Der Einfluss der Atmungsform auf den Ruhe-Innervationstonus der Skelettmuskulatur

Abstract

Deep slow breathing is commonly used to support an arbitrarily selected degree of generalised muscular relaxation. For this reason we tested, whether arbitrarily chosen breathing patterns may influence the resting innervation tone of skeletal muscles. Extremely fast and slow breathing manoeuvres in the Indian Hatha-Yoga system were selected to be performed in a standardized way. According to previous studies the frontalis muscle was chosen as a representative indicator of the skeletal muscle tone. The integrated surface electromyogram of this muscle served as measure of its innervation tone in 13 young healthy students before (YU) and after (YG) a six-month Hatha-Yoga training programme and in 8 experienced Yoga teachers (YL). These groups were examined during resting (while sitting comfortably) as well as during performance of 5 different breathing manoeuvres: Inspiratory breath holding, enforced maximal hyperventilation, high-frequency yogic breathing pattern (called „Kapalabhati”, about 60 - 80 breaths per minute) and two different extremely low-frequency yogic breathing patterns (called „Ujjayi” and „Surya Bhedana”, about 1 - 3 breaths per minute) were performed. A significant increase of the nervous muscle tone could be observed during enforced hyperventilation as well as during high-frequency „Kapalabhati” breathing. Contrariwise, a significant and immediate decrease of muscle tone accompanied the low-frequency breathing patterns of „Ujjayi” and „Surya Bhedana”. Voluntary breath holding up to the breaking point did not cause a comparable effect. Hence, it is unlikely that the decrease of muscle tone is caused by hypercapnia. We interpret the different effects of different respiration speeds and depths on skeletal muscle tone as a central nervous coupling between the breathing motor system and other sensorimotor functions. It is on this coupling that the relaxing effects of breathing therapies seem to be based.