A single session of exercise reduces blood pressure reactivity to mental stress in police officers

Overt policing is a stressful occupational activity that burdens the cardiovascular system, increasing cardiovascular reactivity to acute stressors. In this context, the hypothesis investigated was that a single session of aerobic exercise could mitigate stress-induced blood pressure (BP) spikes, reducing pressor reactivity and cardiovascular risk. This study aimed to assess whether a single session of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise attenuates BP reactivity to mental stress. A randomized crossover study was conducted with 12 healthy and physically active police officers (Age, 36.65 ± 4.51 years old; body mass index, 28.48 ± 2.29 kg·m - 2 ; VO 2 peak, 41.03 ± 10.06 ml·kg - 1 ·min - 1 ), who underwent two experimental sessions: 1) 30-minute treadmill exercise session (60% of heart rate reserve); and 2) control session (without exercise). BP and heart rate (HR) were measured at rest and in response to the Stroop-Color Word Test (SCWT) before and 30 minutes after the sessions. Cardiovascular reactivity to the SCWT was calculated based on the peak delta (Δ) of BP and HR, determined by the difference between the highest value recorded during the test (at minutes 2 or 4) and the pre-test values. A two-way (session vs. time) repeated measures analysis of variance was used to compare BPs, and HR reactivity to the SCWT. In case of significant interaction, Bonferroni’s post-hoc test was performed for multiple comparisons. No differences were observed in pre-intervention systolic BP (129 ± 9 vs. 129 ± 8 mmHg, p = 0.54), diastolic BP (79 ± 10 vs. 77 ± 9 mmHg, p = 0.18), and HR (64 ± 11 vs. 65 ± 10 bpm, p = 0.43) between sessions. Systolic BP reactivity to the SCWT was lower post-exercise (+1 ± 5 mmHg) compared to post-control (+7 ± 5 mmHg; p = 0.05), with no significant difference between post-exercise and pre-exercise reactivity (+6 ± 8 mmHg; p = 0.06). DBP reactivity was lower post-exercise (+3 ± 6 mmHg) compared to pre-exercise (+10 ± 7 mmHg; p = 0.01), with no significant difference between post-exercise and post-control reactivity (+10 ± 8 mmHg; p = 0.08). No difference on HR reactivity to the SCWT (p = 0.21). A single session of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise reduced BP reactivity to mental stress in police officers. These findings reinforce physical exercise as a strategy to mitigate mental stress-induced BP spikes, reducing cardiovascular risk within this occupational population. Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – Brasil (CAPES) – Finance Code 001. This abstract was presented at the American Physiology Summit 2025 and is only available in HTML format. There is no downloadable file or PDF version. The Physiology editorial board was not involved in the peer review process.