Relaxation Techniques May Lower High Blood Pressure in the Short Term: Study Finds
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Relaxation techniques may help lower high blood pressure-at least in the short term-but the longer term effects are unclear, finds a pooled data analysis of the existing research published in the open access journal BMJ Medicine.
The researchers scoured research databases for studies, published in English up to February 2024 that looked at the potential impact of relaxation techniques on high blood pressure (140/90 mm Hg and above) and elevated blood pressure (120/80 mm Hg and above).
They included 182 studies, 166 of which looked at high blood pressure, and 16 of which looked at elevated blood pressure (pre-hypertension).
Where possible, the researchers deployed network meta analysis, a statistical technique used to simultaneously compare the effects of several different ‘treatments’.
The pooled results of 54 studies showed that most relaxation techniques seemed to lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure for people with high blood pressure after 3 or fewer months. The most commonly included interventions were breath control (13 studies), yoga/tai chi (11), biofeedback (8), progressive muscle relaxation (7), and music (7).
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