Comparing Nose & Mouth Breathing During Exercise

Not Applicable

Completed

Interventions: Behavioral: Mouth-only breathing
Behavioral: Nose-only breathing

Brief Summary: The purpose of this study is to compare physiological responses in cardiovascular variables between nose and mouth breathing at rest and during exercise.

Detailed Description: Breathing patterns can affect the cardiovascular system. Little is known about how nose versus mouth breathing affects cardiovascular variables (blood pressure, heart rate, etc.) at rest and during exercise. It has been suggested that breathing through the nose can cause calmness and lower blood pressure. However, research is needed to examine the extent to which breathing through the nose affects cardiovascular variables at rest and during exercise. Therefore, we will compare cardiovascular variables between nose-only and mouth-only breathing. The rate of breathing will be fixed (using an audible metronome) for both breathing conditions (nose-only vs mouth-only) based on an individual's free breathing (i.e., no breathing cues) breathing rate.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria

Exclusion Criteria

Overt cardiovascular (e.g., diagnosed hypertension), respiratory, neurological, renal, liver, and/or metabolic health condition
Current or recent (regular use within the past 6 months) use of tobacco or nicotine products (e.g., cigarettes)

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Mouth-only breathing	Mouth-only breathing	Participants will be instructed to breathe only through their mouth (nose clips prevent nose breathing) during rest and submaximal exercise.
Nose-only breathing	Nose-only breathing	Participants will be instructed to breathe only through their nose (mouth closed) during rest and submaximal exercise.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Blood Pressure During Exercise Between Study Arms	Up to one day	Systolic blood pressure will be measured in the laboratory during submaximal exercise with nose-only breathing and mouth-only breathing.
Heart Rate During Exercise Between Study Arms	Up to one day	Heart rate will be measured in the laboratory during submaximal exercise with nose-only breathing and mouth-only breathing.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Rating of Perceived Exertion During Exercise Between Study Arms	Up to one day	Participants will report their rating of perceived exertion (numerical scores of 6-20, with 20 being the greatest exertion) based on a validated scale during submaximal exercise with nose-only breathing and mouth-only breathing.
Rating of Perceived Breathlessness During Exercise Between Study Arms	Up to one day	Participants will report their rating of perceived breathlessness (numerical scores of 0-10, with 10 being the greatest breathlessness) based on a validated scale during submaximal exercise with nose-only breathing and mouth-only breathing.