Do you want to lower your blood pressure? All you need is 20 minutes of exercise
A recent study highlights that adding small amounts of exercise like climbing stairs to your daily routine can reduce blood pressure.
A new study suggests that incorporating short periods of exercise, such as climbing stairs or walking upstairs, into your daily routine may help lower blood pressure.
The research, published in the journal Circulation, was conducted by a team from the PROPASS (Prospective Physical Activity, Sitting and Sleep) Consortium, an international academic collaboration led by the University of Sydney and University College London (UCL).
20-27 minutes of sedentary activity such as climbing stairs, running or cycling can lead to significant drops in blood pressure, especially useful for people with high blood pressure.
High blood pressure, or high blood pressure, occurs when the force of the blood against the artery walls is consistently too high, causing pressure on the heart and blood vessels.
This condition can lead to serious health problems like heart disease, stroke and kidney damage. A normal high blood pressure reading is 140/90 mmHg or higher.
Joint senior author Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis said high blood pressure is a global health issue, but small, accessible changes in activity could potentially reduce the need for medication.
Known as the “silent killer,” high blood pressure affects 1.28 billion adults worldwide and can lead to serious health problems such as heart attack, stroke and kidney disease.
To find out how different physical activities affect blood pressure, the research team analyzed data from 14,761 volunteers from five countries. Each participant wore an accelerometer on their thigh to monitor their activities and blood pressure levels.
The researchers categorized daily activity into six types: sleeping, sitting, slow walking, fast walking, standing, and vigorous exercise such as running and climbing stairs.
They used statistical models to estimate the effect of replacing sedentary time with moderate to vigorous physical activity.
Their findings showed that just 20-27 minutes of exercise every day could reduce the risk of heart disease by 28%.
Lead author Dr Jo Blodgett, from UCL, said any type of exercise, even running to the bus or cycling to a nearby destination, could be beneficial. While walking has benefits, intense activities have the greatest impact on blood pressure.
