Intermittent hypoxic training (IHT), also known as intermittent hypoxic therapy, is a technique aimed at improving human performance by way of adaptation to reduced oxygen.
* Procedure
An IHT session consists of an interval of several minutes breathing
hypoxic
Hypoxia means a lower than normal level of oxygen, and may refer to:
Reduced or insufficient oxygen
* Hypoxia (environmental), abnormally low oxygen content of the specific environment
* Hypoxia (medical), abnormally low level of oxygen in the t ...
(low oxygen) air, alternated with intervals breathing ambient (normoxic) or hyperoxic air. The procedure may be repeated several times in variable-length sessions per day, depending on a physician's prescription or a manufacturer's protocol.
Standard practice is for the patient to remain stationary while breathing hypoxic air via a
hand-held mask. The therapy is delivered using a
hypoxicator
A hypoxicator is a medical device intended to provide a stimulus for the adaptation of an individual's cardiovascular system by means of breathing reduced oxygen hypoxic air and triggering mechanisms of compensation. The aim of intermittent hyp ...
during the day time, allowing the dosage to be monitored.
Biofeedback can be delivered using a
pulse oximeter
Pulse oximetry is a noninvasive method for monitoring a person's oxygen saturation. Peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) readings are typically within 2% accuracy (within 4% accuracy in 95% of cases) of the more accurate (and invasive) reading o ...
.
Effects
A number of effects are reported. It is important to differentiate between physiological adaptations to mild hypoxia and re-oxygenation episodes (i.e., the IHT protocol) and frequent nocturnal suffocation awakenings produced by
sleep apnea
Sleep apnea, also spelled sleep apnoea, is a sleep disorder in which pauses in breathing or periods of shallow breathing during sleep occur more often than normal. Each pause can last for a few seconds to a few minutes and they happen many tim ...
, which might result in various pathologies.
Applications
IHT has been used to try to improve performance in sports. and has been used in a number of health conditions.
Hardware manufacturers
* Ai Mediq
* Biomedtech Australia
* Go2 Altitude
* Gooxygen
* Higher Peak
* Hypoxico
* POWERBreathe
* TrainingMask
See also
*
Buteyko method
The Buteyko method or Buteyko Breathing Technique is a form of complementary or alternative physical therapy that proposes the use of breathing exercises primarily as a treatment for asthma and other respiratory conditions.
Buteyko asserts tha ...
*
Hypoventilation training
Hypoventilation training is a physical training method in which periods of exercise with reduced breathing frequency are interspersed with periods with normal breathing. The hypoventilation technique consists of short breath holdings and can be ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Intermittent Hypoxic Training
Respiratory therapy