Breathe Right® External Nasal Dilator Strips As An Ergogenic Aid To Exercise

Abstract

PURPOSE: Having the ability to breathe easily through the nose is an important part of exercising. The nose effectively warms and humidifies incoming air to better suit the bodies needs. It is known that having difficulty breathing through the nose can negatively affect exercise performance. METHODS: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of the Breath Right® external nasal dilator strip on exercise performance at 80% of an individual's VO2 max. Eighteen people participated in the study. Subjects signed an informed consent, PAR-Q, additional questionnaire, and rated their ease of breathing through their nose on a 1 to 10 scale prior to testing. Testing was performed in the Human Performance Laboratory at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Subjects VO2 max was measured using open spirometry on a treadmill ergometer. On two separate occasions participants returned to the laboratory for a treadmill run at 80% of the subjects predetermined VO2 max; once with the nasal dilator strip and once with a placebo. Heart rate (HR), Borg‘s Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE), and time to exhaustion were measured. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS 14.0. Significance level was preset at p<.05. RESULTS: A significant difference was found in the time to exhaustion between runs with the Breathe Right® strip vs. runs with the placebo strip. No significant difference in HR or RPE was found between runs with the Breathe Right® strip vs. runs with the placebo strip. CONCLUSIONS: Prior data shows mixed results when testing at a high percentage of VO2 max. This study provides further support that Breath Right® strips may have an ergogenic effect on aerobic exercise performance.