Minutes of daily breathing exercises can lower blood pressure, study finds

According to a study, experts have shown how minutes of mindful breathing exercises can physically lower blood pressure as effectively as medication. The idea is that deep breathing is like muscle training for ones’ diaphragm and other muscles involved in breathing which promotes heart health and effectively reduces high blood pressure.

The experiment was conducted by researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Arizona, in the United States. The study looked at 128 volunteers, healthy adults between the age of 18 to 82 for the span of six weeks.

The participants were given a $32 PowerBreath device for 5 to 10 minutes each day. PowerBreathe is a resistance-breathing training device which looks like an inhaler. When people breathe into the handheld device it provides resistance making it harder to inhale. According to the study, within two weeks people started to see improvement with very few side effects.

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“We found that doing 30 breaths per day for six weeks lowers systolic blood pressure by about 9 millimeters of mercury,” researcher Daniel Craighead, an integrative physiologist at the University of Colorado Boulder, told NPR. He also went on to explain how these readings are close to what they would expect from common aerobic exercises like walking, running or cycling.

This reading was also on par with many commonly prescribed medications given to patients to lower blood pressure, suggests previous studies. Meanwhile, the older volunteers for this study who had high blood pressure benefitted and saw the most notable results, while it also helped younger volunteers.

According to Craighead, they expect that the longer the participants would practice their blood pressure would lower further. He added that people who have unhealthy levels of blood pressure can benefit from this by adding to their routine.

While the normal blood pressure reading is less than or about 120/80 mmHg, high blood pressure or hypertension is diagnosed in patients with an average reading of 130/80 mmHg or higher, said the CDC. As the study noted, the volunteers’ blood pressure lowered by at least 9 millimetres of mercury in the first number, which is the kind of reduction that is seen with blood pressure medication, said a physician to NPR.

High blood pressure and hypertension can lead to serious health problems like heart attacks and strokes if left untreated. People who smoke, do not exercise or maintain a healthy diet or are under chronic stress are especially vulnerable and at risk of experiencing high blood pressure.

However, Craighead has warned that this technique is not to replace exercise or medication for people who have high blood pressure; it would be a “good additive intervention” for people who lead a healthy lifestyle.

(With inputs from agencies)