A STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF RELAXATION AND BIOFEEDBACKASSISTED RELAXATION ON PATIENTS WITH MILD HYPERTENSION

AbstractINTRODUCTION: Hypertension is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases worldwide.Because of its chronicity, hypertension requires life-long therapy. Many patients tend todiscontinue therapy and seek alternative treatments. In this study, we evaluated the efficacyof two behavioral therapeutic techniques, namely relaxation and biofeedback-assistedrelaxation in reducing blood pressure.METHODS: Fifty-six mildly hypertensive men (aged between ۳۰ and ۶۰ years) who did notuse any pharmacological treatment, took part in this study. The participants were randomlydivided into three groups, relaxation (group one), biofeedback-assisted relaxation (grouptwo) and control (group three). The treatment course consisted of ten sessions (every otherday). Relaxation was performed in groups one and two for ۱۵ minutes during each session.In group ۲, for another ۱۵ minutes at the end of each relaxation session, blood pressure wasmeasured at ۲- to ۳-minute intervals and declared to the patient. Heart rate and bloodpressure were measured and recorded before and after each session. In the control group,only blood pressure was measured at each session. Stress was measured using Malekpoorquestionnaire with ۶۷% validity. Anxiety was measured by Ketel's questionnaire. Thepatients filled stress and anxiety questionnaires before and after the study period (۲۰ days).RESULTS: Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures decreased after the study period ingroups one and two. There was a significant difference between groups one and three(P<۰.۰۵) and between groups two and three (P<۰.۰۵).DISCUSSION: Relaxation and biofeedback-assisted relaxation techniques can reducesystolic and diastolic blood pressure, hence their benefits in the treatment of hypertensioncan be used in appropriate settings.A STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF RELAXATION AND BIOFEEDBACKASSISTEDRELAXATION ON PATIENTS WITH MILD HYPERTENSIONKeywords • Relaxation • Biofeedback-assisted relaxation • Anxiety • Stress • Hypertension