Utilize Exercise And Heat Therapy To Improve Blood Pressure

Abstract

Nearly half of U.S. adults suffer from some form of cardiovascular disease. Previous research has shown that exercise is an essential lifestyle intervention to improve cardiovascular health and heat therapy, in forms of hot baths or saunas, may provide numerous cardiovascular health benefits. The purpose of this research was to investigate how the combination of exercise and heat therapy impacted ambulatory blood pressure, compared with heat therapy or exercise alone. The study consisted of three trials in a randomized, counterbalanced order in which each subject partook in all three treatments: exercise alone, heat alone, and the combination being exercise followed with heat therapy. Each exercise trial consisted of treadmill walking for 30 minutes at 60% effort. Each heat therapy trial consisted of 45 minutes in a hot (42C) leg bath. The combination session consisted of the exercise trial followed by a heat therapy trial. Following each session, subjects ambulatory blood pressure and heart rate variability was taken overnight to assess the outcomes that the interventions had on the subjects. Exercise alone had no change in systolic pressure with the average night blood pressure across all subjects was 117 mmHg and the post-trial blood pressure average was 118 mmHg. Exercise alone did lower diastolic blood pressure by 3 mmHg from 67 mmHg to 64 mmHg. Heat alone lowered systolic blood pressure from 117mmHg to 113 mmHg showing a 4mmHg difference. Heat alone also lowered diastolic blood pressure by 4mmHg from 67mmHg to 63mmHg. It was found that the combination of exercise and heat therapy had no change in systolic blood pressure, but the largest impact was on diastolic blood pressure lowering it by 8mmHg.