How Wall Squat Exercise Affects Blood Pressure in People With High Blood Pressure and Treated Sleep Apnea (WALLPRESS)

NCT07730879 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 153-CEIC-UA/2026-M
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 20
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

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. 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.

Conditions

Hypertension; Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)

Keywords

isometric exercise; wall squat; blood pressure

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• 12-hour systolic blood pressure

  Systolic blood pressure measured by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring every 30 minutes for 12 hours after the exercise or control session

  During the 12 hours following the exercise or control session

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• 12-hour diastolic blood pressure

  During the 12 hours following the exercise or control session

• Short-term blood pressure variability

  During the 12 hours following the exercise or control session

• Pulse pressure

  During the 12 hours following the exercise or control session

Other Outcomes (1)

• Adverse events associated with the isometric wall squat exercise session.

  From during the session to 72 hours after the exercise session

Study Arms (2)

Isometric Wall Squat

EXPERIMENTAL

Isometric Wall Squat exercise session plus standard drug therapy

Other: Isometric Wall Squat

Control

NO INTERVENTION

non-exercise control session plus standard drug therapy

Interventions

Isometric Wall Squat OTHER

4x2-min isometric wall squat contractions separated by 2-min rest periods plus standard drug therapy

Also known as: wall squat

Isometric Wall Squat

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 80 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• 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.

You may not qualify if:

• Mean CPAP adherence \<4 hours/night over the last month, documented by device download.
• Heart failure.
• Peripheral artery disease.
• Atrial fibrillation.
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
• Chronic kidney disease.
• 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.
• Any contraindication to exercise according to contemporary ESC/ACSM recommendations (e.g. unstable angina).
• Pregnancy or breastfeeding.
• Neurological and/or orthopaedic conditions that could interfere with exercise (e.g. severe knee osteoarthritis, recent lower-limb surgery).
• Inability to read, understand, or provide informed consent.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Aveiro University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Nippon Sanso Homecare

Braga, Portugal

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Hypertension; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Vascular Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases; Sleep Apnea Syndromes; Apnea; Respiration Disorders; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Sleep Disorders, Intrinsic; Dyssomnias; Sleep Wake Disorders; Nervous System Diseases

Study Officials

• Fernando Ribeiro, PhD

  University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugual

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Eduardo C Costa, PhD

  Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Fernando Ribeiro, PhD

CONTACT

+351234372455; fernando.ribeiro@ua.pt

Rafael Mariz, Bachelor in Physiotherapy

CONTACT

rafaelmariz@ua.pt

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Coordinator Professor with Habilitation

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 23, 2026
• First Posted: July 28, 2026
• Study Start: July 30, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): October 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): November 30, 2026
• Last Updated: July 29, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-07

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP
• Time Frame: Available after publication of the primary results and ending 5 years thereafter.
• Access Criteria: De-identified individual participant data and supporting documents will be available to qualified researchers upon reasonable request for scientifically valid purposes. Requests will be reviewed and approved by the study team, and access will be granted after agreement on data use, ethical compliance, and confidentiality protections. Data will be shared in de-identified form only, via secure transfer or a controlled-access repository.

Locations

PT (1)