Acute nasal breathing significantly lowered resting diastolic blood pressure compared to oral breathing (median 68 vs 72 mmHg, P<0.001) and increased parasympathetic contributions to heart rate variability.
RCT (n=20)
Open-label
Randomized crossover
No
Does acute nasal breathing improve blood pressure and heart rate variability in healthy young adults compared to oral breathing?
Acute nasal breathing at rest modestly lowers diastolic blood pressure and improves parasympathetic tone compared to oral breathing in healthy young adults.
Effect estimate: Rank-biserial correlation = 0.89
Absolute Event Rate: 68% vs 72%
p-value: p=<0.001
There is growing interest in how breathing pace, pattern, and training (e.g., device-guided or -resisted breathing) affect prognostic cardiovascular variables. However, the potential effects of the breathing route on prognostic cardiovascular variables are unclear. These data suggest that nasal compared with oral breathing 1) lowers mean and diastolic blood pressure (BP), 2) does not affect systolic BP or heart rate (HR), and 3) increases parasympathetic contributions to heart rate variability (HRV). These data suggest that acute nasal breathing improves several prognostic cardiovascular variables.
Watso et al. (Mon,) conducted a rct in Healthy (n=20). Nasal breathing vs. Oral breathing was evaluated on Diastolic blood pressure at rest (mmHg) (Rank-biserial correlation = 0.89, p=<0.001). Acute nasal breathing significantly lowered resting diastolic blood pressure compared to oral breathing (median 68 vs 72 mmHg, P<0.001) and increased parasympathetic contributions to heart rate variability.
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