An estimated 74.5 million Americans over the age of 20 have high blood pressure. Of those, more than 20 percent are not aware of their potentially deadly condition, according to the American Heart Association.
Blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a term that refers to the force of circulating blood against artery walls. If the pressure is high enough, it can lead to health problems, such as heart disease and stroke. While the cause of this condition is mostly unknown, there are proven ways to reduce and even eliminate high blood pressure.
What is High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is identified by the amount of blood the heart pumps combined with resistance to the blood flow in the artery walls. Your blood pressure increases when the arteries narrow because the heart has to pump blood more quickly and at greater force. It’s possible to have high blood pressure for years without showing a single symptom, which is why this disease has such a high mortality rate. The longer hypertension goes untreated, the higher your risk for chronic illness and deadly events like stroke or heart attack. To reduce your blood pressure you can take medications and make lifestyle changes such as eating a healthier diet, consuming less sodium and salt, quitting smoking, and losing weight.
Breathing Exercises
Studies have found that controlled breathing exercises can lower blood pressure. One electronic device, Resperate, uses a chest strap to analyze your breathing patterns. At the same time it plays a relaxing, meditative tone for you to breathe along with. When the device tolls, you inhale. On another calming musical note, you exhale. For about 10 minutes you breathe along with the device while each tone gradually lengthens. Following several minutes of controlled, meditative breathing, the muscles surrounding small blood vessels relax, the arteries dilate, and your blood flows with less resistance. After a single session you can go from taking 16 to 19 quick, shallow breaths per minute to calmly breathing and exhaling no more than 10 deep, restorative breaths. You don’t have to use an electronic apparatus to get your breathing under control, but studies have shown that breathing exercises, along with a healthy diet and regular exercise, can reduce hypertension.
Benefits of Deep Breathing
In 2001, the Journal of Human Hypertension examined the use of a breathing device as a non-medicinal treatment for hypertension and regulating blood pressure. After using the apparatus for 10 minutes a day for eight weeks, hypertension patients experienced a significantly greater than anticipated clinical improvement in overall blood pressure.
References:
Science Daily: High Levels of Uric Acid May be Associated with High Blood Pressure. Accessed on February 6, 2011
American Journal of Hypertenstion: Device-Guided Breathing Exercises Reduce Blood Pressure; Rosenthal, T. et al.; Jan. 2001. Accessed February 6, 2011
Shannon Marks - Shannon Marks is a writer living in Austin, Texas. She spent most of the 90s and 2000's living in New York City where she was an editor at ...
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