New publications
Five minutes of extra exercise a day can lower blood pressure
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Adding small amounts of physical activity to your daily routine, such as climbing stairs or cycling to the shops, can help lower blood pressure, with just five extra minutes a day likely to make an improvement, according to new research from researchers at University College London (UCL) and the University of Sydney.
The study, supported by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and published in the journal Circulation, analysed health data from 14,761 volunteers who wore activity trackers to examine the link between daily movement and blood pressure.
The researchers divided daily activity into six categories:
- Dream
- Sedentary behavior (e.g. sitting)
- Slow walking (cadence less than 100 steps per minute)
- Fast walking (cadence more than 100 steps per minute)
- Standing
- More intense exercise (such as running, cycling, or stair climbing).
They then used this data to estimate the impact of replacing one type of activity with another. They found that replacing any less vigorous activity with five minutes of exercise could reduce systolic blood pressure (SBP) by 0.68 millimeters of mercury (mmHg) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) by 0.54 mmHg.
A 2 mmHg reduction in BP and 1 mmHg reduction in BP is equivalent to about a 10% reduction in cardiovascular disease risk. The study found that "clinically meaningful" improvements could be achieved with just 20 extra minutes of exercise per day to reduce BP and 10 extra minutes to reduce BP.
The results highlight that even everyday activities that raise your heart rate, such as cycling, climbing stairs or short jogging, can be helpful in maintaining healthy blood pressure.
Dr Jo Blodgett, first author of the study from UCL Surgery & Interventional Science and the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health, said: "Our findings show that for most people, exercise is key to lowering blood pressure, rather than less strenuous forms of movement such as walking."
The researchers pooled data from six studies in the ProPASS consortium, involving 14,761 people from five countries, to examine how daily movement behavior is associated with blood pressure.
High blood pressure, which is characterized by persistently elevated levels, affects 1.28 billion adults and is one of the leading causes of premature death worldwide. It can lead to stroke, heart attack, heart failure, kidney damage, and many other health problems.
Dr Mark Hamer, joint senior author of the study, said: "Wearable activity tracking devices such as smartwatches are becoming increasingly important tools for patients to track their physical activity habits and manage risk factors such as high blood pressure."
Our results demonstrate how powerful research platforms such as the ProPASS consortium help to identify relatively subtle patterns of exercise, sleep, and sedentary behavior that have significant clinical and societal implications.