The Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA) has published a study’s findings that could help us learn to breathe better and lower blood pressure in the case of hypertensive patients. Titled “Time‐Efficient Inspiratory Muscle Strength Training Lowers Blood Pressure and Improves Endothelial Function, NO Bioavailability, and Oxidative Stress in Midlife/Older Adults With Above‐Normal Blood Pressure” the study tested a technique called “High‐resistance inspiratory muscle strength training” (IMST) – a novel, time‐efficient physical training modality
All of us know that daily cardio exercises help in reducing body weight, reduction in blood pressure, reduction in bad cholesterol, increases exercise tolerance, and so on but many people fail to do exercises on daily basis because of their work schedule, lack of time, or their lifestyle. But after 50 it is very important to take extra care of your health because in sedentary lifestyle hypertension and diabetes are very common, explains Dr. Sukeshini, Consultant & Sports Physiotherapist Fitness Coach.
The best alternative for it is breathing exercises just for five minutes daily can help you in maintaining your health especially of your heart.
Deep Breathing Exercise
-Start with normal breathing – focus on the air going in and coming out from your nostrils – feel the movement happening in your chest (chest expansion)
– you can inhale-exhale at the count of 4:4 or 6:6 or 8:8
Exhalation should be as long as inhalation or maybe prolonged than inhalation according to your capacity
-keep doing it for 2-3 minutes
-Deep breathing exercises helps in reducing heart rate, reducing Blood Pressure, reducing stress, anxiety, anger etc
Cooling Breathing
-cooling breathings are the type of breathing in which you have to inhale through the mouth by keeping it open and exhale through the nose with a closed mouth
-One of the types of Cooling breathing is Pursed lip breathing in which you will make your lips in the shape of ‘O’ and inhale and then close your lips and exhale through the nose
-other cooling breathing techniques are sheetali, shitkari which are forms of Pranayuma
-Cooling breathing is helpful in reducing hypertension, reducing acidity, reducing excess heat
