Exercises that can be done at home that help lower blood pressure.

 Exercises that can be done at home that help lower blood pressure.

A study has shown that isometric, muscle-strengthening exercises such as wall squats or planks are among the best ways to lower blood pressure.

Many current guidelines for controlling blood pressure emphasize walking, running, or cycling, all of which are aerobic exercises, and need to change, British researchers say.

However, in an analysis published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, which tested 16,000 people, it was found that all types of exercise are good for lowering blood pressure.

However, wall squats and floor planks lower blood pressure more than aerobic exercise.

These isometric exercises are designed to build strength without moving your muscles or joints.

The plank position is similar to the starting position of a press-up. This has your elbows directly under your shoulders while your legs are fully extended behind you. This puts direct pressure on your abdominal muscles.

On the other hand, in 'wall squats' you rest your back against the wall in a position similar to sitting on a chair. Your feet are about 60cm from the wall and you allow your body to slide until your thighs are parallel to the floor.

Study author Dr Jamie O'Driscoll of Christchurch University in Canterbury says isometric exercises put a very different kind of stress on the body than aerobic exercise.

It increases the blood circulation but during the exercise it is important that you don't forget to breathe (which many people forget).

High blood pressure puts pressure on the blood vessels, heart and other organs, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke.

People over the age of forty are also recommended to have their blood pressure checked every five years.

Arterial blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury. According to the study, blood pressure below 130/85 is healthy while above 140/90 is considered high.

A large number of these actually record blood pressure in the arteries. This is the time when the heart is contracting called systolic blood pressure.

The lower number is the pressure in the arteries between two heartbeats. This is when the heart is filling with blood and is called diastolic blood pressure.

For the study, researchers from Christchurch University of Canterbury and the University of Leicester studied data from 15,827 people who exercised for two weeks or more in 270 clinical trials published between 1990 and 2023.

During this time, he found out how much blood pressure can be reduced by various exercises. All these readings are measured in mmHg.

Aerobic exercise decreases 4.49/2.53.

4.55/3.04 decreases with dynamic resistance or weight-bearing exercise.

Combined aerobic and weight training resulted in a 6.04/2.54 reduction.

HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), which includes short periods of intense exercise followed by rest, decreased by 4.08/2.50.

After isometric exercise ie planks and wall squats etc. there is a decrease of 8.24/4.

Dr. O'Driscoll says it's a relatively small dose reduction, but it can reduce patients' risk of stroke.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends in its Guidelines for Good Health that adults get between 150 and 300 minutes of moderate aerobic physical activity per week, or at least 75 to 150 minutes over the same period. Vigorous aerobic physical activity is required.

Such people should also consider doing a two-minute wall squat or plank three times a week, says Dr. Odeskroll. He says to repeat this exercise four times with two minutes of rest in between.

The World Health Organization said this indicates that inactivity is one of the main risk factors for heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in the world.

Which can be largely prevented by moderate exercise, such as walking between 30 and 60 minutes a day.

Physical activity affects other risk factors for heart disease. It helps control weight, reduce stress, anxiety and depression, as well as control diabetes, the agency said on its website.