Study Suggests Your Breathing Style Might Lower Heart Disease Risk

 

Breathing in a specific way might have a positive impact on lowering blood pressure and other factors linked to the risk of heart disease, according to recent research. The study, published in the American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, suggests that opting for nose breathing over mouth breathing could bring various benefits for cardiovascular health.

Blood pressure and heart rate are key indicators of potential heart disease. The connection between breathing patterns and these bodily functions lies in the communication between the respiratory and cardiovascular systems.

In the study, 20 young adult volunteers participated in a crossover study involving both rest and exercise conditions. During the rest condition, participants engaged in nasal-only and mouth-only breathing activities in a randomized order. This included sitting quietly for five minutes and then breathing for five minutes at their own pace. Nasal breathing involved keeping the lips closed, while mouth breathing was done with the help of soft nose clips to block nasal airflow.

For the exercise condition, participants walked at a moderate pace on a slight incline, simulating daily activity. Again, they breathed at their own pace for seven minutes using a stationary bike, with one activity involving mouth-only breathing and the other nasal-only breathing.

Measurements were taken of the volunteers' blood pressure, blood oxygen levels, and heart rate during each condition. The findings showed that diastolic blood pressure was lower when participants breathed through the nose during the rest condition, along with a lower perceived rate of exertion. However, this effect was not observed during the exercise condition.

Additionally, nasal breathing shifted the nervous system into a more parasympathetic state during the rest condition. The researchers concluded that while nasal breathing compared to oral breathing provides modest improvements in cardiovascular variables at rest, further and longer-term studies in different populations are warranted to explore its clinical relevance.

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