Blow Off Steam, Drop Your BP
How IMST breathing exercise helps to lower blood pressure long term
If you’ve tried breathing techniques like 4-7-8 or box breathing, you already know that deep breathing can calm your nerves and even lower your blood pressure. But there’s a completely different approach to lowering blood pressure with breathing: Inspiratory Muscle Strength Training (IMST) — a quick and surprisingly powerful breathing exercise that can cut your systolic blood pressure by as much as 9 points. And the best part? You can do it without any devices.
What is IMST?
IMST was originally developed for people with lung conditions. It works like strength training for your breathing muscles — especially your diaphragm — by making it harder to inhale. Think of it as HIIT for your lungs. Which means that your cardiovascular system experiences short stress during this exercise which ultimately makes it more resilient when adjusting to BP changes.
Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder showed that doing IMST for just 5 minutes a day (30 deep breaths) significantly lowers blood pressure, boosts vascular health, and could cut your risk of cardiovascular disease by up to 40%.
How to Do IMST Without a Device
Here’s the DIY version:
Sit upright, relax, and keep your mouth closed.
Use your thumb and index finger to gently squeeze your nostrils to create resistance.
Inhale deeply through your nose — it should be hard!
Exhale normally.
Take 6 deep breaths per minute, for 5 minutes total (30 breaths).
You should only be able to take in about 25% of a normal deep breath. This strengthens your breathing muscles and also helps you feel calmer and more focused.
Does It Actually Work?
Yes! In a 6-week study, people using high-resistance IMST devices dropped their systolic blood pressure by 9 points — about the same as walking 30 minutes five days a week or even taking some medications. Even six weeks after stopping the exercise, most of the benefits remained. Bonus: 95% of participants stuck with the program!
And here’s an interesting twist — postmenopausal women, who don’t usually get much blood pressure benefit from traditional aerobic exercise, did respond well to IMST.
Want a Digital Coach?
You don’t need to spend money on a device. Our BreathNow app includes IMST breathing exercise which can be performed without another device. BreathNow also includes other proven breathing techniques like box breathing, balance and 4-7-8. You can log your blood pressure and pulse, track your progress, and check the results — all from your iPhone or Apple Watch.
Give it a try and let us know how it worked for you!
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