The Effectiveness of Progressive Muscle Relaxation Therapy and Guided Imagery Techniques for Reducing Blood Pressure in Hypertension Patients

BACKGROUND: Hypertension is abnormally high blood pressure. The number of hypertensive people continues to increase every year. It is estimated that in 2025 there will be 1.5 billion people affected by hypertension, and 10.44 million people die each year due to hypertension and its complications. AIM: To determine the effectiveness of progressive muscle relaxation therapy and guided imagination techniques in reducing blood pressure in patients with hypertension. METHODS: This study used a quasi-experimental methodology with a two-group pretest and posttest design, as well as a large sample of 36 respondents divided into two groups: progressive muscle relaxation therapy and guided imagining approaches. Every day for 6 days, each group received 15 min of treatment. Blood pressure was measured before and after each treatment. RESULTS: The results of the study using the Friedman, Wilcoxon, Kruskal-Wallis, and Mann-Whitney tests showed that systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased in progressive muscle relaxation therapy by 9.89 mmHg and 7.73 mmHg (p = 0.000 α < 0.05) and technique guided imagination by 4.2 mmHg and 3.2 mmHg (p = 0.000 α < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The progressive muscle relaxation therapy was more effective than the guided imagination technique in reducing blood pressure in patients with hypertension. As a nurse, it is hoped that they can apply therapies such as progressive muscle relaxation therapy and guided imagination techniques as an alternative to nonpharmacological therapy in handling hypertension clients.