New research suggests that breathing exercises for better blood pressure may work. Learn about the study and what it means for you.
Due to busy schedules, it’s hard sometimes to get enough physical exercise, but 5 minutes may be all you need. According to a June 29 study in the Journal of the American Heart Association, breathing exercises may improve blood pressure. High-resistance inspiratory muscle strength training (IMST) is basically strength training for your breathing muscles.
By doing IMST, a method that helps with severe respiratory disease, you inhale through a handheld device that provides resistance. In their study, researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder show that it may be as helpful as aerobic exercise.
While lifestyle changes such as regular exercise are beneficial, they take a lot of time and effort. However, IMST is convenient and can be done in five minutes in the comfort of your own home.
Since 65% of adults over 50 in the U.S. have hypertension, it’s important to control the condition before it results in cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, since fewer than 40% meet the CDC aerobic exercise guidelines, IMST may help in these cases.
The Study
The 36 participants in the study all had elevated blood pressure and were ages 50 to 79. Half of them tried high-resistance IMST for 5 minutes, 6 days per week while the other group had a low-resistance placebo program.
After six weeks, the systolic blood pressure of the treatment group dropped by 9 points on average. These results are comparable to blood pressure medication and exceeded the effects of walking 30 minutes per day. In addition to blood pressure, the authors saw a 45% improvement in vascular endothelial function.
Moreover, researchers found that there was less inflammation and oxidative stress present. These two factors often play a role in developing heart disease and heart attacks.
One of the senior authors is Doug Seals, Ph.D., a distinguished professor of integrative physiology at the university. In a news release, he stated the following:
“We have identified a novel form of therapy that lowers blood pressure without giving people pharmacological compounds and with much higher adherence than aerobic exercise. That’s noteworthy.”
Improving Blood Pressure
When it comes to improving your blood pressure, we know that exercising regularly and eating healthily works. However, it’s also important to look at new science-based treatments that may help improve your blood pressure and health.
Whatever you do, discuss your options with your doctor as they can help finetune a treatment that works for you. If you want something that can boost your circulation and promote lower blood pressure, try L-arginine Plus.
Its ingredients help increase the production of nitric oxide, a natural compound that improves blood flow. Try L-arginine Plus as a way to safely and effectively give your blood pressure health the support it needs.