According to recent research, adding just five minutes of exercise to your daily routine could impact blood pressure. High blood pressure, often called the “silent killer” due to its lack of symptoms, affects 1.28 billion adults worldwide and is a leading cause of premature death through complications like heart attacks, strokes, and kidney damage.
Researchers from University College London and the University of Sydney set out to explore whether small increases in physical activity could benefit blood pressure. Their study, which followed around 15,000 people wearing activity trackers for 24 hours, found that even five additional minutes of daily exercise, such as climbing stairs or cycling, could improve blood pressure levels.
Published in the journal Circulation, the British Heart Foundation supports the study. Lead author Dr. Jo Blodgett from UCL emphasized that while exercise generally reduces blood pressure, more strenuous activities yield the greatest impact. “Our findings suggest that exercise is key to reducing blood pressure, rather than less strenuous forms of movement such as walking,” Blodgett noted. “The good news is that, whatever your physical ability, it doesn’t take long to positively affect blood pressure.”
The study showed that five minutes of exercise that raises the heart rate could lower systolic blood pressure (SBP) by approximately 0.68 millimeters of mercury (mmHg) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) by about 0.54 mmHg. Systolic blood pressure, the upper number in a reading, measures pressure as the heart pumps blood, while diastolic pressure, the lower number, indicates pressure between beats.
While the reductions may appear modest, the impact is significant on a larger scale. The researchers say a population-wide reduction of 2 mmHg in systolic blood pressure and 1 mmHg in diastolic blood pressure could lower heart disease risk by around 10%.
Making Exercise Part of Daily Life
Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis, co-author of the study, highlighted the accessibility of short, vigorous activities. “High blood pressure is one of the biggest health issues globally, but there may be relatively accessible ways to tackle the problem in addition to medication,” he said. “The finding that as little as five extra minutes of exercise or vigorous incidental activities a day could be associated with measurably lower blood pressure emphasizes how powerful short bouts of higher-intensity movement can be for blood pressure management.”
Blodgett adds that incorporating short bursts of physical activity—such as taking the stairs or cycling to nearby destinations—can provide an effective way for people of all fitness levels to improve their health without significant time investment.
While those who are less active may still see some benefit from moderate activities like walking, the study suggests that more vigorous efforts yield the best results for blood pressure. For anyone seeking to improve cardiovascular health, increasing heart rate through daily activities can be a powerful, low-cost strategy to reduce high blood pressure.
With this promising research, experts hope to encourage more people to integrate small but impactful changes into their routines, promoting longer and healthier lives.
