5-minute respiratory workouts can decrease blood stress and scale back the danger of coronary heart assault

July 8, 2021 – The demands of daily living often prevent people from getting enough exercise. However, according to a new study, it only takes 5 minutes of breathing exercises 6 days a week to lower blood pressure and improve heart health.

The study, published June 29 in the Journal of the American Heart Association, shows that high-resistance inspiratory muscle strength training (IMST) – described by the authors as “strength training for the respiratory muscles” – can help some of the biggest killers in the United States States.

IMST, which was first developed in the 1980s to help people with severe respiratory illnesses, involves inhalation through a hand-held device that offers resistance. The study by researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder found that it could help heart health as much, if not more, than aerobic exercise.

“There are many lifestyle strategies that we know can help people maintain cardiovascular health as they age. But the reality is that they take a lot of time and effort, and can be expensive and difficult to access for some people, “lead author Daniel Craighead, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Integrative Physiology, said in a press release. “IMST can be done in your own home in five minutes while you watch TV.”

About 65% of adults over 50 in the US have high blood pressure, which increases the chance of heart attacks and strokes. But less than 40% meet the CDC’s recommended aerobic exercise guidelines.

The study included 36 adults aged 50 to 79, all with increased pressure. Half received a highly resistant IMST for 5 minutes, 6 days a week. The other half had a low-resistance placebo program.

After 6 weeks, the treatment group saw that their systolic blood pressure – the peak value – fell by an average of nine points. This reduction is comparable to the effects of blood pressure medication and outperforms the effects of walking for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, the researchers found

The study authors also observed a 45% improvement in vascular endothelial function – how well arteries can expand.

There was also significantly less inflammation and oxidative stress, which are risk factors for heart attacks.

“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,” said senior author Doug Seals, PhD, a distinguished professor of integrative physiology at the university, in the press release. “That is remarkable.”