Effects of inspiratory muscle training on cardiac autonomic nervous function and the life quality of elderly women / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To explore the effect of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) on cardiac autonomic nerve function and the life quality of elderly women.Methods:Fifty-six healthy women aged 60 to 70 were randomly divided into an IMT group and a placebo control group (PLA), each of 28. The IMT group was given IMT training 5 times a week for 5 weeks with the inspiratory resistance set at 50% of their maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP). The PLA group was treated similarly, but the inspiratory resistance was set at the 5% of the MIP. Before and after the intervention, both groups were evaluated in terms of heart rate variability (HRV) at rest, and heart rate during the inspiratory phase (HR-in) and expiratory phase (HR-ex) of deep breathing. Their quality of like was quantified using the World Health Organization′s quality of life scale (WHOQOL-100).Results:After the intervention, the average MIP and high frequency power in the HRV spectrum had increased significantly, but the ratio of low frequency to high frequency power had decreased significantly in the IMT group. In deep breathing the average HR-in and HR-ex both had decreased significantly. The average scores on all dimensions of the WHOQOL-100 were significantly higher than before the intervention and higher than those of the control group. Indeed, there were no significant differences in the PLA group′s results before and after the intervention.Conclusions:Five weeks of IMT training can significantly improve the cardiac autonomic nerve function and life quality of elderly women. This provides a reference for prescribing rehabilitation exercise for such women.