The Effects of Brief Periods of Exercise on Blood Pressure
University of Hartford
Summary
High blood pressure is a common medical condition that affects the body's arteries. It's also called hypertension. Untreated hypertension increases the risk of heart attack, stroke and other serious health problems. Exercise is a promising tool in hypertension management. Regular participation in exercise improves vascular health, heart and lung function, and multisystem health. However, the direct evidence of the treatment effects of a brief period of exercise on blood pressure in individuals with hypertension is limited. A brief period of exercise refers to an exercise protocol that only lasts for a very short period of time, such as 5-10 minutes.
Description
The study will investigate both acute and long-term effects of a brief exercise on blood pressure. For the acute effect, participants will conduct a single bout of resistance exercise (leg press) with or without blood flow restriction technique. The blood pressure changes from pre- to post-exercise will be monitored. The long-term effect of exercise on blood pressure will be examined through a six to eight weeks home-based intervention program. Participants will conduct two forms of exercise, one is a clustered wall-sit exercise and the other is a scattered wall-sit exercise.
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18–55 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria: * 18-55 yrs. * 24 hour average BP \>110/70 mmHg, but \< 160 systolic blood pressure * Able to provide informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * Currently taking anti-hypertensive medication smokers and alcohol drinkers Inability to undertake exercise intervention (resistance and isometric exercise) Current medical history of any of the following: hyperaldosteronism Diabetes mellitus (Type 1 or type 2) Heart disease Stroke or transient ischemic attack Peripheral neuropathy Aortic aneurysm and/or peripheral arterial disease If female, pregnancy or currently breast feeding E…
Interventions
- Behavioralwall-squat
the experimental group will complete the four sets of wall-squats at four different times across the day: morning, noon, afternoon, night.
- Behavioralwall-squat-tradition
The other exercise group will do 4 sets of wall squat in a continuous way.
Location
- University of HartfordWest Hartford, Connecticut