ABSTRACT
THE EFFECT OF DEEP BREATH RELAXATION ON THE DECREASE OF HYPERTENSION IN ELDERLY PATIENTS AT THE AMANAH CLINIC
Hypertension is a global health problem whose prevalence continues to increase, especially in the elderly. This study aims to determine the effect of deep breath relaxation on lowering blood pressure in elderly patients with hypertension at the Amanah Clinic, Ponorogo Regency. The research method used an experimental design with a one-group pre-post-test approach. The research sample consisted of 15 elderly aged ≥60 years who were selected through consecutive sampling technique. The deep breath relaxation intervention was carried out with a deep breath technique through the nose for 4 seconds, holding the breath for 3 seconds, and exhaling slowly through the mouth for 6-8 seconds, repeated 5-10 times for 15 minutes. Blood pressure was measured before and after the intervention using a digital sphygmomanometer.
The results showed a decrease in mean systolic blood pressure from 169.33 mmHg to 164.07 mmHg and diastolic from 93.40 mmHg to 86.40 mmHg after the intervention. The paired t-test statistical test showed a significant difference with a value of p=0.000 (p<0.05), which indicates that deep breath relaxation effectively reduces blood pressure in the elderly with hypertension.
Conclusion: Deep breath relaxation can be an easy, cheap, and effective non-pharmacological intervention to help control blood pressure in the elderly. It is recommended that health workers consider this technique as part of the management of hypertension in health care facilities.
Keywords: Hypertension, deep breath relaxation, blood pressure.