Effect of Mental and Physical Training on Blood Pressure

Efficacy of Mental and Physical Training on Blood Pressure and Resting Heart Rate Among Physically Inactive Young Adults With Elevated and High Blood Pressure

Elevated blood pressure or prehypertension is highly associated with increased risk of developing hypertension, cardiovascular event, and type II diabetes. Many physically inactive young adults, particularly in Malaysia have blood pressure higher than normal range, therefore it is important to control the blood pressure within normal range as prophylactic measure. This experimental research will be carried out to study the effect of physical training (aerobic exercise) and mental training (mindfulness meditation) with diet as a control group on the systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and resting heart rate among young adult with elevated blood pressure living a sedentary lifestyle. Participant will be divided into 2 experimental groups (mental and physical training) and 1 control group (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension -DASH diet plan) who need to complete the prescribed intervention for 6 weeks. Results will be analysed by repeated measures ANOVA followed by post-hic test.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Male adults aged 18-25 years
• Normal BMI (18.5-24.9)
• Physically inactive
• SBP between 120-139 mmHg and/or DBP between 60-89 mmHg
• No hearing abnormalities
• Willing to participate

Exclusion Criteria:

• Participants who have cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and neurological disorders or any other medical condition that would restrict them to participate in the exercise
• Those who are taking antihypertensive medications or other medications that will affect their BP and heart rate
• Participants who are currently engaging in any form of relaxation techniques such as yoga or meditation
• Individuals who are actively engaged in physical activities