Influence of deep breathing exercise on spontaneous respiratory rate and heart rate variability: a randomised controlled trial in healthy subjects

Studies show that yogic type of breathing exercises reduces the spontaneous respiratory rate. However, there are no conclusive studies on the effects of breathing exercise on heart rate variability. We investigated the effects of non-yogic breathing exercise on respiratory rate and heart rate variab...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Indian journal of physiology and pharmacology 2012-01, Vol.56 (1), p.80-87
Main Authors: Tharion, Elizabeth, Samuel, Prasanna, Rajalakshmi, R, Gnanasenthil, G, Subramanian, Rajam Krishna
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Autonomic Nervous System - physiology
Breathing Exercises
Female
Heart Rate
Humans
Male
Respiratory Rate
Young Adult
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Summary:Studies show that yogic type of breathing exercises reduces the spontaneous respiratory rate. However, there are no conclusive studies on the effects of breathing exercise on heart rate variability. We investigated the effects of non-yogic breathing exercise on respiratory rate and heart rate variability. Healthy subjects (21-33 years, both genders) were randomized into the intervention group (n=18), which performed daily deep breathing exercise at 6 breaths/min (0.1 Hz) for one month, and a control group (n=18) which did not perform any breathing exercise. Baseline respiratory rate and short-term heart rate variability indices were assessed in both groups. Reassessment was done after one month and the change in the parameters from baseline was computed for each group. Comparison of the absolute changes [median (inter-quartile ranges)] of the parameters between the intervention and control group showed a significant difference in the spontaneous respiratory rate [intervention group -2.50 (-4.00, -1.00), control group 0.00 (-1.00, 1.00), cycles/min, P
ISSN:0019-5499