ВПЛИВ РЕСПІРАТОРНИХ ПРАКТИК СИСТЕМИ «ДИХАННЯ ЖИТТЯ» НА ФУНКЦІОНАЛЬНИЙ СТАН ОСІБ ВІКОМ 40 РОКІВ І СТАРШЕ

Introduction. To evaluate the effects of a comprehensive 28-day «Breath of Life» respiratory program combining rhythmic breathing, controlled breath retention, the Wim Hof method, and «triangle» breathing on the functional status of adults aged 40 years and over. Materials and Methods. The study included 18 participants aged 40–65 years: 10 men and 8 women. None had an acute illness at the time of the experiment; one participant had chronic bronchial asthma. The program was performed twice daily for 30 min over 28 days. The assessed outcomes were heart rate (HR), control pause (CP), and maximum pause (MP) according to the K. P. Buteyko method; vital capacity (VC); forced vital capacity (FVC); forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1); maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV); and resting respiratory rate. Results. After the program, mean HR decreased from 80 to 62 beats/min, a reduction of 18 beats/min (22.5%). CP increased from 30 to 60 s, corresponding to an increase of 30 s (100%), while MP increased from 50 to 130 s, an increase of 80 s (160%). VC increased from 3.8 ± 0.5 to 4.2 ± 0.2 L (10.5%), FVC from 3.5 ± 0.4 to 3.8 ± 0.3 L (8.6%), FEV1 from 3.0 ± 0.2 to 3.3 ± 0.3 L (10.0%), and MVV from 120 ± 3 to 135 ± 2 L/min (12.5%; p < 0.05). Resting respiratory rate decreased from 12 to 8 cycles/min, a reduction of 4 cycles/min (33.3%). These changes indicate improved pulmonary ventilatory capacity, greater carbon dioxide tolerance, and more economical breathing. Conclusions. Systematic use of the «Breath of Life» program was associated with favorable changes in cardiovascular and respiratory indicators in adults aged 40 years and over. Breathing practices may be recommended as a means of prevention and rehabilitation.