Edgell, Heather, Pereira, Tania J, Kerr, Kathleen et al. · Respiratory physiology & neurobiology · 2025 · DOI
This study tested whether a simple breathing exercise program could help people with ME/CFS and Long COVID feel better. For 8 weeks, participants practiced strengthening their breathing muscles. People in all groups—including those with ME/CFS and Long COVID—showed improvements in how far they could walk, their heart rate, sleep quality, and how their nervous system functioned. Those with ME/CFS also noticed less pain and better blood vessel function.
This study addresses a critical gap in ME/CFS treatment by testing a simple, low-risk intervention targeting autonomic nervous system dysfunction—a hallmark feature of the disease. The convergence of benefits in both ME/CFS and Long COVID suggests IMT may address shared pathophysiological mechanisms. Given the scarcity of evidence-based treatments for these conditions, identifying safe, accessible interventions is essential.
This pilot study does not establish IMT as an effective standard treatment for ME/CFS, as it lacks a randomized control design and has a small sample size. The study does not prove causation—improvements in heart rate variability and other measures may reflect placebo effects, natural recovery, or confounding factors. Longer-term effects and optimal training protocols remain unknown.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
Spotted an error in this entry? Report it →