Providence College
The goal of this clinical trial is to test whether putting a participant's legs in a hot bath after exercise improves blood pressure in people with higher blood pressure. . The main questions it aims to answer are: * Whether exercise alone, hot water leg bath alone, or both treatments together cause blood pressure to be lower during sleep. * If there are any changes in heart rhythm or blood vessel health after exercise, hot water leg bath, or the two treatments together that relate to changes in blood pressure. Participants will complete four different trials: * 30 minutes of walking with a 45-minute lukewarm leg bath after * 30 minutes of walking with a 45-minute hot leg bath after * 45 minutes of a hot leg bath with no exercise * A day with no exercise or leg bath Researchers will look at heart rhythm, blood vessels, and blood pressure after each of these trials to see if there are differences, and if exercise and heat together can improve heart health more than exercise or heat alone.
In 2017, the American Heart Association updated standards for diagnosing hypertension, while emphasizing the need for lifestyle modification in the early stages of blood pressure elevation. Using these updated criteria, approximately 1/3 of U.S. adults have hypertension, but few are able to improve blood pressure through diet and exercise and often progress to more severe disease states. Novel interventions to promote blood pressure reduction in mild hypertension are needed to attenuate or prevent this progression to more severe hypertension. Heat therapy, the repeated application of passive h…
Inclusion Criteria: * resting blood pressure \>120/80 mmHg; measured at screening visit * BMI between 18-39.9 * capable of walking 30 min at a moderate intensity on a treadmill Exclusion Criteria: * diagnosed hypertension * taking antihypertensive medications * history of heat injury or heat illness
Participants will walk on a treadmill for 30 minutes at 55-60% of heart rate reserve. The treadmill will be set at 2mph and 2% grade, then be adjusted in the first 5 minutes to achieve target heart rate.
Participants will place their legs in a deep leg bath (mid-calf) set to 42C for 45 minutes.
Participants will place their legs in a deep leg bath (mid-calf) set to 36C for 45 minutes.
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