Comparing Nose & Mouth Breathing During Exercise

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

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Healthy
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Nose-only breathing; Behavioral: Mouth-only breathing

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.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 20
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Florida
    • Tallahassee, Florida, United States, 32306
      • Florida State University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 30 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Body mass index: ≤30 kg/m2
• Resting Blood pressure: ≤140/90 mmHg

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)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Nose-only breathing; Participants will be instructed to breathe only through their nose (mouth closed) during rest and submaximal exercise.	Behavioral: Nose-only breathing; Participants will breathe only through their nose (mouth closed) during rest and submaximal exercise.
Active Comparator: Mouth-only breathing; Participants will be instructed to breathe only through their mouth (nose clips prevent nose breathing) during rest and submaximal exercise.	Behavioral: Mouth-only breathing; Participants will breathe only through their mouth (nose clips prevent nose breathing) during rest and submaximal exercise.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

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

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Rating of Perceived Exertion During Exercise Between Study Arms	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.	Up to one day
Rating of Perceived Breathlessness During Exercise Between Study Arms	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.	Up to one day

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Florida State University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Joseph Watso, PhD, Florida State University

Publications and helpful links

Helpful Links

• Related Info

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 13, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 23, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): March 23, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 19, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 19, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): January 27, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 15, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 11, 2024
• Last Verified: September 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Respiratory Tract Diseases; Respiration Disorders; Signs and Symptoms, Respiratory; Mouth Breathing
• Other Study ID Numbers: STUDY00003661

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: Data with all HIPAA identifiers removed may be shared in future collaborative efforts pending appropriate data and/or material transfer agreement approvals.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: One year after completion of the trial, indefinitely
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: A formal plan identifying the intended use of the data and proper completion of appropriate data and/or material transfer agreement approvals with the study PI and their institution.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; SAP; ICF

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No