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Background and Objective: Yogic breathing helps in reduction of stress and strain in the body. Right and left nostril breathings (RNB and LNB, respectively) have different effects on cardiorespiratory parameters. The study was performed to examine the effect of RNB exercise on cardiorespiratory parameters and reaction time in young, healthy human volunteers. Materials and Methods: In this prospective, interventional study, 110 young healthy volunteers underwent systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), pulse rate (PR), respiratory rate (RR), vital capacity (VC), peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), and reaction time (RT) examination before and after 2 weeks of performing 45 min of RNB exercise daily. Results: There was notable increment in SBP (113.39 ± 17.72 vs. 117.74 ± 10.83 mmHg, P = 0.002) and DBP (67.64 ± 10.32 vs. 71.27 ± 8.68 mmHg, P = 0.002). PR increased nonsignificantly (86.44 ± 12.65/min vs. 87.32 ± 13.43/min, P = 0.476). Significant decrease in RR (14.40 ± 2.48/min vs. 12.31 ± 2.23/min, P < 0.0001) was observed. VC (3.57 ± 0.57 vs. 3.82 ± 0.55 L/min, P < 0.0001) and PEFR (441.36 ± 50.22 vs. 468.91 ± 53.66 L/min, P < 0.0001) also increased significantly. Substantial reduction in auditory reaction time (ART) (165.58 ± 32.18 vs. 147.42 ± 23.39 ms, P < 0.0001) and visual reaction time (VRT) (191.04 ± 37.94 vs. 165.86 ± 28.74 ms, P < 0.0001) was seen. After engaging in cardiorespiratory exercise, the maximal heart rate (MHR) remained unchanged (P = 0.929). Conclusion: RNB results in increase in blood pressure, heart rate, VC, and PEFR and decrease in ART and VRT. Further studies in patients with cardiorespiratory diseases are necessary to understand its clinical utility.
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Background Young individuals are often at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease and obesity due to lifestyle changes like less physical activity and a sedentary lifestyle. Objective The aim of this study is to determine cardiovascular fitness in young individuals and to study the effects of obesity on their cardiovascular fitness. Material and methods In this study, 100 young individuals, out of which 50 were individuals with obesity and 50 were controls, including males and females, of the age group 18-25 years were included. Cardiovascular fitness was assessed in them using body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). Parameters like SBP (systolic blood pressure), DBP (diastolic blood pressure), PR (pulse rate), and HFI (Harvard fitness index) were measured. Results There was no difference found in the PR of the group with obesity compared to the control group (79.020/min ± 8.651 versus 79.42/min ± 6.737; p value = 0.797). However, a significant increase was observed in both SBP and DBP amongst the group with obesity compared to the control group (SBP = 122.72 mmHg ± 12.287 versus 110.92 mmHg ± 11.803; p-value < 0.001, DBP = 81.96 mmHg ± 7.913 versus 73.24 mmHg ± 11.06; p-value < 0.001). There was a significant reduction in HFI in the group with obesity than in the control group (57.44% ± 9.322 versus 80.34% ± 12.594; p-value < 0.001). When we compared males with obesity and females with obesity, we observed a non-significant difference in PR between males with obesity and females with obesity (77.12/min ± 6.02 versus 80.92/min ± 10.44; p-value = 0.122). However, we found a significant increase in SBP in males with obesity compared to females with obesity (127.76 mmHg ± 10.93 versus 117.68 mmHg ± 11.66; p-value < 0.01). A significant decrease in DBP in males with obesity (78.80 mmHg ± 7.55 versus 85.12 mmHg ± 7.07; < 0.01) than in females with obesity was also observed. Along with a non-significant increase in HFI value in males with obesity compared to females with obesity (58.96% ± 8.14 versus 55.92% ± 10.31; p-value = 0.253). Conclusion Results suggest that both male and female young individuals with obesity are at higher risk for developing cardiovascular comorbidities in the future. So, we need to focus on encouraging activities that promote physical fitness.
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BACKGROUND: Pranayama, a yogic breathing practice, produces several physiological responses in healthy individuals. Hypertension is a critical and booming public health challenge all over the world. Yoga is one of the effective methods to reduce blood pressure (BP) and pulse rate (PR). OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of left nostril breathing (LNB) exercise on cardiorespiratory parameters and reaction time (RT) in young healthy individuals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, 106 young healthy individuals between 18 and 25 years of age were included. The systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), pulse rate (PR), respiratory rate (RR), vital capacity (VC), peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), and reaction time (RT) of volunteers were recorded at baseline (before exercise) and after two weeks of left nostril breathing exercise performed 45 minutes daily. RESULTS: There was a significant reduction in SBP (126.64 ± 15.51 mmHg versus 116.29 ± 11.91 mmHg; Cohen's d (effect size): 0.87; p < 0.0001)), DBP (76.57 ± 14.87 mmHg versus 71.07 ± 11.39 mmHg; Cohen's d: 0.48; p < 0.0001), PR (85.32 ± 15.44/minute versus 81.77 ± 13.02/minute; Cohen's d: 0.27; p < 0.0001), and RR (14.26 ± 2.15/minute to 13.17 ± 2.03/minute; Cohen's d: 0.54; p < 0.0001). A significant increase was observed in VC (3.42 ± 0.62 versus 3.67 ± 0.65; Cohen's d: 0.39; p < 0.0001) and PEFR (467.81 ± 46.66 versus 498.29 ± 51.50; Cohen's d: 0.59; p < 0.0001). There was a significant decrement in auditory reaction time (ART) (164.36 ± 27.20 ms versus 143.84 ± 20.32 ms; Cohen's d: 0.85; p < 0.0001) and visual reaction time (VRT) (190.25 ± 31.48 ms versus 163.75 ± 21.72 ms; Cohen's d: 0.98; p < 0.0001). There was no significant change in maximum heart rate (MHR) after cardiorespiratory activity (CRA) (p > 0.434). CONCLUSION: Left nostril breathing is associated with a decrease in cardiovascular parameters and an increase in VC and PEFR. This technique may be useful for putting up a fight against the stress and strain of daily life. This simple exercise may also be a beneficial adjuvant to pharmacological therapy in hypertensive patients.