5-Minute Daily Habit To Lower Blood Pressure
Adding just five minutes of exercise to your daily routine can significantly lower blood pressure and potentially reduce your risk of heart disease, according to a new study. Researchers from University College London (UCL) found that brief, everyday activities—like climbing stairs or cycling for short errands—can have a positive impact on blood pressure, regardless of an individual’s fitness level. The study, published on November 6 in Circulation, shows that even small increments of exercise can provide health benefits.
High blood pressure, which affects nearly 1.3 billion adults worldwide, is a leading cause of stroke and other life-threatening conditions. The study tracked almost 15,000 adults using activity trackers to monitor their daily behaviors, including sleep, sedentary time, slow and fast walking, standing, and more intense activities like running or cycling. On average, participants engaged in just 16 minutes of vigorous exercise each day.
The research team calculated the effect of replacing sedentary activities with just five minutes of exercise. They found that this small change resulted in a noticeable drop in both systolic (top number) and diastolic (bottom number) blood pressure. Specifically, systolic pressure decreased by 0.68 mmHg and diastolic by 0.54 mmHg. A slightly larger reduction of 2 mmHg in systolic and 1 mmHg in diastolic pressure could lower the risk of heart disease by up to 10%. The researchers suggest that 10 to 20 minutes of exercise each day could achieve these results.
The study highlights that activities that increase heart rate, like cycling, stair climbing, or short bursts of running, are particularly effective at reducing blood pressure. While more intense exercise offers greater benefits, even walking still provides some positive effects. Dr. Jo Blodgett, the study’s lead author, emphasized that incorporating even brief periods of more vigorous activity into daily routines could have significant health benefits for most people.
Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis, a co-author from the University of Sydney, pointed out that even small amounts of high-intensity activity, like five extra minutes of exercise, can lead to meaningful reductions in blood pressure. This finding underscores the importance of short, intense bouts of exercise for managing blood pressure effectively.
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