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Imposing Respiratory Variability Patterns

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Abstract

To ensure respiratory stability and flexibility, healthy breathing shows balanced variability consisting of considerable correlated variability (parameters of each breath are correlated to parameters of adjoining breaths) and some random variability. Sighing resets this balance when respiration lacks variability or becomes excessively irregular. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of imposed patterns of breathing variability on sighing and self-reported (dis)comfort. Spontaneous breathing was compared to imposed non-variable, correlated and random breathing. Results show that executing imposed breathing is difficult, demanding, and induces tension. Sigh occurrence following spontaneous and imposed breathing patterns could be predicted by self-reported discomfort and increased random variability. However, including non-variable, correlated and random breathing patterns only, the effects of self-reported discomfort on sigh occurrence override the effects of altered breathing variability.

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Acknowledgments

Elke Vlemincx is a Postdoctoral Fellow of the Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Research Group on Health Psychology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Elke Vlemincx, Ilse Van Diest & Omer Van den Bergh

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  1. Elke Vlemincx
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  2. Ilse Van Diest
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  3. Omer Van den Bergh
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Correspondence to Elke Vlemincx.

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Vlemincx, E., Van Diest, I. & Van den Bergh, O. Imposing Respiratory Variability Patterns. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback 37, 153–160 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10484-012-9187-0

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