Lower Your Blood Pressure In Just 5 Minutes A Day
A new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association finds that just 5 minutes a day of a particular breathing exercise yields the same or better blood pressure lowering benefits and vascular health measures as cardiovascular exercise. The study was conducted at Colorado University in Boulder.
The breathing exercise is known as High-Resistance Inspiratory Muscle Strength Training or IMST for short. In the US alone two-thirds of the population above 50 years of age has above normal blood pressure putting them at increased risk of heart attack or stroke. The majority of this population fails to get the recommended amount of exercise.
An option that can yield similar benefits to walking at least 30 minutes a day, but requiring only 5 minutes to perform may be just what the doctor ordered. The typical barriers of time requirements, expense and access don’t apply here. IMST can be done at home while watching TV or listening to music. The devices themselves can be found readily starting at $15 and up to $500 online..
IMST
Man breathing through Power Breathe device.
IMST was developed in the 1980’s for critically ill respiratory disease patients to strengthen their diaphragm. At that time you would breathe through a device offering low resistance for 30 minutes per session. Since then Daniel Craighead and associates at the University of Arizona found that 30 breaths through a device with high resistance yielded cardiovascular, cognitive and sports performance benefits.
The study used 36 people between 50 and 79 years of age with above normal blood pressure. Broken into 2 groups, one did a placebo protocol the other used a respiratory resistance device. The breathing exercises are done daily for 5 minutes. After six weeks the IMST group was found to have lowered their BP by 9 points, exceeding the benefits of walking 30 minutes a day or the use of some BP lowering drugs. Re-evaluated 6 weeks after terminating the exercises the majority of the BP lowering benefits remained.
The IMST group also had an increase in vascular function and an increase in nitric oxide levels which helps blood vessels relax and stretch. Nitric oxide normally decreases with age. Markers of oxidation and stress, which can lead to heart attack, were also significantly reduced.
This practice may yield particular benefit for Post-menopausal women who do not reap as much benefit as men do from aerobic exercise unless taking supplemental estrogen. IMST benefitted women as much as men in the study. Early results also suggest improved measures of brain function and physical fitness. Other studies have found a benefit to sports performance.
The NIH is funding yet another larger study to nail down further the benefits and safety of IMST, though it is thus far considered remarkably safe. IMST devices can be found easily online. Anyone considering IMST should consult with their healthcare provider first.
References:
Colorado.edu/today – 5 Minute Breathing Exercise Lowers Blood Pressure as much as exercise, drugs
Sciencedaily.com – 5 Minute Breathing Exercise
Ahajournals.org – Time Efficient Inspiratory Muscle Strength Training Lowers Blood Pressure