Exploring Autonomic Modulation Through Deep Breathing: Immediate and Long-Term Effects on Heart Rate Variability in Visually Impaired Individuals

IF 1.9 4区医学 Q1 ENGINEERING, BIOMEDICAL

Irbm Pub Date : 2026-02-01 Epub Date: 2025-11-13 DOI:10.1016/j.irbm.2025.100922

Eng-Keat Kwa , Soon-Keng Cheong , Poh-Foong Lee

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Abstract

Introduction

Visual impairment can significantly affect psychological and physiological well-being, potentially due to autonomic imbalance, and while deep breathing has been shown to improve autonomic modulation as measured by heart rate variability (HRV), its impact on individuals with visual impairment remains underexplored, prompting this study to investigate its immediate and long-term effects on HRV in this population compared to normally sighted individuals.

Materials and methods

A total of 98 participants with visually impaired (VI) individuals (n = 49) and normally sighted (NS) individuals (n = 49) were recruited. The HRV, including standard deviation of the normal-to-normal intervals (SDNN), root mean square of successive differences, normalized low frequency (nLF), normalized high frequency (nHF), and low frequency to high-frequency ratio (LF/HF), was measured at baseline (BL), immediate post intervention (IPI) and post-intervention (POST) after 2 weeks daily audio-guided deep breathing.

Results

Kruskal-Wallis tests revealed significant phase effects for nLF (p = 0.002), nHF (p = 0.002), and LF/HF (p = 0.024) in the VI group, with post hoc analyses indicating significantly higher nLF (p = 0.004), LF/HF (p = 0.007), and lower nHF (p = 0.004) at IPI compared to BL. While the NS group showed no significant changes across phases. Between-group comparisons revealed significantly higher nLF (p = 0.034), LF/HF (p = 0.007), and lower nHF (p = 0.034) at IPI in the VI group compared to the NS group.

Conclusion

Deep breathing led to immediate increases in nLF and LF/HF, and a decrease in nHF, in individuals with visual impairment compared to sighted individuals, suggesting baroreflex resonance at 0.1 Hz. However, the absence of significant SDNN changes limits conclusions about parasympathetic modulation. Further research is needed to assess the potential long-term benefits.

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通过深呼吸探索自主神经调节：视障人士心率变异性的即时和长期影响

视力障碍可以显著影响心理和生理健康，这可能是由于自主神经失衡造成的，虽然深呼吸已被证明可以通过心率变异性（HRV）来改善自主神经调节，但它对视力障碍患者的影响仍未得到充分探讨，因此本研究旨在研究与正常视力人群相比，深呼吸对该人群HRV的即时和长期影响。材料与方法共招募了98名视障（VI）个体（n = 49）和正常视力（NS = 49）个体（n = 49）。每日音频引导深呼吸2周后，分别在基线（BL）、干预后立即（IPI）和干预后（post）测量HRV，包括正常与正常间隔（SDNN）的标准差、连续差的均方根、归一化低频（nLF）、归一化高频（nHF）和低频与高频之比（LF/HF）。结果skruskal - wallis测试显示，VI组的nLF （p = 0.002）、nHF （p = 0.002）和LF/HF （p = 0.024）有显著的阶段效应，事后分析显示，与BL相比，IPI时nLF （p = 0.004）、LF/HF （p = 0.007）和nHF （p = 0.004）显著升高，而NS组各阶段无显著变化。组间比较显示，与NS组相比，VI组IPI时nLF （p = 0.034）、LF/HF （p = 0.007）和nHF （p = 0.034）显著升高。结论与正常人相比，深呼吸可导致视障患者nLF和LF/HF立即升高，nHF降低，提示在0.1 Hz时发生气压反射共振。然而，缺乏显著的SDNN变化限制了副交感神经调节的结论。需要进一步的研究来评估潜在的长期效益。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Irbm ENGINEERING, BIOMEDICAL-

CiteScore

10.30

自引率

4.20%

发文量

审稿时长

57 days

期刊介绍： IRBM is the journal of the AGBM (Alliance for engineering in Biology an Medicine / Alliance pour le génie biologique et médical) and the SFGBM (BioMedical Engineering French Society / Société française de génie biologique médical) and the AFIB (French Association of Biomedical Engineers / Association française des ingénieurs biomédicaux). As a vehicle of information and knowledge in the field of biomedical technologies, IRBM is devoted to fundamental as well as clinical research. Biomedical engineering and use of new technologies are the cornerstones of IRBM, providing authors and users with the latest information. Its six issues per year propose reviews (state-of-the-art and current knowledge), original articles directed at fundamental research and articles focusing on biomedical engineering. All articles are submitted to peer reviewers acting as guarantors for IRBM''s scientific and medical content. The field covered by IRBM includes all the discipline of Biomedical engineering. Thereby, the type of papers published include those that cover the technological and methodological development in: -Physiological and Biological Signal processing (EEG, MEG, ECG…)- Medical Image processing- Biomechanics- Biomaterials- Medical Physics- Biophysics- Physiological and Biological Sensors- Information technologies in healthcare- Disability research- Computational physiology- …