Dose-Response Effects of Inspiratory Muscle Strength Training on Blood Pressure and Vascular Function

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · Jul 31, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying whether a special type of breathing exercise called Inspiratory Muscle Strength Training (IMST) can help lower blood pressure and improve blood vessel health in adults with higher-than-normal systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure reading). The study will last about six weeks and will look at how different amounts of this breathing training affect these health measures.

Adults aged 18 and older with a resting systolic blood pressure of 120 mmHg or higher may be eligible, as long as they don’t have serious heart or metabolic diseases, certain ear or lung problems, or recent abdominal surgery. Participants need to be non-smokers, speak English, and be willing to follow some simple rules before visits, like avoiding caffeine and exercise for a few hours. If you join, you’ll be asked to do the breathing exercises regularly and attend visits where your blood pressure and blood vessel function will be checked. This study is not yet recruiting, but it aims to find out if these breathing exercises can be a safe and effective way to support heart health.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Age ≥18 years
• • Resting SBP ≥120 mmHg as measured during screening 1 \& 2
• • Free from serious CV or metabolic diseases as identified by self-report and blood chemistry analysis.
• • No contraindications to IMST (recent abdominal surgery, ruptured eardrum, asthma with very low symptom perception, fractured ribs, or pneumothorax)
• • Language: English-speaking, with ability to comprehend study materials and instructions.
• • Pre-visit Compliance: Willing to comply with pre-visit instructions (avoiding food and caffeine ≥ 3 hours, vigorous exercise, alcohol, and non-prescribed medications ≥ 24 hours) prior to each measurement visit.
• • Lifestyle: Non-smokers (defined as self-report of not smoking cigarettes or vaping over the past year).
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Self-report of history of cardiovascular disease, or conditions affecting the ear (e.g., ruptured eardrum).
• • Recent abdominal surgery or presence of an abdominal hernia.
• • Asthma with very low symptom perception, frequent severe exacerbations, or abnormally low perception of dyspnea.
• • Ruptured eardrum or any other condition of the ear.
• • Markedly elevated left ventricular end-diastolic volume and pressure.
• • Current respiratory conditions such as a cold, sinusitis, or respiratory tract infection (participants may be included once they recover from the respiratory condition).
• • Female-Specific: Pregnant or planning to become pregnant during the study period.
• • Compliance: Unable or unwilling to comply with pre-visit restrictions (e.g., avoiding caffeine, alcohol, and exercise within specified hours before visits).