Abstract
A plethora of clinical studies support the association between short-term breathing interventions and heartrate variability (HRV). However, few studies have taken breathwork interventions and HRV measurements outside of the laboratory to determine whether the positive effects of different breathing interventions are observable in applied settings. The current study utilised a single-case, multiple-baseline design to determine whether daily 5-minute breathing interventions would impact the HRV of 14 student athletes over the course of 7 weeks. Participants measured their HRV daily via an app (HRV4Training) and assessed subjective markers of stress via surveys. After a baseline period (1 to 3 weeks), athletes were assigned an intervention group. Each group performed one of three breathing protocols (namely, cyclic sighing, box breathing, and 4-7-8 breathing) for a minimum of 5 minutes daily, over the course of 4 to 6 weeks. Results revealed that previous, lab generated effects of short-term breathing interventions were more difficult to detect in a real-life environment. Oftentimes, clinical studies assess HRV immediately after a breathing intervention. When HRV measurements are taken 8 to 10 hours after the breathing exercise, positive effects may not last until HRV is assessed. However, there might be meaningful, long-term changes in HRV and perceived stress, especially, if breathing interventions are performed consistently over a longer period. Overall, factors other than breathwork may have a more pronounced impact on HRV and stress in an applied setting. The participants unique experiences with HRV, stress, and breathing will be described.
