Hypertension (high blood pressure) isn’t just harmful; it’s the silent killer. Affecting nearly half of U.S. adults and contributing to 685,875 deaths nationwide in 2022 alone, high blood pressure is dangerous because it increases stroke and heart disease risks significantly.
For those looking for ways to lower their high blood pressure, PrevMed Heart Attack & Stroke Prevention founder Dr. Ford Brewer knows two techniques that can get results within minutes.
“But they only last for a couple of hours, so you need to do them every day, and I do,” the preventive medicine physician told his 534,000 YouTube subscribers. “I do these every day.”
How to lower blood pressure with breathing exercises
A great way to lower blood pressure is to breathe. Do it slowly, patiently.
“The first intervention, breathing exercises, is very simple and easy,” Brewer said. “Slow breathing has been shown to decrease blood pressure significantly in multiple meta analyses. Meta analyses are some of the highest forms of scientific evidence. They’re multiple studies and looking at that same question. Some studies suggest a decrease of up to 10 points.”
Blood pressure is measured based on systolic (pressure against artery walls during heart beats) and diastolic (pressure against artery walls during heart rests). According to the American Heart Association, a “normal” systolic blood pressure is less than 120 points, while diastolic is less than 80. Hypertension begins at a systolic blood pressure of 130 points and diastolic blood pressure of 80.
“So there are multiple ways to do breathing exercises,” he said. “But here’s the key: You should be able to lower your breathing rate six to 10 breaths per minute. Studies have shown that things like yoga are very effective, or even trying machines like Resperate. It can help you get trained.”
Resperate is a medical device that uses sounds to guide users through breathing exercises. Those not interested in using it have other options though.
“What I like to recommend is a straightforward exercise that anyone can do,” Brewer continued. “Here is what you do: Take a deep breath for about four seconds, then hold your breath for about four seconds and then let the air out for about eight seconds. This is called the 4-4-8 technique, and it’s also sometimes called the box breath, using 4-4-8 count. One paper showed that it can decrease arterial stiffness, which is associated with high blood pressure. Again, these are some interesting results. In reality, almost all breathing exercises that take you to that breathing frequency, that lower frequency — six to 10 breaths per minute — they all work.”
How isometric exercise can lower blood pressure
Another way to improve your blood pressure is through isometric exercise. From planks to leg lifts, these exercises rely on minimal movement and isolated muscle contractions.
“Now isometrics are not the greatest for muscle development, so I don’t really prefer them because I want you to have good, strong, metabolically active and healthy muscles,” he said. “But again, we’re talking about the actual evidence that’s available on lowering blood pressure naturally. We’re not talking about muscle development in this video. Now, I’d suggest you do the real exercises instead if you’re going to go to the effort of exercise. Don’t develop a pattern of daily doing isometrics.”
Luckily, there’s an exception.
“This first exercise: Hand grip for two minutes using a dynamometer, dynamo meaning power and meter being measurement. It’s a measurement device for grip strength. This might be an exception; it might be something you want to do more often.”
Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
“I prefer a thing called dog bones,” Brewer added, speaking on an alternative to using the dynamometer for the study-proven exercise. “You lift a weight by rolling it or winding it up on a cord or belt. Specifically, what we’re talking about here, in this study, is hand grip exercises. You can use a round pillow or something fairly bland. You can grab your handle, ideally a dynamometer.”
“They’re 20 bucks on Amazon,” he continued. “Squeeze the dynamometer or the pillow with about 20% to 30% of your maximum strength. That dynamometer will help you measure this. You keep that effort for about two minutes. You’re going to start feeling it, and it’s going to wear you out. Rest for about one to three. Repeat this two or three times; that is no more than 10 minutes a day. What you’re doing is something similar to high-intensity intervals for your grip strength. This exercise has been shown to lower systolic blood pressure.”
Find more stories like this one on our Pulse Facebook page.
About the Author
