How Can Handgrip Exercises Lower Your Blood Pressure?

Take the problems of high blood pressure into your own hands, literally. 

What you need to know:

• What is hypertension?

• What is isometric resistance training?

• What is a handgrip exercise?

• How to perform a handgrip exercise?

• Healthy lifestyle changes to lower blood pressure

What is hypertension?

Hypertension or raised blood pressure is a chronic condition, in which the pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure can often lead to cardiovascular diseases, stroke, kidney failure, or premature mortality. The risk factors that increase the prevalence of this condition include excess weight or obesity owing to lack of physical activity, unhealthy diet, consuming excess alcohol or tobacco, diabetes, cholesterol, and persistent stress and anxiety. 

What is isometric resistance training?

Isometric resistance training (IRT), a non-pharmacological lifestyle modification, can be used as a treatment for hypertension. IRT indicates applying tension to muscles without moving the surrounding joints. Handgrip exercises are a form of IRT that can significantly lower your systolic pressure (the higher number in the reading, when the heart pumps out blood which is transported to the rest of the body). 

What is a handgrip exercise?

Although resorting to aerobics, jogging, cycling, and other exercises can reduce your blood pressure, barriers such as physical limitations and lack of self-belief can limit your ability to exercise. Thus, a viable alternative to the traditional form of exercise comes in the form of handgrip exercises. A handgrip dynamometer is used as a non-invasive physiological test for an isometric handgrip exercise. It is also used to detect the impairment in the autonomic activity of individuals who are prone to develop hypertension in the future. In an isometric exercise, contraction causes a change in the tension of the muscle. 

How to perform a handgrip exercise?

Handgrip exercises are a great relief to people who face difficulty in performing other workout routines and strength-training exercises as they can rely on this easy yet effective exercise. Handgrip exercises are easily accessible and can be conveniently performed anywhere and at any time. You can practice the handgrip exercise with spring resistance. Your blood pressure and heart rate are recorded on three occasions – before the test, during the test, and five minutes after the test. Set it to fifty per cent maximum resistance. Squeeze the device as tightly as possible and hold the squeeze for two minutes and release. Rest for a minute and then switch hands. Try this isometric resistance training four times on each hand. It also acts as a screening test in identifying individuals who are more likely to develop high blood pressure in the future.

Healthy lifestyle changes to lower blood pressure

However, practicing handgrip exercises does not suffice. Making sustainable lifestyle changes can help prevent or reduce hypertension. Take a look at the following healthy choices which you can incorporate into your daily routine:

• Eat a healthy, balanced, and nutritious diet that is rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and protein. Follow a DASH (dietary approaches to stop hypertension) diet which limits your intake of salt, sugar, and red meat. 
• Maintain a moderate weight. Extreme fat around your abdomen can lead to obesity. You can check your body mass index on our only Body Mass Index Calculator.  
• Avoid consuming unhealthy, fried, oily, processed foods. Also, avoid tobacco and alcohol. Stay active and physically fit by exercising regularly for a minimum of 30 minutes and practicing yoga. You can also try mindfulness meditation to calm yourself. 
• Get 7-8 hours of sleep every day. Being sleep deprived leads to a slew of problems, from causing stress, tension, and frustration to the increased risk of high blood pressure and strokes. 

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