Increased cardio-respiratory coupling evoked by slow deep breathing can persist in normal humans

•Cardio-respiratory coupling (CRC) is the reciprocal interaction of two oscillators.•Increased CRC has been associated with the pathophysiology of hypertension.•Slow deep breathing (SDB) increases CRC but reduces blood pressure (BP).•In subsets of subjects, BP was reduced (>3%) during and after SDB.•A positive effect of SDB and enhanced CRC can persist after SDB.

Slow deep breathing (SDB) has a therapeutic effect on autonomic tone. Our previous studies suggested that coupling of the cardiovascular to the respiratory system mediates plasticity expressed in sympathetic nerve activity. We hypothesized that SDB evokes short-term plasticity of cardiorespiratory coupling (CRC). We analyzed respiratory frequency (fR), heart rate and its variability (HR&HRV), the power spectral density (PSD) of blood pressure (BP) and the ventilatory pattern before, during, and after a 20-min epoch of SDB. During SDB, CRC and the relative PSD of BP at fR increased; mean arterial pressure decreased; but HR varied; increasing (n = 3), or decreasing (n = 2) or remaining the same (n = 5). After SDB, short-term plasticity was not apparent for the group but for individuals differences existed between baseline and recovery periods. We conclude that a repeated practice, like pranayama, may strengthen CRC and evoke short-term plasticity effectively in a subset of individuals.