Stress can drive up blood pressure in the short term. Taking steps to reduce stress can improve your heart health. There is anecdotal evidence that meditation and mindfulness training can reduce high blood pressure and hypertension. However, there has been little clinical confirmation of these claims until last month when researchers published a new study in the journal PLOS One.
A new study led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at MGH identified genes associated with the body’s response to relaxation techniques and shed light on the molecular mechanisms by which these interventions may lower blood pressure. Blood pressure is a measure of the force with which blood presses against artery walls and can be increased by a number of factors (e.g. age-related narrowing of the arteries, underlying medical problems and excessive sodium intake). It should be noted that an earlier research study (published in 200) summarised five clinical trials and found that there was a lack of high-quality studies supporting the use of transcendental meditation to treat blood pressure. Relaxation therapies for hypertension have been studied for over 30 years with disappointing results.
For more information on lifestyle changes to treat high blood pressure and how to choose the right medication if needed, see Controlling Your Blood Pressure, a special health report from Harvard Medical School. This includes mindfulness training and explanations of how behaviours can contribute to high blood pressure. These benefits appear to be mediated by nitric oxide, a molecule produced naturally in the body that (among other things) helps relax and dilate blood vessels, keeping blood pressure under control. In the subjects, the expression of 1,771 genes differed between the baseline blood tests and those taken after the eight weeks of relaxation exercises.
Meditation techniques are becoming increasingly popular and may be helpful in preventing or lowering elevated blood pressure. For the next eight weeks, the participants took part in eight weekly training sessions in which they were guided through mind-body interventions designed to elicit the relaxation response – including diaphragmatic breathing, mantra repetition and mindfulness meditation – while passively ignoring intrusive thoughts. Although Zusman says this can happen, he has learned that the relaxation response is just another tool to control blood pressure. Blood pressure is vital because it drives blood through the body and delivers all the nutrients it needs.
We reviewed landmark studies and recent literature on the use of meditation to lower blood pressure in people with hypertension and hypertension. Along with these stress reduction options and a healthy lifestyle – healthy weight, not smoking, regular exercise and a diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and healthy fats – high blood pressure could be a thing of the past. A small study found that people who practised the relaxation response for eight weeks had higher levels of nitric oxide in the air they breathed, while a control group showed no such change.
