Listening to guided relaxation exercises would reduce hypertension

September 23, 2008 – Listening to audio relaxation capsules would reduce blood pressure in people with hypertension.

This is what said American researchers who presented the results of a study¹ comparing the effect of an audio relaxation program on blood pressure, listening to a Mozart sonata.

Two groups of 20 elderly and hypertensive people participated in the clinical trial. The first group was to listen to a 12-minute relaxation capsule, three times a week for four months. The participants of the second group followed the same instructions, but listened to a Mozart sonata.

According to the results, the guided relaxation capsules lowered the subjects’ blood pressure from 141/73 mmHg to 132/70 mmHg, on average. People who had listened to Mozart also experienced a drop in blood pressure, but to a lesser extent, from 141/71 mmHg to 134/69 mmHg.

In fact, systolic pressure – the top number, which indicates the number of heartbeats – decreased by 6.4% (9 mmHg) in the relaxation group, compared to 5% (7 mmHg) in the others.

According to the study’s principal investigator, Hsin-Yi Tang, the magnitude of these results approximates the effect of blood pressure medication.

“It is estimated that a reduction of 5 mmHg in systolic pressure, in the population, results in a 9% reduction in deaths from cardiovascular diseases and 14% in deaths attributable to strokes,” she indicates. in a press release.

An accessible and easy-to-use audio relaxation program could help control blood pressure in hypertensives, the researcher concludes.

But it is still necessary to ensure the long-term adherence of seniors to the practice of relaxation with such a tool. Three months after the study, almost half of the participants (48%) no longer used it.

Martin LaSalle – PasseportSanté.net

1. Tang HY, et al, A Randomized Trial of Music versus Audio-Guided Relaxation Training to Decrease Blood Pressure in an Elderly Population, 2008. The results were unveiled at the American Heart Association’s annual conference, held in Chicago September 17-20. 2008. To access the press release, click here.