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Voluntary isocapnic hyperventilation and breathlessness during exercise in normal subjects.
1Department of Medicine, Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School, London.
Clinical Science (London, England : 1979)
|November 1, 1987
Summary
Exercise breathlessness is linked to reflex-driven breathing, not just ventilation levels. Voluntary breathing control during exercise significantly reduces the sensation of breathlessness.
Area of Science:
- Exercise Physiology
- Respiratory Control
- Human Physiology
Background:
- Breathlessness during exercise is a common limitation.
- The relationship between ventilation and breathlessness is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of voluntary versus reflex-driven ventilation in exercise-induced breathlessness.
- To determine if the sensation of breathlessness is directly proportional to ventilation levels.
Main Methods:
- Nine healthy subjects underwent constant-workload bicycle ergometer tests.
- Subjects voluntarily controlled their breathing pattern to match a previously recorded pattern during exercise.
- Isocapnia was maintained, and ventilation and breathlessness were recorded.
Main Results:
- Subjects reported significantly less breathlessness when using voluntary ventilation compared to exercise-induced ventilation at the same level.
- Voluntary isocapnic hyperventilation during exercise did not increase breathlessness beyond exercise-induced levels.
Conclusions:
- The sensation of breathlessness during exercise is more closely related to reflexively driven ventilation than to the absolute level of ventilation.
- Voluntary control of breathing can mitigate breathlessness during physical exertion.