For people with high blood pressure, different methods are recommended as a preventive measure. For example, a quiet walk can help normalize performance. A new study by scientists has revealed another effective way - better than walking, blood pressure reduces stretching.
The study was conducted by scientists from the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. To understand how stretching affects blood pressure, experts divided 40 men and women (with an average age of 61) into two groups. The first group stretched for half an hour five days a week, the second walked. At the beginning of the experiment, all participants were diagnosed with stage I hypertension. During the entire period, the participants had their blood pressure measured regularly - before and after activity, as well as when they were at rest.
The results of the study confirmed that stretching leads to a more significant reduction in blood pressure compared to walking. The advantages of this type of activity include its versatility: it does not depend on the weather outside the window, exercises can be done in a comfortable home environment - while watching a movie, for example.
Many people think that stretching is only needed to stretch the muscles. But in the process of stretching the muscles, the blood vessels that feed the muscles, including the large arteries, also stretch. "If you reduce the stiffness of the arteries, the resistance to blood flow will decrease, which means that blood pressure will not rise," one of the authors of the study, ridus.ru, cites.
However, you should not give up walking either. People with hypertension are advised to regularly walk, ride a bike, ski - these activities, among other things, have a positive effect on fat burning, cholesterol levels and blood sugar levels.