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).
Compared with no intervention, breath control achieved a reduction of 6.65 mm Hg in systolic blood pressure (the first and higher number in a blood pressure reading), meditation a drop of 7.71 mm Hg, meditative movement, such as tai chi and yoga, a drop of 9.58 mm Hg, and mindfulness a drop of 9.90 mm Hg.
Music was also associated with a fall of 6.61 mm Hg, progressive muscle relaxation with a fall of 7.46 mm Hg, and psychotherapy with a reduction of 9.83 mm Hg. Combined techniques were associated with a drop of 6.78 mm Hg in blood pressure.
There was no statistical evidence of effectiveness for other treatments assessed at this time point, including biofeedback, progressive muscle relaxation, and techniques involving a combined approach.
The researchers note that the descriptions of relaxation interventions were sometimes incomplete or sparse, there were few data on costs and cost effectiveness, and most of the included studies didn’t report information on the risk of cardiovascular disease/events/deaths.
Reference: Katie E Webster, Monika Halicka, Russell J Bowater, Thomas Parkhouse, Dara Stanescu, Athitya Vel Punniyakotty, Jelena Savović, Alyson Huntley, Sarah Dawson, Christopher E Clark, Rachel Johnson, Julian PT Higgins, Deborah M Caldwell - Effectiveness of stress management and relaxation interventions for management of hypertension and prehypertension: systematic review and network meta-analysis: BMJ Medicine 2025;4:e001098.
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