New sound therapy can reduce blood pressure in hypertensive patients

A new noninvasive neurotechnology has been shown to lower blood pressure, improve heart rate variability and reduced migraine symptoms.

The procedure, which uses sound to balance brain frequencies between the left and right sides, was presented last week at the American Heart Association’s Council on Hypertension sessions, the organization said in a statement.

Called high-resolution, relational, resonance-based, electroenephalic mirroring (HIRREM), the neurotechnology uses scalp sensors to measure electrical activity in the brain and detect any imbalances. HIRREM translates dominant frequencies into computer-generated audible tones.

This study is part of a larger research initiative that is examining the effects of HIRREM on multiple conditions.

In the study, the researchers examined the impact of HIRREM on 10 men and women who all had stage one hypertension. Results showed that hypertensive patients show an average reduction in systolic blood pressure from 152 to 136 millimeters of mercury. They also saw a reduction in diastolic pressure from 97 to 81 mmHg.

“Most people have relatively balanced electrical activity between the right side and left sides of the brain,” Hossam A. Shaltout, PhD, lead author on the study and an assistant professor in the Hypertension and Vascular Research Center at Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, said in a statement. “Imbalance, with one side dominant or more active, may reflect autonomic dysregulation associated with the effects of chronic stress, which is thought to play a role in high blood pressure, migraines, insomnia, depression, hot flashes and more.”

Additionally, there were improvements in patients’ levels of insomnia and anxiety, and heart rate variability increased from 42 to 57 milliseconds on average.