Short exercises included in daily routine to ‘lower blood pressure’

Adding a short period of exercise to your daily routine, such as cycling to the shops for 15 minutes or taking the stairs, lowers blood pressure, the study found.

Increasing physical activity — changing, say, watching more TV or increasing the amount of sleep — is good for the heart, the researchers said.

However, they warned that people may need to do more than simply walking to see changes.

Published in the journal Circulation, the study highlighted that everyday activities that raise the heart rate, such as cycling, climbing stairs or jogging, have significant benefits.

Led by the University of London (UCL) and the University of Sydney, the research looked at the data of 14,761 people who wore activity trackers for 24 hours in order to examine the relationship between daily movement and sun and blood pressure.

Our findings suggest that, for many people, exercise is the key to lowering blood pressure, rather than less active forms of activity such as walking.

Dr Jo Blodgett, University College London

In an average 24-hour period, people spent about seven hours sleeping, 10 hours sitting, three hours standing, one hour walking slowly, one hour walking fast, and 16 minutes they exercise to increase their heart rate such as running. and cycling.

A study found that an additional five minutes of exercise that raises the heart rate, such as climbing stairs, running or riding a bicycle – in exchange for other behaviors – can reduce systolic blood pressure (SBP). with 0.68 millimeters of mercury (mmHg) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) with 0.54mmHg2.

Systolic is the “top number” in the blood pressure number and represents the pressure when the heart pushes blood around the body.

Diastolic is the “bottom number” and is the pressure when the heart is resting between beats.

In the general population, a reduction of 2mmHg in SBP and a reduction of 1mmHg in DPB is equivalent to approximately a 10% reduction in the risk of heart disease, the researchers said.

To achieve such clinically meaningful improvements, people would need to return 20-27 minutes from other methods to moderate exercise for high volume, and 10-15 minutes for low volume , the study found.

For example, with systolic blood pressure, exchanging 21 minutes of sedentary time, 22 minutes of standing or 26 minutes of slow walking for exercise such as cycling or running can be and this effect.

For diastolic blood pressure, benefits would arise from exchanging 10 minutes of brisk walking, 11 minutes of leisure time or 13 minutes of sleep for moderate exercise.

if you want to change blood pressure, putting more demand on the cardiovascular system through exercise will have the greatest effect

Dr Jo Blodgett, University College London

Dr Jo Blodgett, first author of the UCL study, said: “Our findings suggest that, for most people, exercise is the key to lowering blood pressure, rather than less restrictive measures. walking like walking.

“The good news is that, regardless of your physical strength, it doesn’t take long to have a positive effect on blood pressure.

“What’s unique about the flexibility of our workouts is that they include all kinds of exercise-like activities, from stair climbing to short cycling activities, many of which can be combined with daily activities. and the sun.

For those who did not exercise much, walking still had some benefits for blood pressure.

But if you want to change blood pressure, putting more demand on the cardiovascular system through exercise will have the greatest effect.

Chronic high blood pressure is one of the biggest causes of premature death worldwide and can lead to stroke, heart attack, heart failure and kidney damage.

The study was funded by the British Heart Foundation.

Its chief scientific officer, Professor Bryan Williams, said: “We know that exercise can have real benefits for your heart health and help lower blood pressure.

“We recommend 150 minutes of physical activity each week, and this interesting study shows that adding just a few minutes of exercise each day can help lower blood pressure even more.” , although it is a moderate amount.

“Anything that gets your heart pumping can help. Adding short activities like walking while making phone calls or setting an alarm to wake up and walk every hour are great ways to start building activities into your day. .

“These small changes will help you get into the habit of living a healthier, more active life.”