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Effects of an 8-week intervention of anulom vilom pranayama combined with heartfulness meditation on psychological stress, autonomic function, inflammatory biomarkers, and oxidative stress in healthcare workers during COVID-19 pandemic: a randomized controlled trial

  • Vivek Kumar Sharma , Pradip B Barde , Rajesh Kathrotia EMAIL logo , Gaurav Sharma , Vinay Chitturi , Naresh Parmar , Gauravi Dhruva , Ghanshyam Kavathia and Rajathi Rajendran
Published/Copyright: September 30, 2024
Journal of Basic and Clinical Physiology and Pharmacology
From the journal Journal of Basic and Clinical Physiology and Pharmacology Volume 35 Issue 4-5

Abstract

Objectives

Health care workers were exposed to huge stress during COVID-19 pandemic affecting their physical and mental health. Practice of anulom vilom pranayama and heartfulness meditation (AVPHFN) can improve mental and physical health and counter stress. The present study explored the effect of 8-week AVPHFN intervention on autonomic functions, emotional stress, oxidative stress, and inflammation markers in the nurse group of health-care givers.

Methods

This was a randomized controlled trial where 50 nurses underwent AVPHFN and 50 participated as controls. At baseline and after 8 week intervention of AVPHFN anthropometric parameters, cardiovascular parameters, autonomic function including time and frequency domain parameters, biochemical parameters, and psychological stress using the questionnaire were assessed.

Results

Forty nurses in AVPHFN group and 46 in control group completed the study. AVPHFN intervention resulted in a significant reduction in cardiovascular parameters heart rate, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure and rate pressure product (p<0.001, p<0.001, p<0.001, p<0.001, and p<0.001, respectively), perceived stress score and depression, anxiety, and stress scale psychological variables of depression, and stress compared to the control group. Total power, ratio of low frequency to high frequency and change in successive normal sinus (NN) intervals exceeds 50 ms (p<0.01, p=0.05, and p<0.01 respectively) suggesting parasympathodominance due to higher vagal efferent activity. Serum cortisol, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6 and telomerase significantly decreased in AVPHFN group post intervention.

Conclusions

Eighty-week intervention of AVPHFN improved psychophysiological, autonomic and biochemistry profile of nurse group of health-care workers. AVPHFN module may be beneficial for curtailing stress and improving well-being.

Keywords: autonomic function; anulom-vilom pranayama; COVID-19; heartfulness meditation; health-care worker; stress
Corresponding author: Rajesh Kathrotia, Department of Physiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rajkot, Gujarat, India, E-mail:

Funding source: Department of Science and Technology (DST) -SATYAM and the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India

Award Identifier / Grant number: DST/SATYAM/COVID-19/2020/227 (G) Dated 04/02/2021

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge all the participating nurses for voluntarily participating in the study and the yoga trainer for implementation of the AVPHFN during the study. After the completion of the study, the AVPHFN training was also provided to all the nurses participants in the control group as a part of ethical commitment.

  1. Research ethics: The study was initiated after receiving ethical clearance from the Institutional Ethical Committee for human studies with reference number AIIMS/IEC/2020/3249 and approval from the P.D.U.M.C Institute Human Ethics Committee with reference number MCR/IEC/PDUMC/04–2021. The authors declare that the study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki (as revised in 2013).

  2. Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from all individuals included in this study, or their legal guardians or wards.

  3. Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.

  4. Use of Large Language Models, AI and Machine Learning Tools: None declared.

  5. Conflict of interest: Authors state no conflict of interest.

  6. Research funding: The authors acknowledge the Department of Science and Technology-Science and Technology of Yoga and Meditation (DST-SATYAM) and the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India, for financial support (DST/SATYAM/ COVID-19/2020/227 (G) Dated: February 04, 2021).

  7. Data availability: The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

  8. Clinical trial registration: The experiment underwent registration with the Clinical Trials Registry-India (CTRI) and was assigned the registration number CTRI/2021/07/034910 on July 15, 2021, prior to its commencement.

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Supplementary Material

This article contains supplementary material (https://doi.org/10.1515/jbcpp-2024-0001).

Received: 2024-01-08
Accepted: 2024-08-29
Published Online: 2024-09-30

© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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https://doi.org/10.1515/jbcpp-2024-0001
Keywords for this article
autonomic function; anulom-vilom pranayama; COVID-19; heartfulness meditation; health-care worker; stress

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Editorials
  3. Targeting Rho GTPase regulators in cancer: are we hitting the mark?
  4. The pitfalls of linear regression in physiological research
  5. Reviews
  6. Lipid profile and mortality in patients with pulmonary thromboembolism; a systematic review and meta-analysis
  7. IcoSema: unveiling the future of diabetes management from a clinical pharmacology perspective
  8. Deucravacitinib: moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis preventable?
  9. The key roles of thyroid hormone in mitochondrial regulation, at interface of human health and disease
  10. Uncovering the coronavirus outbreak: present understanding and future research paths
  11. Effects of thyroid hormones in skeletal muscle protein turnover
  12. Original Articles
  13. Effect of high-intensity interval training vs. moderate-intensity continuous training on cardiometabolic risk factors in overweight and obese individuals
  14. Alcohol promotes liver fibrosis in high fat diet induced diabetic rats
  15. Association between aerobic performance and physiological responses in Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 2, and the futsal-specific intermittent endurance test in trained futsal players
  16. Oral vs. injected: which vitamin D boost works best for low levels?
  17. Effects of an 8-week intervention of anulom vilom pranayama combined with heartfulness meditation on psychological stress, autonomic function, inflammatory biomarkers, and oxidative stress in healthcare workers during COVID-19 pandemic: a randomized controlled trial
  18. Ureteral access sheaths in RIRS: a retrospective, comparative, single-center study
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