From rxpgnews.com

Fitness
Posture linked to blood pressure
Aug 13, 2007 - 12:18:11 PM

London, Aug 13 - Scientists in Britain have said that the position in which you hold your body plays a role in maintaining blood pressure.

Scientists who conducted studies on mice suggest that good posture could help keep blood pressure level normal while bad posture could increase it, reported the online edition of the New Scientist

Posture is the position in which body is held upright against gravity while standing, sitting or lying down.

Good posture involves training body to stand, walk, sit and lie in positions where the least strain is placed on supporting muscles and spine during movement or weight-bearing activities.

Scientists had earlier suspected a link between the muscles in the neck, blood pressure and heart rate.

Now, researchers at the University of Leeds in Britain have found a direct connection between these neck muscles and a part of the brainstem, which plays a crucial role in regulating heart rate and blood pressure.

Brainstem is the lower part of the brain where it connects to the spinal cord.

Researchers said their finding could explain why blood pressure and heart rate sometimes change when the neck muscles are injured. Similarly, it is possible that hours spent hunched over a computer may raise blood pressure.



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