A daily “workout” for breathing muscles may help lower blood pressure to a similar degree as exercise or even medication, a study suggests.

The technique is called inspiratory muscle strength training (IMST), and it involves using a device that provides resistance as the user inhales — exercising the diaphragm and other breathing muscles.

Researchers found that over six weeks, the exercises lowered study participants’ blood pressure by nine points, on average. And all it took was five minutes of training per day, said lead researcher Daniel Craighead, assistant research professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

After six weeks, people in the IMST group saw their systolic blood pressure drop from an average of 135 mmHg to 126 mmHg.

The improvement is on par with medication, according to Craighead, and even better than what’s typical with exercise.

Study participants had higher-than-normal blood pressure but were healthy. It’s unclear how well the technique would work for people in poorer health. There’s also the question of how long the benefits last, Craighead said.

Even after the training ended, most of the blood pressure reductions were sustained for another six weeks.