Incorporating brief periods of physical activity into your daily schedule, like a 15-minute bike ride to the shops or opting for the stairs, can help reduce , according to a recent study. Swapping out some TV time or a longer lie-in for more exercise is beneficial for heart health, researchers have found.

However, they cautioned that activities more vigorous than just walking may be necessary to see significant changes. The study, published in the journal Circulation, highlighted that day-to-day activities which elevate the heart rate, such as cycling, stair climbing or short running bursts, offer the most advantages.

The research, led by University College London (UCL) and the University of Sydney, analysed data from 14,761 individuals who wore activity monitors for 24 hours to investigate the link between daily movement and blood pressure. Over the course of the 24-hour period, participants on average spent seven hours sleeping, ten hours in sedentary behaviour like sitting, three hours standing, one hour slow walking, one hour fast walking, and 16 minutes engaging in heart rate-boosting exercise such as running and cycling.

The study discovered that an additional five minutes of heart rate-raising exercise, like stair climbing, running or cycling swapped for any other behaviours could decrease systolic blood pressure (SBP) by 0.68 millimetres of mercury (mmHg) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) by 0.54mmHg2.

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Systolic, the "top number" in a blood pressure reading, signifies the pressure when the heart pumps blood throughout the body. Diastolic, the "bottom number", represents the pressure when the heart is at rest between beats.

According to researchers, on a population scale, a 2mmHg decrease in SBP and a 1mmHg decrease in DPB equates to roughly a 10% reduction in heart disease risk. To achieve such significant improvements, individuals would need to shift 20-27 minutes from other activities to proper exercise for the top number, and 10-15 minutes for the bottom number, as per the study's findings.

For instance, in terms of systolic blood pressure, replacing 21 minutes of sedentary time, 22 minutes of standing or 26 minutes of slow walking with exercise like cycling or jogging would yield this result. For diastolic blood pressure, the benefits would come from substituting 10 minutes of fast walking, 11 minutes of sedentary time or 13 minutes of sleep with proper exercise.

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Dr Jo Blodgett, the study's lead author from UCL, stated: "Our findings suggest that, for most people, exercise is key to reducing blood pressure, rather than less strenuous forms of movement such as walking."

"Our findings suggest that, for most people, exercise is key to reducing blood pressure, rather than less strenuous forms of movement such as walking."

"The good news is that, whatever your physical ability, it doesn't take long to have a positive effect on blood pressure. What's unique about our exercise variable is that it includes all exercise-like activities, from climbing the stairs to a short cycling errand, many of which can be integrated into daily routines."

"For those who don't do a lot of exercise, walking did still have some positive benefits for blood pressure. But if you want to change your blood pressure, putting more demand on the cardiovascular system through exercise will have the greatest effect."

High blood pressure consistently is one of the leading causes of premature death worldwide and can result in stroke, heart attack, heart failure and kidney damage.

The British Heart Foundation funded the study. Its chief scientific officer, Professor Bryan Williams, stated: "]We know that exercise can have real benefits for your cardiovascular health and also helps to lower blood pressure."

"We recommend doing 150 minutes of physical activity each week, and this interesting study shows that incorporating just a few extra minutes of physical activity each day could help further lower your blood pressure, albeit by a modest amount."

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"Anything that gets your heart rate up can help. Incorporating short bursts of activity such as walking while taking phone calls or setting an alarm to get up and move around every hour, are great ways to start building activity into your day."

Our findings suggest that, for most people, exercise is key to reducing blood pressure, rather than less strenuous forms of movement such as walking.

"These small changes will help get you in the habit of living a healthier, more active lifestyle."