![]() ![]() Breathe slowly through your nose, silently saying your focus word, phrase, or prayer to yourself as you exhale.Relax your muscles, progressing from your feet to your calves, thighs, abdomen, and so on, up to your neck and face.Sit quietly in a comfortable position and close your eyes.Select a word (such as “one” or “peace”), a short phrase, or a prayer to focus on.Herbert Benson, has been shown to reduce heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, and muscle tension. The relaxation response, developed by Harvard’s Dr. ![]() ![]() 32% of the volunteers in that group were able to eliminate one blood pressure medication and still keep their blood pressure under control, compared with 14% of the lifestyle group.Blood pressure decreased more in the relaxation response group.Researchers with the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind-Body Medicine at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital compared a stress management technique called the relaxation response with education about lifestyle changes such as sodium reduction, weight loss, and exercise. Fully relaxing your body and your mind for a few minutes a day could lower your systolic blood pressure (the top number of a blood pressure reading) by 10 points or more-at no cost, and with no side effects. But pills cost money and often have side effects. It takes just a few seconds and you are finished. The easiest way to lower blood pressure is by popping a pill. ![]()
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