{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,9]],"date-time":"2026-07-09T07:50:07Z","timestamp":1783583407452,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":41,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,3]],"date-time":"2026-02-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1770076800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Medicina"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background and Objectives: Controlled breathing can influence autonomic regulation and haemodynamics; however, the role of its timing relative to exercise remains unclear. Materials and Methods: Fourteen healthy, physically active men (mean age 21.8 \u00b1 0.7 years; body mass index within the normal range) participated in this randomised crossover study. Each session consisted of five 5 min cycling bouts at 50% of heart-rate reserve, interspersed with 3 min passive recovery periods. The three conditions were: control (no structured breathing), 30 s hyperventilation (approximately 30 breaths\u00b7min\u22121) performed before each bout, and the same hyperventilation performed after each bout. Resting heart rate variability spectra (low-frequency [LF], high-frequency [HF]) were assessed pre- and post-session; arterial blood pressure was measured stage-wise; quadriceps muscle oxygen saturation (StO2) was monitored using near-infrared spectroscopy; and a discriminant co-integration index (Dsk) was calculated to integrate multisystem responses. Results: Compared with baseline, LF power increased and HF power decreased after exercise in the control and post-exercise hyperventilation conditions (p &lt; 0.05), whereas pre-exercise hyperventilation attenuated these shifts. Post-exercise hyperventilation blunted the rise in systolic blood pressure and reduced diastolic blood pressure compared with control (p &lt; 0.05). Both breathing interventions accelerated StO2 recovery, with higher early recovery StO2 following pre-exercise hyperventilation and sustained advantages after post-exercise hyperventilation (moderate-to-extensive effects). Dsk values were consistently highest after exercise, indicating stronger and more coherent multisystem coupling. Conclusions: In this acute crossover study of healthy young men, hyperventilation performed before or after exercise induced distinct short-term cardiovascular and muscular responses, reflecting respiratory-driven modulation of haemodynamic and autonomic processes. The timing of hyperventilation influenced these responses, suggesting that deliberate hyperventilation may acutely modify exercise-related regulatory mechanisms.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/medicina62020318","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,3]],"date-time":"2026-02-03T16:46:28Z","timestamp":1770137188000},"page":"318","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Post-Exercise Controlled Breathing Enhances Cardiovascular Recovery and Autonomic Balance: A Randomised Crossover Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"62","author":[{"given":"Eugenijus","family":"Trinkunas","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Sport Science and Innovations, Lithuanian Sports University, 44221 Kaunas, Lithuania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zivile","family":"Kairiukstiene","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Promotion and Rehabilitation, Lithuanian Sports University, 44221 Kaunas, Lithuania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Monika","family":"Trinkunaite","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Kaunas Hospital, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, 44307 Kaunas, Lithuania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kristina","family":"Poderiene","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Promotion and Rehabilitation, Lithuanian Sports University, 44221 Kaunas, Lithuania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ruta","family":"Brazdzionyte","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Promotion and Rehabilitation, Lithuanian Sports University, 44221 Kaunas, Lithuania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jonas","family":"Poderys","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Sport Science and Innovations, Lithuanian Sports University, 44221 Kaunas, Lithuania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,3]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"566","DOI":"10.1097\/HCO.0000000000000321","article-title":"Cardiovascular benefits and risks across the physical activity continuum","volume":"31","author":"Eijsvogels","year":"2016","journal-title":"Curr. 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