High blood pressure, or hypertension, affects as many as 50 million people in the United States alone. It has vague symptoms and is linked to cardiovascular conditions. It also impacts the kidneys and the immune system. While medications are available to treat hypertension, deep breathing and relaxation techniques have been found to have profound results in many cases.
Hypertension
High blood pressure is a result of the blood having too much pressure as it flows through major arteries. It is genetic, but it also depends a great deal on your overall health and lifestyle. Being overweight can lead to hypertension, as can activities like smoking, lack of exercise and heavy consumption of alcohol. It is known as "The Silent Killer" because its symptoms are difficult to diagnose, lead to serious health risks and are directly linked to heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure and other health complications.
Breathing Exercises and Practice
According to Harvard Medical School, deep abdominal breathing creates a full oxygen exchange, maximizes the benefits from incoming oxygen and outgoing carbon dioxide and results in a slower heartbeat and lower or stabilized blood pressure. This kind of breathing is referred to as diaphragmatic breathing, or paced respiration. Calm, routine activities like meditation, yoga, Tai chi and guided imagery are helpful ways to focus on breathing.
Yoga
Practice the stretching and breathing exercises like those in yoga. These will help the body's strength and flexibility and improve respiratory, circulatory, digestive and hormonal systems and their functioning, according to the Yoga website. The site also supports the idea that yoga helps develop emotional well being.
For many people, basic yoga is all that is necessary to develop breathing skills and relaxation techniques that can reduce blood pressure. Regularly practiced, yoga has shown reduced levels of stress in those who participate, lowering their blood pressure.
Meditation
Meditation is a practice that involves quietening your mind's normal thinking, allowing a relaxed state of emotions. Learning meditation techniques is one of the most beneficial action you can take for the health of the mind and body because it reduces the stress levels and the stress-related disorders like hypertension, according to the Transcendental Meditation Program website. Meditation is used in several types of relaxation exercises and in treatments and recovery programs, from cancer to post-traumatic stress disorder.
Guided Imagery
Guided imagery is another technique used during deep breathing. You visualize calm or pleasant places and things that have a soothing effect. This exercise requires some discipline, or even a voice to guide the experience. According to David S. Sobel, M.D. M.P.H., of Kaiser Permanente, the imagination is a powerful resource for relieving stress, pain and other symptoms. It can be easily harnessed to help manage them. You might choose to listen to water or rainfall to help them visualize and concentrate on prolonged deep breaths, which induce a state of relaxation that lowers blood pressure.
