LET'S CONTROL WITH DHUHA PRAYER!

High blood pressure (BP) or in medical terms hypertension is a condition when the value of systolic blood pressure is ≥ 140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure is ≥ 90 mmHg (Istiana et al., 2021). Data from Riskesdas 2018 shows that the estimated number of hypertensive patients in Indonesia is 63.309.620 people with a death rate due to hypertension of 427.218. The largest group was in the age range of 55-64 years (55,2%). In order to commemorate World Hypertension Day which is held every May 17 and the urgency to reduce the prevalence of hypertension, it is necessary to prevent and control hypertension, one of which is by praying dhuha (Ministry of Health, 2019).

Duha prayer is a sunnah prayer which is performed in the morning when the sun is as high as a spear until before the sun is perpendicular. Rasulullah SAW said: "My beloved (Rasululllah SAW) willed me not to leave three things as long as I am alive, namely fasting three days every month, praying dhuha, and praying witr before going to bed." (Narrated by Bukhari no. 1178, Muslim no. 721). It is known that there is diurnal variation in BP which usually increases rapidly on awakening in the morning, reaching a state of plateau in the morning, drops slightly in the afternoon, and rises again in the early evening. The increase in BP in the morning correlates with changes in physical activity (Kawano, 2011; Purnama, 2022).

A study conducted on the elderly showed that Duha prayer has significant potential to improve hemodynamic parameters (Boy et al., 2021). The consistent results were stated by Istiana et al. (2021) which states that there is an effect of Duha prayer therapy on reducing BP in elderly women who experience hypertension. When performing Duha prayer with a sincere heart, positive emotions will emerge which can later affect the physiological TD because a sense of relaxation appears and the parasympathetic nervous system activates from alpha brain waves. A relaxed body will stimulate the production of endorphins which can reduce catecholamine neurotransmitters which have an effect on decreasing heart rate and BP.

Increased blood circulation occurs when performing prayers. It is believed that repeated changes in body posture and prayer readings can cause blood circulation to the face and tongue to increase due to the response of sensory and motor activity. The muscles and joints involved in prayer also have an effect on blood flow and postural reflexes. The more Duha prayer cycles are performed, the better the hemodynamic changes (Boy et al..

This is in accordance with the hadith of Rasulullah SAW which reads: "In the morning there is an obligation for all your joints to give charity. So every tasbih reading is a charity, every tahmid reading is a charity, every tahlil reading is a charity, and every takbir reading is a charity. Likewise amar ma'ruf and nahi mungkar are alms. All of this can be fulfilled by carrying out two cycles of Duha prayer.” (HR. Muslim No. 720).

In conclusion, Rasulullah SAW advised his people to perform dhuha prayers at least two rak'ahs every morning. This suggestion is given to improve the physical and emotional health of the people. One of the benefits of Duha prayer is that it can be used as a non-pharmacological therapy to control high blood pressure, especially in the elderly.

Dian Astri Noviandy – 19711071

Bibliography

Boy, E. et al. (2021) 'Dhuha prayer improves haemodynamics: A randomized controlled study', Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences, 9, pp. 1695–1700. doi: 10.3889/oamjms.2021.7666.

Istiana, D. et al. (2021) 'The Effect of Dhuha Prayer Therapy on Lowering Blood Pressure in the Elderly at the Tresna Werdha Social Institution, West Nusa Tenggara Province', STIKES Yarsi Mataram Scientific Journal, 11(1), pp. 8–14. doi: 10.57267/jisym. v11i1.74.

Kawano, Y. (2011) 'Diurnal blood pressure variation and related behavioral factors', Hypertension Research. Nature Publishing Group, 34(3), pp. 281–285. doi: 10.1038/hr.2010.241.

Ministry of Health, R. (2019) World Hypertension Day 2019: "Know Your Number, Control Your Blood Pressure INTELLIGENTLY.", Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia. Available at: https://p2ptm.kemkes.go.id/tag/hari-hipertensi-dunia-2019-know-your-number-kendalikan-tekanan-darahmu-dengan-cerdik#:~:text=Riskesdas 2018 states prevalence hypertension, by (22% 2C2% 25). (Accessed: 11 May 2023).

Purnama, Y. (2022) Fiqh of Dhuha Prayer. Available at: https://muslim.or.id/44198-fikih-shalat-dhuha.html. (Accessed: 11 May 2023).