Simply improving your breathing can significantly reduce high blood pressure at any age. Recent studies have shown that just 5-10 minutes of daily exercise that strengthens the diaphragm and certain other muscles can help.

SciePro/Getty Images/Max Posner/NPR

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SciePro/Getty Images/Max Posner/NPR

Simply improving your breathing can significantly reduce high blood pressure at any age. Recent studies have shown that just 5-10 minutes of daily exercise that strengthens the diaphragm and certain other muscles can help.

SciePro/Getty Images/Max Posner/NPR

It is well known that weightlifting can strengthen the biceps and quadriceps. Evidence is now accumulating that strengthening the muscles used for breathing is also beneficial. has been shown to be reduced.

“The muscles we use to breathe atrophy in the same way other muscles tend to atrophy as we age,” says Daniel Craighead, an integrative physiologist and researcher at the University of Colorado Boulder. To test what happens to these muscles with proper training, he and his colleagues recruited healthy volunteers between the ages of 18 and 82. Try the 5-minute technique every day with a resistance breathing training device called PowerBreathe. His one of the handheld machines on the market, this handheld machine looks like an inhaler. When a person inhales, the device creates resistance, making it difficult to inhale.

Usage

“We found that 30 breaths per day for six weeks lowered systolic blood pressure by about 9 millimeters of mercury,” says Craighead. And these reductions are about what you’d expect from traditional aerobic exercise like walking, running, and cycling, he says.

A normal blood pressure reading is less than about 120/80 mmHg, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More recently, some medical professionals have consistently diagnosed hypertension in patients with average readings of 130/80 mmHg or higher, notes the CDC.

Michael Joyner, a Mayo Clinic physician who studies how the nervous system regulates blood pressure, said the impact of a sustained 9 mmHg drop in systolic blood pressure (the first number in the ratio) is significant. “It’s the type of drop you see with blood pressure medications,” Joyner says. It has been. The reduction is greater when people combine multiple drugs, but a reduction of 10 mmHg correlates with a 35% lower risk of stroke and a 25% lower risk of heart disease.

Exercise also helps prevent high blood pressure

“I see promise,” says Joyner, about the possibility of integrating respiratory muscle strength training into preventive care. It can be beneficial for those unable to do conventional cardio, and given how easy it is to use the device at home, its simplicity is also appealing.

“Deep breathing with resistance offers a new and unconventional way to create the benefits of exercise and physical activity,” says Joyner. American Heart Association Journal.

So how Exactly Does Breathing Exercise Lower Blood Pressure? Craighead points to the role of endothelial cells in lining blood vessels and promoting the production of nitric oxide, a key compound that protects the heart. Nitric oxide dilates blood vessels, promotes good blood flow, and prevents plaque buildup in arteries. “What we found was that at 6 weeks he was IMST [inspiratory-muscle strength training] It increases endothelial function by about 45%,” explains Craighead.

Suitable for all ages and can enhance endurance for athletes

Deep diaphragmatic breathing, often used during meditation and mindfulness practices, has long been known to also help lower blood pressure. It works and promotes the production of nitric oxide. Craighead said a particular usefulness of his device at IMST is that the small machine adds resistance that gives the muscles a good workout, so it takes less time to get the benefits. Funded by the Institute of Health.

The new study builds on previous research and adds evidence that IMST, which is essentially strength training for respiratory muscles, benefits adults of all ages. “We were amazed at how effective IMST was in lowering blood pressure,” he says. Before the results were out, he thought it might not work as well in young, healthy adults. The findings suggest that IMST may help healthy young people prevent heart disease and age-related increases in blood pressure, he said. say.

Elite cyclists, runners and other endurance athletes may also benefit, he said, with data showing that a six-week IMST increased aerobic endurance by 12% in middle-aged and older adults. is quoting.

“So we think an IMST consisting of just 30 breaths a day could be very useful for endurance exercise events,” says Craighead. This is a technique athletes can add to their training plans. Craighead, whose marathon best is 2:21, says he incorporates the IMST as part of his training.

The technology won’t replace exercise, he warned, nor will it replace medications in people who have too high blood pressure and are at high risk of heart attacks and strokes. says, “It would be a great additional intervention for those already following other healthy lifestyle approaches.”

This is how 61-year-old Theresa D. Hernandez sees breathing exercises. She lives in Boulder, she has a family history of high blood pressure, and she participated in a study in Colorado.When her study began, her blood pressure readings were below the threshold at which doctors recommended medication. it was close

“It was amazing how something so simple could be so profound in its effects,” Hernandez said of the six-week breathing technique. “My blood pressure was below my threshold so I wouldn’t have to take any medication,” she says.

Her blood pressure has dropped significantly, she says, and plans to keep it for five minutes each day.