Heart rate and blood pressure responses to different types of breathing techniques in young healthy adults

Abstract

Background: Incentive spirometer (IS) is often used to prevent postoperative complications by improving lung volume, which may also influence cardiovascular autonomic function. Although various types of IS devices are available, there is no evidence regarding their acute effects on cardiovascular responses. Therefore, this study aims to compare heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) responses among breathing techniques in young healthy adults.

Materials and Methods: Thirty volunteers (aged 18-25 years) participated and were randomly assigned to a sequence involving diaphragmatic breathing exercise (DBE), Triflo® (TF), and BreatheMAX® (BM) devices as a crossover design. Each condition was tested on a different day over three consecutive days. Baseline parameters, HR, BP, and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) were evaluated before and after a 7-minute breathing exercise. Data were analyzed by repeated-measures ANOVA and paired t-tests, with significance set at P<0.05.

Results: Within conditions, diastolic BP was significantly higher after TF (P<0.05), whereas no significant differences in HR and BP were found for DBE and BM (P>0.05). In addition, no significant differences in HR and BP were observed between conditions (P>0.05). RPE was significantly increased after all conditions (P<0.001), with RPE in TF and BM significantly higher compared to DBE (P<0.001). The increase in RPE was significantly greater in TF than in BM (P<0.001).

Conclusion: While all breathing exercises led to increased exertion, TF produced a greater increase in BP and RPE. This suggests that patients with cardiovascular concerns may benefit from DBE or BM, whereas TF should be used with careful consideration.