A new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association suggests that giving your breathing muscles a serious workout for just five minutes a day can lower your blood pressure more than exercise and medication. Researchers at the University of Arizona and University of Colorado Boulder (USA) found that if people used a device with resistance to inhaling for five minutes every day for six days a week, their systolic blood pressure dropped up to nine millimetres.
What is this device?
High-Resistance Inspiratory Muscle Strength Training (IMST) involves breathing vigorously through a hand-held device that provides some resistance. By using this machine, people can effectively reduce their blood pressure even if they don’t have time to exercise every day. Just 30 inhalations for five minutes, for five days a week, is enough to do the trick. What’s more, is that this exercise also improved cardiovascular health and inflammation in the body.
It is also important to note that the researchers behind this study have said that IMST isn’t necessarily meant to replace working out. It is just a more handy option for those people who have trouble exercising due to health issues, lack access to walking trails or parks, or simply those looking for a non-drug option to reduce their blood pressure.