The Effect of Deep Breathing and Progressive Muscles Relaxation in Reducing Hypertension as a Fanction of Age

Abstract

The study aimed at investigating the effects of relaxation in reducing blood pressure as a function of age. 40 high –blood- pressure patients of varying ages were randomly assigned to two groups. Patients in the experimental group were trained on deep breathing and muscle relaxation once a week for four consecutive weeks, and were asked to practice relaxation twice daily, and to tally their weekly practices. After one month, they were asked to stop practicing relaxation and their blood pressure was measured after another month. The control group was seen three times; each time, after resting for 5 minutes, the blood pressure was measured. Results revealed that relaxation reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure. After ceasing to practice, the blood pressure of the experimental group was not significantly different from the control’s. Results of partial correlations suggested that the decrease in systolic blood pressure was equal for all patients regardless of their age, while the decrease in diastolic blood pressure was much more in the younger patients. There was a significant positive partial correlation between practice of relaxation on systolic blood pressure but not on diastolic blood pressure.