Deep breathing has long been considered an important part of relaxing and relieving stress. In addition to promoting heart health and reducing high blood pressure, breathing exercises may also help reduce stress. Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Arizona published a study recently in the Journal of Applied Physiology that found that daily breath training can improve heart health and lower blood pressure by strengthening the diaphragm (the core breathing muscle). Daily breath training lowers blood pressure, the study concludes.
Researchers examined the effects of resistance breathing exercises using a handheld device called PowerBreathe on the diaphragm and other breathing muscles. Using the machine, breathing muscles are forced to work harder to catch a breath, which gives muscles a workout and increases their overall strength.
Healthy individuals between 18 and 82 took part in the new study. Using the PowerBreathe device, participants were instructed to take 30 breaths per day for six weeks using the machine. The blood pressure of each participant was measured before and after the study.
Participants experienced improvements within two weeks of using the device. After six weeks of breath training, the improvement was even more noticeable, with a reduction in systolic blood pressure of 9 mmHg and a reduction in diastolic blood pressure of 4 mmHg. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), normal blood pressure is less than 120/80 mmHg.
Researchers found that lowering systolic blood pressure by 10 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure by 5 mmHG reduces the risk of stroke by approximately 35 percent, and ischemic heart disease by approximately 25 percent at 65. That is why the researchers could conclude that daily breath training lowers blood pressure. The reduction in blood pressure that was achieved during the study is important.
The blood pressure reduction seen in the study is similar to what can be achieved with 30 minutes of aerobic exercise per day. It took only five to ten minutes to achieve the results with breath work.
