Breathing with increased pressure

General information

Specialists have created a variety of breathing techniques for hypertensive patients, focusing on their ability to stabilize blood pressure. The essence of such complexes of exercises boils down to two directions:

• Deep breathing.
• Shallow breathing.

Opponents of shallow breathing believe that breathing exercises at high pressure should be done by reducing the concentration of carbon dioxide. Because of it, hypercapnia develops, which worsens the course of arterial hypertension. If you breathe deeply, the concentration of carbon dioxide decreases, the pressure decreases, and the person's condition becomes better.

Exercise complexes focused on deep breathing for the treatment of hypertension can saturate the blood with oxygen and reduce the amount of carbon dioxide. Due to this effect, blood circulation is stimulated, as a result of which the brain function improves and pressure stabilizes. Scientists also stated that by exercising regularly to lower blood pressure, a person is able to protect himself from pathologies of the cardiovascular system.

Experts who adhere to shallow breathing techniques believe that it is precisely the deficiency of carbon dioxide that is the cause of many diseases, including hypertension. In their opinion, it is necessary to do breathing exercises for hypertension without deep breaths, so that a slight oxygen deficiency is felt. If everything is done according to the described technique, then a stable decrease in pressure can be achieved.

It is difficult to choose a specific method for yourself if the views of scientists on their account are divided in two. In such a situation, it is better to build on the opinion of people who believe that carbon dioxide is not the main source of hypertension. Their arguments are based on statistics and practical cases. Regardless of the type of breathing exercises or physiotherapy exercises (exercise therapy), a relaxation effect occurs. It leads to a decrease in the intensity of heart contractions, normalization of brain functions, and the inclusion of the anterior part of the hypothalamus (depressor) in the work. The set of activated processes stabilizes metabolism, circulatory system and blood pressure.

Buteyko technique

In the middle of the twentieth century, the famous scientist K.P. Buteyko said that a person has forgotten how to breathe the way the body needs. His technique is based on shallow breathing and restoring the balance of air and carbon dioxide.

In his works Buteyko was able to prove that the development of many diseases, especially chronic ones, depends on the degree of breathing depth. Due to too rapid release of carbon dioxide, spasms occur in the gallbladder, gastrointestinal tract, brain and bronchi. This phenomenon leads to a deterioration in the supply of oxygen to the tissues of the body.

With hypertension, Buteyko gymnastics shows good results if you practice regularly and follow the following rules:

• Breathing exercises should be done at the same time, for 2-3 months.
• Hypertensive patients will have to lead a healthy lifestyle. It includes proper nutrition, adherence to sleep patterns, and giving up bad habits.
• Medication intake during exercise will need to be gradually reduced, focusing on pressure indicators.

KP Buteyko tried to compose the most simple and effective technique for implementation. Perhaps for some people it will be difficult at first, but gradually the body will get used to these exercises. Its essence lies in small breaths (2-3 seconds) and slightly longer exhalations (3-4 seconds). There should be a short break between them (4 seconds), and you only need to breathe through your nose. The air will not go deep, so the concentration of carbon dioxide will begin to increase. You can understand that the exercise is being performed correctly by observing that the chest and abdomen do not rise during inhalation.

Therapeutic gymnastics for hypertension, created by K. Buteyko, has the following technique:

• Sitting on a chair, raise your gaze above the level of your head.
• Without straining the diaphragm (the muscle that separates the chest and abdominal cavity), begin to breathe shallowly.
• Observe the given rhythm for 15 minutes. If it is difficult to do this, then for beginners, a slight increase in inhalation is allowed to stabilize breathing.
• If done correctly, a person will begin to feel warmth in the body and a strong desire to take an additional breath. The latter must be fought.
• You need to finish the lesson with a gradual increase in the depth of inspiration.

Initially, you should ask your doctor about whether such an exercise can be done. Each person has their own individual characteristics of the body, so it is better to play it safe. If no contraindications are identified, then at first you can do it, starting from 5-10 minutes, gradually increasing the time.

Exercises from Alexandra Strelnikova

Known in the 40s of the last century, the singer Alexandra Strelnikova created her own program, which included breathing exercises to reduce pressure and improve general condition. The impetus for this was the loss of voice. The developed complex not only helped bring him back, but also taught the singer to breathe correctly.

