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5-Minute Breathing Exercise May Lower Blood Pressure, Improve Brainpower
We know breathing is good for us. Simple experience suggests it’s pretty vital, for one thing. Moreover, deep breathing—sometimes called diaphragmatic, belly or abdominal breathing—can slow the heartbeat and even lower blood pressure.
And now, preliminary results from a new study suggest just 5 minutes of daily breathing with a device that exercises the breathing muscles can lower blood pressure, boost brainpower and enhance sports performance. The device, used in what’s called Inspiratory Muscle Strength Training (IMST), offers resistance while a person breathes vigorously—like sucking hard on a straw that sucks back, as researchers described it.
“IMST is basically strength-training for the muscles you breathe in with,” said Daniel Craighead, a postdoctoral researcher in physiology at the University of Colorado Boulder. “It’s something you can do quickly in your home or office, without having to change your clothes, and so far it looks like it is very beneficial to lower blood pressure and possibly boost cognitive and physical performance.”
IMST devices were developed in the 1980s to wean people off ventilators, Craighead and his colleagues knew. Some athletes have been using them for years. A 2016 study found they might help people who suffer sleep apnea, by…
