Exploring Stress and Anxiety of Hypertensive Patients and the Role of Relaxation exercises: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Abstract

Background:
Stress is one of the parameters of assessing one's mental health that throws a person off balance.
An individual with elevated blood pressure for a more extended period is hypertension. It is a
critical illness that could lead to several co-morbid diseases. Yoga and breathing exercises have
shown a more robust relationship in getting a balance with one's blood pressure and promoting
health.
Objective:
To determine the relationship between stress and elevated blood pressure.
To identify the effectiveness of breathing exercises in reducing blood pressure.
Methods and Materials:
A quasi-experimental study with a sample size of 990 patients was randomly chosen to be
included in this study's experimental and control groups. A pre-validated structured tool was
adopted to gather the required information about participants' socio-demographic data, disease
history, and stress levels. Descriptive statistics such as frequency and percentage were utilized
when analyzing the data. Blood pressure was compared among three groups of personal habits
using inferential statistics such as independent and paired t-tests, Chi-square tests, Mann-
Whitney tests, and ANOVA tests. The Chi-square result indicates a strong link between
lifestyle behaviors (such as smoking or exercising) and blood pressure (such as a person's age
and stress level). As a result of the use of Progressive Muscle Relaxation techniques, blood
pressure was reduced in Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP). Smokers and alcoholics were found to
have elevated diastolic blood pressure in an ANOVA comparison of their mean blood pressure
scores. Diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was associated with smoking and alcohol consumption
using an ANOVA comparison of the mean blood pressure scores across three groups of
personal habits.
Conclusion:
Personal habits such as smoking and drinking are strongly linked to stress and blood pressure
in old age. Systolic blood pressure was reduced significantly in hypertension patients who used
Progressive Muscle Relaxation techniques. As a result of completing the relaxation exercises,
it was possible to see how the participants responded and felt about themselves. According to
the study's author, stress reduction is a non-pharmacological treatment for hypertension.