Laboratory for Brain-Gut Axis Studies (LaBGAS), Translational Research Center for Gastrointestinal Disorders (TARGID), Department of Chronic Diseases, Metabolism and Ageing, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Health Psychology Research Group, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Psychophysiology. 2019 Nov;56(11):e13447. doi: 10.1111/psyp.13447. Epub 2019 Jul 30.
Slow, deep breathing is being used as a self-management intervention for various health conditions including pain and hypertension. Stimulation of the arterial baroreceptors and increased vagal modulation are among the proposed mechanisms for the therapeutic effects of slow, deep breathing. We investigated whether adding inspiratory threshold load can enhance the cardiovascular responses to controlled breathing at the frequency of 0.1 Hz, a common form of slow, deep breathing. Healthy volunteers (N = 29) performed controlled breathing at 0.1 Hz (6 breaths/minute) without load and with inspiratory threshold loads of 5 cmH O and 10 cmH O. Respiratory airflow, heart rate, and blood pressure were continuously recorded. The amplitude of the systolic blood pressure variation during respiratory cycles increased with increasing loads. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia was higher during controlled breathing at 0.1 Hz with the load of 10 cmH O compared to without load. Baroreflex sensitivity was not affected by loads. The effect of loads on respiratory sinus arrhythmia was mediated by increasing the amplitude of systolic blood pressure variation during respiratory cycles. These results suggest that applying small inspiratory threshold loads during controlled breathing at 0.1 Hz increases cardiac vagal modulation by this breathing exercise. This effect seems to be mediated by stronger stimulation of the arterial baroreceptors because of larger systolic blood pressure swings along the respiratory cycle. The potential benefit of long-term practice of controlled breathing at 0.1 Hz with inspiratory threshold loads on baroreflex function and cardiac vagal control needs to be investigated, particularly in pain and hypertension patients.
缓慢、深呼吸作为一种自我管理干预方法，被用于各种健康状况，包括疼痛和高血压。缓慢、深呼吸的治疗效果的提出的机制之一是刺激动脉压力感受器和增加迷走神经调制。我们研究了在频率为 0.1 Hz 的控制呼吸中增加吸气阈负荷是否可以增强心血管反应，0.1 Hz 是一种常见的缓慢、深呼吸形式。健康志愿者（N=29）在无负荷和吸气阈负荷为 5 cmH2O 和 10 cmH2O 时，以 0.1 Hz（6 次/分钟）进行控制呼吸。连续记录呼吸气流、心率和血压。随着负荷的增加，收缩压变化的幅度在呼吸周期中增加。与无负荷相比，在 10 cmH2O 负荷下，0.1 Hz 的控制呼吸时呼吸窦性心律失常更高。负荷对呼吸窦性心律失常的影响是通过增加呼吸周期中收缩压变化的幅度来介导的。这些结果表明，在 0.1 Hz 的控制呼吸中施加小的吸气阈负荷可以通过这种呼吸运动增加心脏迷走神经调制。这种作用似乎是通过动脉压力感受器更强的刺激介导的，因为呼吸周期中收缩压的波动更大。需要研究长期进行 0.1 Hz 吸气阈负荷控制呼吸对压力反射功能和心脏迷走神经控制的潜在益处，特别是在疼痛和高血压患者中。
