Wall squat exercise and blood pressure in adults with hypertension and treated sleep apnea
Tests wall squats for blood pressure in adults with hypertension and CPAP-treated sleep apnea.
Key facts
- Who runs it
- Aveiro University
- Where
- Braga, PortugalSee the site
- Trial code
- Registry title
- How Wall Squat Exercise Affects Blood Pressure in People With High Blood Pressure and Treated Sleep Apnea (WALLPRESS)
- Status
- Recruiting
- People taking part
- 20 people, planned
- Started
- 30 Jul 2026
- Expected to end
- 30 Nov 2026
- Type of study
- Interventional, 2 groupsOne group gets no study treatment, for comparison.
- Treatments tested
- Isometric Wall Squat
- Record updated
- 29 July 2026
Who can take part
AI summary
From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.
The trial is looking for adults with high blood pressure and sleep apnoea who already use CPAP. It tests whether one session of wall squat exercise lowers blood pressure.
- Age
- 18 to 80 years
- Sex
- Men and women can join.
- Disease stage
- High blood pressure and obstructive sleep apnoea confirmed by a sleep study, with an Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) of at least 15 events per hour.
- Earlier treatment
- Must have used CPAP for at least 3 months.
Main reasons for not taking part
- Average CPAP use under 4 hours a night in the last month
- Heart failure, peripheral artery disease, atrial fibrillation, COPD or chronic kidney disease
- Heart attack-type event (acute coronary syndrome), stroke or TIA in the previous 12 months
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding
- Any reason that makes exercise unsafe, including nerve or bone and joint problems
The registry criteria, word for word
Show all 17 criteriaShow less
Who can take part
- 18-80 years old
- Diagnosis of hypertension and OSA confirmed by polysomnography or respiratory sleep study
- Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) of at least 15 events per hour
- Treatment with CPAP for at least 3 months
Who cannot take part
- History of acute coronary syndrome, stroke, or transient ischemic attack in the previous 12 months
- Relevant changes in antihypertensive or other cardiovascular pharmacotherapy in the previous 3 months
- Relevant changes in CPAP prescription in the previous 3 months
- Heart failure
- Peripheral artery disease
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- Chronic kidney disease
- Any contraindication to exercise according to contemporary ESC/ACSM recommendations (e.g. unstable angina)
- Neurological and/or orthopaedic conditions that could interfere with exercise (e.g. severe knee osteoarthritis, recent lower-limb surgery)
- Mean CPAP adherence <4 hours/night over the last month, documented by device download
- Atrial fibrillation
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding
- Inability to read, understand, or provide informed consent
Check if you might fit
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 18 and 80 years old?
Where in Portugal
- Nippon Sanso HomecareBraga, PortugalContact: Rafael Mariz, BachelorTaking people
About the trial
What the trial wants to find out
This study will look at whether a simple exercise called the isometric wall squat can help lower blood pressure in adults who have both hypertension and obstructive sleep apnoea treated with CPAP. Obstructive sleep apnoea is a condition in which breathing repeatedly stops or becomes shallow during sleep, and it is closely linked to high blood pressure. Although CPAP helps treat sleep apnoea, it usually lowers blood pressure only a little, so additional non-drug strategies may be useful.
Read full original descriptionShow less
The study will compare two situations in the same participants: one session of wall squat exercise and one non-exercise control session. Each participant will take part in both sessions, but the order will be random. This design helps the researchers compare blood pressure changes more fairly within the same person.
Participants will first attend a familiarization session, where the study procedures will be explained and the exercise intensity will be checked. After that, they will complete the two study sessions at home, during their usual CPAP treatment visits. The sessions will be separated by at least 48 hours and completed within one week. Both sessions will be scheduled at the same time of day to reduce the effect of normal daily changes in blood pressure.
The main result the researchers will measure is the average systolic blood pressure during the 12 hours after each session, using ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. This means blood pressure will be measured over time while the participant goes about normal daily activities. The researchers want to find out whether a single session of wall squat exercise produces a greater blood pressure reduction than simply resting without exercise.
This study may help improve understanding of whether isometric exercise can be a practical, low-cost, home-based option to support blood pressure control in people with hypertension and CPAP-treated obstructive sleep apnoea.
The 2 groups in the trial
- Isometric Wall SquatTreatment being tested
Isometric Wall Squat exercise session plus standard drug therapy
- ControlNo study treatment, for comparison
non-exercise control session plus standard drug therapy
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations
Print a page for my doctorData and sources
- Registry record
- Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
- Official title
- Acute Blood Pressure Responses to Isometric Wall Squat Exercise in Adults With Hypertension and CPAP-Treated Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Randomized Crossover Trial
- Plain-language title
- Wall squat exercise and blood pressure in adults with hypertension and treated sleep apneaGenerated from the registry record. The registry title is the official one.
- AI summary
- From the trial's eligibility criteria. Read by machine on 12 November 2026.
- Fit questions
- Built from NCT07730879, who can take part
- Record updated
- 29 July 2026