Exercise To Lower Blood Pressure

1 min

A new study from the University of Connecticut was designed to show patients with hypertension that exercise has an immediate, positive effect on blood pressure. During the study, half the 24 participants checked their blood pressure twice a day as well as before and after exercising. The others didn’t check their pressure at all. Most exercised on a treadmill, performing 40-minute supervised sessions three times a week for 12 weeks at moderate intensity. They were also encouraged to exercise at home. Blood pressure fell by about 10 points among those who checked their pressure, double the drop seen among those who didn’t monitor their pressures. A month later the researchers found that 60 percent of the participants in the first group were still measuring their blood pressure and exercising for 45 minutes at least three and a half days per week. Those who didn’t check their pressures during the study were exercising for about 19 minutes once a week. Study leader Amanda Zalewski Ph.D., noted that the blood pressure reductions seen after exercise are “really powerful for someone with hypertension because it enables (patients) to demonstrate to themselves that their blood pressure is lower on days they exercise.”

Source:
Amanda L. Zaleski et al “Using the immediate blood pressure benefits of exercise to improve exercise adherence among adults with hypertension.”  Journal of Hypertension, May 2019; 1 DOI: 10.1097/HJH.0000000000002115

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