We were awarded the National Institutes of Health grant to assess the effects of a respiratory training protocol on sleep and cardiovascular health. Beginning in 2013, we have spearheaded research using a form of respiratory exercise training known as Inspiratory Muscle Strength Training (IMST). Over the last 8 years, we have studied the effects of this breathing training program and demonstrated
its potential to lower blood pressure and improve cardiovascular health. Given a rising prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and hypertension among older adults, and in view of the substantial cardiovascular risk and healthcare costs associated with OSA, ARNL was recently awarded a 5-year grant from the National Institutes of Health and National Institute for Aging to study IMST for use in adults with obstructive sleep apnea. The Phase II clinical trial currently is recruiting participants and has a projected start date of August 2021. ARNL utilizes state of the art non-invasive experimental techniques including overnight polysomnography, 24-hour blood pressure monitoring, and assessments of muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA), ultrasound guided assessments of brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (BA-FMD), and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV). If you are an adult between 50-80 years of age who have been diagnosed with OSA and are interested in IMST or the potential to delay, minimize and/or prevent sleep disordered-breathing and related impairments in vascular function, click on the Research tab above to learn more about the study!
