Several trials in which participants used a resistance breath training machine are compiled in a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology. In a process called high resistance inspiratory muscle strength training, participants from 18 to 82 breathed through a special machine for six weeks. In addition, a control group would breathe normally every day.
Breathing with the machine takes more effort than normal breathing for the breath training group. It’s like sucking air through a straw, but harder.
Five to seven days a week, for six weeks, IMST participants were instructed to take 30 breaths with the machine. Participants were then measured for systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
During the sixth week of the trial, participants who practiced high resistance breath training saw their blood pressure drop. The systolic and diastolic blood pressures dropped approximately 9 and 4 mmHg, respectively. Older adults and people not on medication benefited the most from the training.
