Effect of Bhramari pranayama practice on simple reaction time in healthy adolescents - a randomized control trial

Maheshkumar Kuppusamy; Dilara Kamaldeen; Ravishankar Pitani; Julius Amaldas; Padmavathi Ramasamy; Poonguzhali Shanmugam; Venkateswaran Sankaralingam Thirupathy

doi:10.1515/ijamh-2019-0244

Effect of Bhramari pranayama practice on simple reaction time in healthy adolescents - a randomized control trial

Int J Adolesc Med Health. 2020 Jun 8;33(6):547-550. doi: 10.1515/ijamh-2019-0244.

Authors

Maheshkumar Kuppusamy¹, Dilara Kamaldeen², Ravishankar Pitani³, Julius Amaldas⁴, Padmavathi Ramasamy², Poonguzhali Shanmugam¹, Venkateswaran Sankaralingam Thirupathy⁵

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.
⁵ Department of Yoga, Government Yoga and Naturopathy Medical College and Hospital, Chennai, India.

PMID: 32549168
DOI: 10.1515/ijamh-2019-0244

Abstract

Objectives: The improvement in the/reaction time is important, as it is an indicator of cognitive function. Therefore, there is a need, especially for adolescents in the form of techniques or courses that can improve the reaction time. Yoga was found to cause a better improvement in the health of the individuals. The present study intended to show the effects of Bhramari pranayama (Bhr.P) on reaction time in the healthy adolescents.

Methods: Of the 730 potential subjects screened, 520 apparently healthy adolescents randomly assigned to either the Bhr.P group (n-260) or control group (n-260). Bhr.P group practiced the bhramari pranayama for 3 days in a week for 6 months. The Auditory Reaction Time (ART) and the Visual Reaction Time (VRT) were assessed before and after Bhr.P pranayama practice.

Results: Bhr.P group shows significant shortening of response time in both VRT (from 267.13 ± 52.65 to 249.87 ± 39.41 ms) and ART (from 237.42 ± 48.12 to 227.91 ± 34.60 ms) after 6 months of Bhr.P practice. In control group subjects, no such significant changes were found (p > 0.05).

Conclusions: Shortening of RT implies an improvement in the information processing and reflexes. This beneficial effect of Bhr.P on reaction time can be used for improving cognitive function in the adolescents for their academic performances.

Keywords: adolescents; cognition; reaction time; yoga.