The Connection Between Breathing and Blood Pressure: What You Need to Know

Jan 11 , 2025

Prasanth Vishnu

You’ve likely had your blood pressure or BP monitored numerous times, and you know that it’s part of the regular healthcare routine. Perhaps you’ve had your blood pressure readings in the normal range all the while. Until one day, you find out that you don’t. If the elevated blood pressure reading is just for a single time, it could be a one-off event. However, you should have it reexamined, and if the readings do not fall in the normal category, it is important to talk with your healthcare provider about the approaches to manage it.

Understanding High Blood Pressure

Concerned about your high blood pressure or hypertension? You’re not alone. According to the CDC, nearly half of the adults in the United States have this condition. Despite its increasing prevalence, hypertension is still surrounded by many myths and misconceptions. In the first place, let’s look at what blood pressure is. The CDC defines blood pressure as “the pressure of blood pushing against the walls of arteries.”

It is recorded using two numbers, the systolic pressure being the upper (or first) number and the diastolic pressure being the lower (or second) number. Systolic blood pressure signifies the pressure in your arteries while your heart beats. Diastolic blood pressure indicates the pressure your blood exerts against the arterial walls while your heart rests between the beats.

Here’s how the American Heart Association interprets hypertension:

Category	Systolic Pressure (mm Hg)	Diastolic Pressure (mm Hg)
Normal	Below 120	Below 80
Elevated	120-129	Below 80
Stage 1 Hypertension	130-139	80-89
Stage 2 Hypertension	Above 140	Above 90
Hypertensive Crisis	Above 180	Above 120

If you have high blood pressure, you’re at a higher risk of developing heart disease, stroke, and heart attack.

Signs and Symptoms of High Blood Pressure

You’ve probably heard that ‘high blood pressure is a silent killer’—and it’s true. The majority of people with high blood pressure experience no obvious signs or symptoms, making it easy to overlook. The only method to detect hypertension is to test blood pressure. There are no common symptoms associated with this condition. Of the 75 million people in the U.S. who have hypertension, around 11 million people do not know they have it.

Am I at Risk for High Blood Pressure?

Understanding the risk factors for hypertension can help you learn more about how likely you are to get high blood pressure.

Physical Risk Factors

Risk Factor	Description
Family History	If your parents/close blood relatives have hypertension, you are at a higher risk of developing it.
Age	Risk increases as you get older due to the loss of elasticity in blood vessels.
Gender	Men are more likely to develop high blood pressure before age 64. After 65, women are at a higher risk.
Chronic Kidney Disease	Kidney disease can cause high blood pressure, and high blood pressure can lead to kidney damage.

Modifiable Risk Factors

Risk Factor	Description
Sedentary lifestyle	Lack of physical activity increases your risk of developing high blood pressure
Unhealthy diet high in sodium	A diet too high in sodium, calories, saturated/trans fats, and sugar increases the risk of high blood pressure
Overweight/Obesity	If you have overweight or obesity, it increases the strain on your heart and circulatory system and increases the risk for high blood pressure, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.
Alcohol Consumption	Regular use of alcohol can cause heart failure, stroke, and arrhythmia.
Sleep Apnea	If you have Obstructive Sleep Apnea, you’re at a higher risk of developing high blood pressure.
Smoking and Use of Tobacco	When you use tobacco, your blood pressure increases temporarily and can lead to artery damage.
High Cholesterol	Did you know more than half of the people with hypertension also have high cholesterol?
Diabetes	If you have diabetes, your risk of developing high blood pressure is higher.
Stress	Higher stress levels can cause high blood pressure. An unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, use of tobacco, and alcohol consumption can contribute to stress.

In addition to these risk factors, having pre-existing medical conditions such as heart defects or kidney disorders can lead to high blood pressure (secondary hypertension).

What if High Blood Pressure Left Untreated? The Risks to Your Health

Did you know that high blood pressure can cause serious damage to key organs such as your heart, lungs, brain, and kidneys over time? Don’t panic; managing your blood pressure lowers the risk of life-threatening long-term health issues such as stroke and heart disease.

Here’s how high blood pressure can affect your body of left untreated:

Source: Health Threats from High Blood Pressure | American Heart Association

Health Issue	Impact of High Blood Pressure
Heart Attack	Blocked arteries restrict blood flow to the heart, potentially causing a heart attack.
Stroke	Blood vessels supplying oxygen and blood to the brain can become blocked or burst, leading to a stroke.
Heart Failure	High blood pressure makes your heart work harder, causing it to enlarge and struggle to pump efficiently.
Kidney Diseases/Failure	Damaged arteries around the kidneys obstruct proper blood filtration. This can cause kidney problems/failure.
Vision loss	Damage or strain to the blood vessels in the eyes can lead to vision problems or blindness.
Sexual Dysfunction	Can contribute to erectile dysfunction and a lower sex drive in men.
Heart Disease	Over time, it can lead to heart disease with symptoms like chest pain.
Atherosclerosis	Damaged arteries allow plaque to build up, narrowing the arteries and affecting blood flow.

What Can I Do to Manage High Blood Pressure?

It’s important to understand that there is no cure for high blood pressure. However, don’t worry–healthy lifestyle changes and medication can help you fight back against this ‘silent killer’

Here are some changes you can adopt that matter for your life:

Balanced, nutritious diet
Limiting alcohol consumption
Regular physical activity
Effective stress management
Healthy weight management
Quitting smoking
Taking medications as prescribed

Can Breathing Exercises Help with Hypertension?

Well, yes. You can bring down your digits by focusing on your own breath. Research has shown that slow, deep breathing exercises could significantly lower systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure in hypertensive patients.

Now, you may ask, ‘Can I do breathing exercises if I have high blood pressure?’ The answer is yes. According to the American Lung Association, breathing exercises can help your lungs function effectively.

But breathing affects just not your lungs, but also your cardiovascular and nervous systems. Did you know that stress contributes to high blood pressure? We all know that under stress, your heart beats rapidly because we can feel it. For many of us, breathing is an easy way to reduce the stress levels. Sounds surprising that something as simple as mastering your breath could help you lower both your stress and high blood pressure as well?

Breathing through your nose also affects the parasympathetic nervous system, which can positively impact your blood pressure levels. Optimal Breathing Techniques calm your involuntary nervous system, helping regulate your physiological functions. Learning to breathe the right way is effective as a non-pharmacological approach to lower hypertension.

How Optimal Breathing Exercises Lower Your Hypertension?

The answer is simple. First and foremost, Optimal Breathing Techniques help relax your sympathetic nervous system (accountable for the fight-or-flight response), thereby reducing stress. Secondly, when you breathe deeply, your parasympathetic system (responsible for the rest-and-digest response) gets activated.

As a result, your heart and breathing rate slow down, and your blood vessels dilate. This allows the blood to reach the body’s extremities and reduces the overall blood pressure. Paying attention to your breathing helps your brain enter a relaxed state, reinstating a calming frame of mind. All you need to do is take a moment to inhale, and this can lower your hypertension and help you feel tranquil.

Get Down With Your Blood Pressure By Breathing Right