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 →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Edgell, Heather, Pereira, Tania J, Kerr, Kathleen, Bray, Riina, Tabassum, Farah, Sergio, Lauren, et al. (2025). Inspiratory muscle training improves autonomic function in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2: A pilot study.. Respiratory physiology & neurobiology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resp.2024.104360
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-edgell-2025-inspiratory-muscle,
author = {Edgell, Heather and Pereira, Tania J and Kerr, Kathleen and Bray, Riina and Tabassum, Farah and Sergio, Lauren and Badhwar, Smriti},
title = {Inspiratory muscle training improves autonomic function in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2: A pilot study.},
journal = {Respiratory physiology & neurobiology},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1016/j.resp.2024.104360},
note = {PubMed: 39374820},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/edgell-2025-inspiratory-muscle},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/edgell-2025-inspiratory-muscle
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