Dr. Lyn Johnson, a physician at the Family Health Center East at Florida Hospital East Orlando, says too many people breathe too quickly and inhale longer than they exhale, which can raise blood pressure. One suggestion: RESPeRATE, an FDA-approved device to be sold over the counter. The machine uses a series of sounds to indicate when a user should inhale and exhale. "By slowing the breathing rate to less than 10 breaths per minute -- and by helping you exhale longer than you inhale -- it relaxes the blood vessels, and the blood does flow easier," Johnson says.
