Effects of yoga breathing practice on heart rate variability in healthy adolescents: a randomized controlled trial

Maheshkumar Kuppusamy; Dilara Kamaldeen; Ravishankar Pitani; Julius Amaldas; Padmavathi Ramasamy; Poonguzhali Shanmugam; Venugopal Vijayakumar

doi:10.1016/j.imr.2020.01.006

Effects of yoga breathing practice on heart rate variability in healthy adolescents: a randomized controlled trial

Integr Med Res. 2020 Mar;9(1):28-32. doi: 10.1016/j.imr.2020.01.006. Epub 2020 Jan 20.

Authors

Maheshkumar Kuppusamy¹, Dilara Kamaldeen², Ravishankar Pitani³, Julius Amaldas⁴, Padmavathi Ramasamy², Poonguzhali Shanmugam¹, Venugopal Vijayakumar¹

Affiliations

¹ Government Yoga and Naturopathy Medical College and Hospital, Chennai, India.
² Department of Physiology, Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute, Chennai, India.
³ Department of Community Medicine, Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute, Chennai, India.
⁴ Department of Biochemistry, Sri Balaji Dental College and Hospital, Bharath University, Chennai, India.

Abstract

Background: This study was conducted among healthy adolescents to assess the effects of a yoga breathing practice (Bhramari pranayama, Bhr.P) towards cardiac autonomic function using heart rate variability (HRV) parameters.

Methods: Of the 730 eligible subjects screened, 520 healthy adolescents who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were randomly assigned to either yoga breathing group (n = 260) or control group (n = 260). The yoga breathing group practiced Bhr.P. five days a week for a duration of six months while the control group continued with their daily routine without any intervention. Outcome measures were time and frequency domain of HRV in both groups which were assessed before and after the intervention using Lead II ECG. Linear models were used in the analysis of short term HRV.

Results: After 6 months of yoga breathing, the time domain parameters of short term HRV showed significant (P < 0.05) improvement towards the parasympathetic domain. Frequency domain parameters also showed the same direction of changes. In contrast, control group subjects showed a trend towards a sympathetic domain.

Conclusion: The present study showed a positive shift in cardiac autonomic modulation towards parasympathetic predominance after 6 months of yoga breathing practice among apparently healthy adolescents.

Keywords: Adolescents; Autonomic function; Bhramari pranayama; Heart rate variability; Yoga.