The essence of the set of breathing exercises from Strelnikova is a small but quick inhalation with the nose and movements aimed at narrowing the chest.

At the same time, the body begins to feel an acute lack of oxygen and against this background, its supply to all tissues improves. Due to the irritation of the receptors in the nasopharynx, such breathing exercises allow you to influence the internal organs, which has a beneficial effect on their work. Together with this, the metabolism and the work of the digestive system are improved.

Studying according to Strelnikova's method, you need to remember the following rules for yourself:

• The focus is on inhalation. It should be done with the nose and be quick and sharp.
• Breathe out through the mouth. This is done slowly and without undue stress.
• During classes, it is important to monitor the pace of breathing so that it does not go astray.
• Initially, it's best not to overdo it and exercise as much as possible. The main thing here is not to build up muscles, but to stabilize the pressure.

Observing these rules, you can start performing a set of exercises from Alexandra Strelnikova:

• Palms. This exercise is done while standing. You need to put your hands on your shoulders, turning your palms away from you. In this position, 4 inhalations and exhalations are made. After 1-2 days, it will be possible to add 1 more approach, but only after a 2-3 minute break.
• Epaulets. Initially, you need to stand and place your arms along the body. On inhalation, they are raised to the level of the chest and clenched into fists. On exhalation, the arms are slowly returned to their original position. The number of approaches and repetitions is the same as in the previous exercise.

• Pump. The exercise is done while standing. While inhaling, you should make a slight forward bend, and the upper limbs should simply hang down. On exhalation, the body must be brought closer to its original position, but left in a slightly bent state. Due to the air pressure, it will be difficult to tilt in the lungs and it is better not to overdo it so as not to interrupt your breathing.You need to do the exercise 4 times and after 1-2 days add 1 more approach, but after a short rest.
• Cat. In a standing position, lower your arms along the body and make turns while inhaling. During movement, the upper limbs must be bent at the elbows and left in the abdomen. On exhalation, there is a return to the initial position. You will have to do 4 repetitions of the exercise in each direction. The next day, you can add 1 more approach.
• Hug your shoulders. Standing on your feet, you need to raise the upper limbs to the chest and bend the hands in fists. At the same time, the elbows look to the sides. Together with a sigh, you need to put your hands behind your back, pretending to be a hug. When you exhale, there is a return to the original position. You need to repeat the exercise 4 times, gradually add 1 more approach.

The easiest way is to give the first 3 exercises from the complex of Alexandra Strelnikova. From 4-5 you will have to wait about 1-1.5 months. The number of repetitions and approaches can be increased more than indicated, but only as the body gets used to the load. Otherwise, the pressure will not stabilize, and it may rise even more due to overloads. Experts recommend bringing the number of repetitions to 12, and approaches to 4, closer to 2-3 months.

Treatment according to the Bubnovsky method

Bubnovsky exercises allow people to avoid serious problems associated with hypertension. Long-term exposure to the disease has a negative effect on the cardiovascular system, often leading to heart attacks and strokes.

If you regularly practice according to Bubnovsky, you can avoid problems with blood circulation and firmly stabilize blood pressure.

Usually, the breathing exercises invented by Bubnovsky are used before the main program is completed, or in order to learn how to breathe correctly. However, they are also effective in treating hypertension. You can familiarize yourself with their execution technique below:

• Sitting on your knees with your back straight, you need to rise, taking a deep breath, and on the exhale, slowly return to the starting position. Having actually descended to the base position, you should sharply release the air from yourself. At this moment, muscles relax, including the heart.
• To cleanse the body, you need to take a deep breath and at the same time tighten your lips strongly. Keeping your cheeks in tension, as you exhale, you should try to make the sound "pf", while the stomach should gradually be drawn into the spine. The final result will depend on the frequency of air release and the degree of tension.

Basically, such exercises are used as preparation for joint gymnastics, but they have a good effect on the body as a whole, so they can be used even for hypertensive patients. To exclude undesirable consequences, it is better to consult a specialist before performing the complex.

Breathing correctly is important not only for a full workout, but also for the normalization of blood pressure and blood circulation in general. If you study the techniques that include breathing exercises, you can reduce the amount of drugs taken for hypertension and improve overall standing. To do this, it will be enough to devote 10-15 minutes to classes every day.