Hypertension
Conditions
Keywords
Blood Pressure, Heart Rate, Hypertension, Perceived Stress Resonant Breathing
Brief summary
Hypertension remains a significant global health challenge, often requiring lifelong management. While pharmacological treatments are standard, there is increasing interest in non-pharmacological interventions like resonant breathing. This technique, characterized by slow, rhythmic breathing at 4.5-7 breaths per minute, is thought to lower blood pressure by enhancing parasympathetic activity and restoring autonomic balance.
Detailed description
This study is a randomized, parallel-group controlled trial conducted in community rehabilitation centers in Lahore, Pakistan. A total of 50 participants diagnosed with stage I hypertension will be enrolled and allocated into two groups using a computer-generated randomization sequence with allocation concealment. Participants in both groups will undergo standard physiotherapy consisting of general warm-up exercises and stretching, performed under supervision three times per week for eight weeks. The intervention group will additionally receive resonant breathing training, delivered as a structured breathing exercise performed for approximately 20 minutes per session. Resonant breathing is a slow-paced breathing technique performed at approximately 4.5-7 breaths per minute with equal inhalation and exhalation phases. It is intended to improve autonomic balance by enhancing parasympathetic activity and reducing sympathetic nervous system dominance, thereby potentially improving cardiovascular and psychological outcomes. Outcome assessments will be conducted at baseline and after 8 weeks. Primary outcomes include systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, and perceived stress. Blood pressure and heart rate will be measured using a validated automated digital sphygmomanometer. Perceived stress will be assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). Statistical analysis will be performed using SPSS version 26. Within-group comparisons will be analyzed using paired t-tests, while between-group comparisons will be assessed using independent t-tests. Effect size will be calculated using Cohen's d, with statistical significance set at p \< 0.05.
Interventions
COMBINATION_PRODUCTResonant breathing
Resonant breathing, or Coherent Breathing, is a slow, rhythmic technique focusing on equal inhales and exhales (often 5-6 seconds each) to calm the nervous system, improve heart rate variability (HRV), and reduce stress by aligning breath with heart rhythms.
Sponsors
Riphah International University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Investigator)
Intervention model description
2
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
30 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Adults age 30-65 years * Patients with hypertension stage I * Patients with no serious comorbidities * Not currently in any breathing therapy or rehabilitation programs
Exclusion criteria
* Age under 30 or over 65 * Patients with severe hypertension (stage II or III) * Patients with serious comorbidities * Patients taking medicines affecting blood pressure or heart rate * Current use of tobacco or materials that may have an effect on blood pressure or stress level
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Blood pressure | 8 week | Blood pressure will be measured using a cuff wrapped around your upper arm. |
| heart rate | 8 week | To measure heart rate, find your pulse on your wrist or neck, count beats for 15 or 30 seconds, then multiply to get beats per minute (bpm) |
| perceived stress | 8 week | Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) scoring involves answering 10 (or 14/4) questions on a 0 (never) to 4 (very often) scale, then reversing scores for specific items (4, 5, 7, 8 for PSS-10) before summing them to get a total score (0-40 for PSS-10), with higher scores meaning more perceived stress, generally falling into low (0-13), moderate (14-26), and high (27-40) categories, though it's a self-assessment tool, not a diagnostic one. |
Countries
Pakistan
Contacts
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORMaryum Khan, MS
Riphah International University
Outcome results
None listed