Immediate effect of Kapalbhathi pranayama on short term heart rate variability (HRV) in healthy volunteers

Abstract

ObjectivesKapalbhathi Pranayam (Kapal = forehead; bhati = shining) is a breathing exercise that has been practiced to cleanse the frontal brain in traditional practices like yoga. Still, there exists a dearth of literature on the effect of Kapalbhathi pranayama on physiological systems. So this present study was carried out to find the immediate effect of “kapalbhathi Pranayam” practice for the period of 5 min on cardiac autonomic function among the healthy volunteers.Materials and methodsApparently 50 healthy volunteers includes both sex were participated. They were randomly divided into Pranayama (n−25) and control (n−25) group. Pranayama group was practiced kapalbhathi pranayama 5 min (5 cycles) and control group was allowed to do normal breathing (12–16 breath/min). Lead II ECG was recorded for 5 min using simple AD converter before, immediately after practice and 20 min of recovery period.ResultsOne way Analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by post hoc test was done using R statistical software. There was a significant (p < 0.05) parasympathetic withdrawal (Root Mean Square of the Successive Differences (RMSSD) – p < 0.04 and HF n.u – p < 0.05) was found in the pranayama group immediately after practice and its was changed to parasympathetic domination (RMSSD – p < 0.04 and HF n.u – p < 0.05) after 20 min of recovery period.ConclusionThe present study suggested that though there was parasympathetic withdrawal immediately after practicing kapalbhathi pranayama, 20 min after the recovery period showed a parasympathetic domination in the pranayama group subjects. However, further studies are required to warrant the findings of this study.

The Influence of Kapalabhati on Working Memory and Phasic Heart Rate Variability

“…In the current study of phasic HRV, it was found that during pre-WM and KBH, there was parasympathetic withdrawal, and during post-WM after KBH practice, parasympathetic activity was reestablished, and the participants' accuracy improved. The findings of this study are consistent with a previous study, which found that KBH practice has a parasympathetic shifting effect [20].…”

“…A recent study investigated the immediate effect of KBH on short-term HRV in healthy participants. This study showed that there was parasympathetic withdrawal immediately after the KBH practice, while after the 20-minute recovery period, there was parasympathetic dominance [ 20 ]. The findings suggested that KBH had a parasympathetic shifting effect, and scientific evidence indicates that the parasympathetic shift of HRV promotes good cardiac health and lowers the risk of sudden cardiac death [ 21 ].…”

Effect of long-term yoga training on autonomic function among the healthy adults

“…[ 19 20 21 ] The reduction in sympathetic activity causes decreased catecholamine secretion. [ 22 ] This improves peripheral circulation by increasing the peripheral vascular dilatation resulting in reduced DBP. [ 23 ] A Study done by Madanmohan et al .…”

Effect of yoga practice on heart rate variability in healthy young adults with intellectual disability

“…Yoga has demonstrated its efficacy and affordability as an intervention in healthcare, suggesting its potential to alleviate the burden of cardiovascular diseases [5]. Many yoga practices, including slow breathing and meditation, can stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, enhancing heart rate variability and contributing to improved vascular tone [6]. It's important to highlight that yoga practices have demonstrated comparable or superior efficacy to exercise in enhancing various health outcomes, including autonomic function, antioxidant status, stress, and patientreported outcomes [7].…”