Hypertension: Can 15 minutes of yoga a day help control blood pressure?

High blood pressure can be dangerous, but people can take proactive steps to manage it. However, what works for one person might not work for someone else.Researchers are still working to understand the most effective methods and add-on therapies for controlling blood pressure.A pilot study recently published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology looked at the effectiveness of yoga as a way to help manage high blood pressure. Compared to the control group, the group that did yoga saw more significant improvements in resting blood pressure and heart rate compared to stretching. There are many medications that have proven to be effective in lowering your blood pressure. But lifestyle changes such as exercise, diet, refraining from smoking, and hydration have also been proven to enhance the effectiveness of the drugs Yoga for 15 minutes a day This particular pilot study examined the benefits of yoga in blood pressure management. The study included sixty participants who had hypertension. Researchers randomly divided participants into two groups. Both groups completed an aerobic exercise program. Then, one group added fifteen minutes of yoga five days a week. The other group did fifteen minutes worth of stretching five days a week. This intervention lasted three months.While both groups saw improvement in resting blood pressure and heart rate, the group that did yoga saw a more significant improvement in blood pressure, heart rate, and Reynolds risk scores.A Reynold risk scoreTrusted Source helps measure risk for adverse heart outcomes and cardiovascular disease.The results indicate that yoga could likely be an effective add-on intervention to help improve blood pressure levels. MIND-BODY EXERCISES FOR HYPERTENSION “Many studies have looked into the beneficial physical effects of Transcendental Meditation, Tai Chi, and other forms of mind-body exercises. This study, which focused on yoga, is [a] good reinforcement that our mind plays a significant role in our physical health and that these techniques should be incorporated into our recommendations for lifestyle intervention.” How yoga improves blood pressure The study authors noted that there are a few possible reasons why they saw more of an improvement among the participants that did yoga. It could decrease the activity of the sympathetic nervous system, decrease cortisol levels, and promote vasodilation. Dr. Pianko weighed in with his thoughts and said there could be several explanations, “including the effect yoga has on our autonomic system.” “Our adrenal glands produce our fight-or-flight hormones which increase both our heart rate and blood pressure. Specific types of yoga can decrease our cortisol level, which is a stress hormone, thereby reducing our blood pressure. Exercise with the addition of yoga can modulate these hormones to a level of tranquility,” he explained to MNT.“As with results seen with other mind-body blood pressure lowering activities, there seems to be a true correlation with our mental health influencing our stress hormone levels. Mechanisms remain unclear and may be related to sleep pattern changes; however, the outcome benefit is seen.” Should I do yoga if I have hypertension? The study did have some limitations. First, it only included a limited sample size and was done over a short time frame. This indicates the need for more extensive studies with more long-term follow-ups. The study authors acknowledge that they may have misclassified some participants who were more newly diagnosed with high blood pressure. They also did not measure participants’ exercise capacity.