THE EFFECTS OF STRETCHING EXERCISE ON HEMODYNAMIC RESPONSES AND POST-EXERCISE HYPOTENSION IN NORMOTENSIVE WOMEN STUDENTS

Abstract

Aim: The aim of the present study was to evaluate acute effects of SE on post-exercise hemodynamic responses for 1-h in normotensive sedentary young women. Methods: Sixteen women (21.56±1.21yr; 159.6±0.5 cm; 54.53±6.02 kg) were randomly assigned to SE (n = 8) and control (C) groups (n = 8). SE group performed 20 stretches for the whole body. Each SE was repeated 2 times. Rest interval between repetitions and movement 10 s were considered. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic BP (DBP), mean arterial BP (MAP), rate pressure product (RPP), pulse pressure (PP) and heart rate (HR) were measured during 1-h (minutes: 0,15,30,45 and 60) in SE and C groups. Results: There were significant decreases (P<0.05) in SBP, DBP, and MAP, after SE from 15 to 30 min of recovery than baseline. RPP also decreased significantly (P<0.05) after SE from 15 to 45 min when compared with baseline. But SE did not cause any significant changes in PP when compared with C group. Hemodynamic responses were not altered during the control trial. Conclusions: The results of this study showed that an acute SE lead to PEH. Therefore, SE may be an interesting training strategy to acutely decrease BP in young women.