A single session of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise induced 24-hour ambulatory hypotension during both awake and sleep periods in non-hypertensive young adults with a family history of hypertension, without altering heart rate variability.
Key Findings
Results
A single aerobic exercise session produced a significant main effect on systolic blood pressure over 24 hours in young adults with a family history of hypertension.
Two-way repeated-measures ANOVA revealed a significant main effect of session (exercise vs. control) for systolic BP (p = 0.026, η² = 0.084)
No session × time (awake vs. asleep) interaction was found for systolic BP, indicating the effect persisted across both periods
Participants were non-hypertensive young adults (24.84 ± 4.15 years, BMI 23.97 ± 3.28 kg·m⁻²)
Sample consisted of 20 individuals (four females, sixteen males) each with at least one hypertensive parent
Results
A single aerobic exercise session produced a significant main effect on diastolic blood pressure over 24 hours in young adults with a family history of hypertension.
Two-way repeated-measures ANOVA revealed a significant main effect of session (exercise vs. control) for diastolic BP (p = 0.022, η² = 0.088)
No session × time (awake vs. asleep) interaction was found for diastolic BP, indicating the effect persisted across both periods
The hypotensive effect was observed during both the awake and sleep monitoring periods
The effect size for diastolic BP (η² = 0.088) was slightly larger than for systolic BP (η² = 0.084)
Results
The aerobic exercise session did not significantly alter any 24-hour ambulatory heart rate variability indices.
No significant main effects of session were found for any HRV indices (p > 0.05)
No significant interaction between session and time (awake vs. asleep) was found for HRV
HRV was assessed by 24-hour ambulatory monitoring alongside blood pressure
The dissociation between BP reduction and unchanged HRV suggests the post-exercise hypotension was not mediated by detectable changes in cardiac autonomic modulation
Methods
The exercise protocol consisted of a single 30-minute moderate-intensity cycling session performed at 50–60% of heart rate reserve.
Exercise was performed on a cycle ergometer for 30 minutes
Intensity was set at 50–60% of heart rate reserve, corresponding to 142 ± 5 bpm and 68 ± 23 W
The study used a randomized crossover design with a minimum interval of 72 hours between the control (non-exercise) and experimental (aerobic exercise) sessions
Baseline anthropometric and metabolic parameters assessed included body fat percentage, abdominal circumference, and blood glucose
Results
Post-exercise hypotension extended across the full 24-hour monitoring period, including during sleep, in non-hypertensive individuals with a family history of hypertension.
The absence of a session × time interaction indicates the blood pressure reduction was consistent across both awake and asleep periods
Participants were defined as FHH+ (family history of hypertension positive), having at least one hypertensive parent
All 20 participants were confirmed non-hypertensive at baseline
24-hour BP monitoring was used rather than office measurements, capturing ambulatory hypotension across the full day-night cycle
What This Means
This research suggests that a single 30-minute bout of moderate-intensity cycling can lower blood pressure for an entire 24-hour period — including during sleep — in young, otherwise healthy adults whose parents have high blood pressure. The study used wearable monitors to track blood pressure and heart rhythm continuously after either an exercise session or a rest day, and found that blood pressure was meaningfully lower on the exercise day compared to the rest day. This effect held up across both waking hours and overnight, suggesting the benefit is sustained rather than short-lived.
Interestingly, the blood pressure reduction occurred without any detectable change in heart rate variability, which is a measure of how the autonomic nervous system regulates the heart. This means the mechanism behind the blood pressure lowering effect remains unclear from this study alone, as it does not appear to be simply explained by changes in cardiac autonomic control after exercise.
This research matters because people with a family history of hypertension are at higher risk of developing high blood pressure themselves, even before any diagnosis is made. The findings suggest that even a relatively modest and brief exercise session may have meaningful cardiovascular benefits for this at-risk group, potentially helping to delay or prevent the onset of hypertension. The crossover design — where the same participants served as their own controls — strengthens confidence in the results.
Queiroz M, Tobar K, Damazo A, Cambri L. (2026). Moderate-Intensity Aerobic Exercise Induces Ambulatory Hypotension in Young Adults with a Family History of Hypertension.. International journal of environmental research and public health. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph23050602