Just 5 extra minutes of intense exercise may help lower blood pressure, study predicts

Incorporating an additional five minutes of intense exercise into your daily routines may help lower your blood pressure, new research suggests.

The study, published Wednesday in the journal Circulation, compared trends in the physical activity of 15,000 participants, using their information to create a theoretical mathematical model of how the blood pressure might change when swapping one type of behavior – such as sleeping or sitting -- with a vigorous workout like running or cycling.

Intense physical effort was associated with a slight drop in blood pressure regardless of how active the individual was to begin with, according to the study.

"When exercise-like activities replace any other activity, we see even from the first five minutes of this replacement measurable effects on both diastolic and systolic blood pressure," explained study co-author Emmanuel Stamatakis, a Ph.D. professor of physical activity, lifestyle, and population health at the University of Sydney.

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The predicted effect on blood pressure was even greater when participants replaced 30 minutes of sleep with strenuous exercise – potentially enough to have a beneficial impact on their risk of heart disease or stroke. On the other hand, more time spent sitting or sleeping might elevate higher blood pressure, the study predicted.

Almost half of U.S. adults have high blood pressure, defined as higher than 130/80, according to American Heart Association guidelines. While medical experts often recommend sustained exercise programs, not everyone has the time, money, or know how to structure a workout, according to Stamatakis. Small, incremental increases in daily activity level, such as a brisk walk or bounding up steps, may be a good place to start.

"People who cannot uptake structured exercise in the long term, at minimum, it would be very good if they can incorporate some incidental activity of higher intensity," he said. "That is translated into several times every day exerting themselves to the point of getting out of breath a little, raise the heart rate a little."

"It is never too late to initiate an exercise program," he added.

People who have risk factors such as obesity or heart disease should check with their medical provider first before starting a structured exercise plan.

Harika Rayala, MD, MSJ is a neurology resident physician at the University of Virginia and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.