A new 5-minute workout improves blood pressure and can stimulate your brain

Could you work five minutes a day without lifting a single weight or jogging one step, reduce your risk of heart attack, help you think more clearly and improve your sports performance?

Preliminary evidence suggests that yes.

Now, thanks to a new grant from the National Institute of Aging, CU Boulder researchers have launched a clinical trial to learn more about extremely effective time-related exercise called Inspiratory Muscle Strength Training (IMST). ).

"It's basically a strength training of the muscles you're inspired with," says Daniel Craighead, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Integrative Physiology. "It's something you can do quickly at home or in the office, without having to change clothes, and so far, it seems very beneficial to lower blood pressure and possibly improve cognitive performance and physical. "

Developed in the 1980s in order to wean the critically ill fans, the IMST involves vigorous breathing with the aid of a hand-held device, a trainer of inspiratory muscles, which provides resistance. Imagine sucking hard through a straw that sucks back.

At the beginning of their use in patients with lung diseases, patients administered a 30-minute low resistance daily treatment to boost their lung capacity.

But in 2016, researchers at the University of Arizona released the results of a clinical trial to determine if 30 inhalations a day with increased resistance could help sufferers to get better. obstructive sleep apnea, which tend to have fragile respiratory muscles, to better rest.

In addition to a more restful sleep and a stronger diaphragm and other inspiratory muscles, subjects experienced an unexpected side effect after six weeks: their systolic blood pressure dropped by 12 millimeters. mercury. It's about two times less than aerobic exercise can report and more than many medications.

"It was then that we became interested," said Professor Doug Seals, director of the Laboratory of Integrative Physiology of Aging.

Seals notes that systolic blood pressure, which is the pressure on your blood vessels when your heart beats, naturally increases as the arteries stiffen with age, causing blood-strained tissue damage and increased risk. heart attack, cognitive decline and kidney damage.

It has been clearly shown that 30 minutes of aerobic exercise a day can lower blood pressure, but only about 5% of adults reach this minimum, according to government estimates. Meanwhile, 65% of middle-aged adults have high systolic blood pressure.

"Our goal is to develop effective, evidence-based, evidence-based interventions that busy adults will reach into adulthood," said Seals, who recently received a $ 450,000 grant from the NIA to fund a small clinical trial of IMST involving about 50 subjects. "The preliminary data is quite exciting."

With approximately half of the tests performed, the researchers found significant decreases in blood pressure and improvement in large artery function in those with IMST, with no change in those using a low-resistance simulated respirator.

Until now, the IMST group is also performing better on some cognitive and memory tests.

When asked to exercise until exhaustion, they could also stay longer on the treadmill and keep their heart rate and oxygen consumption lower. during the exercise.

"We think that when you improve the function of your respiratory muscles, they do not need as much blood to work and that the blood can be redistributed in your legs, allowing you to do the same. exercise longer, "said Craighead.

Some cyclists and runners have already started using commercially available inspiratory muscle trainers to gain competitive advantage.

But Seals and Craighead emphasize that their findings are preliminary, that further research is needed and that curious people should ask their doctor before considering IMST.

That said, with a high compliance rate (less than 10% of study participants drop out) and no side effects, they are optimistic.

"High blood pressure is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in America," said Craighead. "Having another option in the toolbox to help prevent this would be a real win."

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Provided by
University of Colorado at Boulder