Breathing Exercises, Healthy Volunteers
Conditions
Keywords
Mindfulness Breathing, Box Breathing, Nadi Shodhana, Heart Rate Variability, Attention, Reaction Time, Anxiety
Brief summary
This randomized controlled trial compared the effects of Mindfulness Breathing, Box Breathing, and Nadi Shodhana Pranayama on heart rate variability, attention performance, reaction time, and anxiety in healthy adults aged 18-40 years. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three breathing intervention groups and practiced their assigned technique daily for six weeks. Primary outcomes included resting heart rate, RMSSD, and respiratory rate derived from 5-minute heart rate variability recordings. Secondary outcomes included attention performance assessed by the Digit Cancellation Test, reaction time assessed using the BlazePod system, and state and trait anxiety assessed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Participants received standardized face-to-face instruction, home practice videos, and daily WhatsApp reminders throughout the intervention.
Detailed description
Healthy adults aged 18-40 years were recruited using convenience sampling and randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to Mindfulness Breathing, Box Breathing, or Nadi Shodhana Pranayama. Participants received an individual face-to-face training session delivered by the same physiotherapist, practiced their assigned breathing technique under supervision until correct performance was confirmed, and subsequently performed daily home-based practice for six weeks using standardized instructional videos. Daily WhatsApp reminders containing the appropriate video link were sent to support adherence. Heart rate variability was assessed using a Polar H10 heart rate monitor with 5-minute resting recordings analyzed using Kubios HRV software. Attention performance was measured using the Digit Cancellation Test, reaction time was assessed using the BlazePod wireless reaction system, and anxiety outcomes were evaluated using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Assessments were performed at baseline and after six weeks.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALMindfulness Breathing
Participants received an individual face-to-face training session from the same physiotherapist, practiced under supervision until correct performance was confirmed, and subsequently performed daily home-based mindfulness breathing for six weeks using standardized instructional videos and daily WhatsApp reminders.
BEHAVIORALBox Breathing
Participants received standardized face-to-face instruction and performed daily home-based Box Breathing using a 4-second inhalation, 4-second breath hold, 4-second exhalation, and 4-second pause for six weeks, supported by instructional videos and daily WhatsApp reminders.
BEHAVIORALNadi Shodhana Pranayama
Participants received standardized face-to-face instruction and performed daily home-based alternate nostril breathing for six weeks using instructional videos and daily WhatsApp reminders.
Sponsors
Atlas University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 40 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Healthy adults aged 18 to 40 years. * Ability to provide written informed consent. * Ownership of a smartphone with internet access. * Willingness to participate in daily breathing practice for six weeks.
Exclusion criteria
* Respiratory disease. * History of lung transplantation. * Pregnancy or suspected pregnancy. * Previous experience with yoga, Qigong, breath therapy, or other structured breathing practices.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Resting Heart Rate | Baseline and Week 6 | Resting heart rate (beats per minute) measured from a 5-minute seated recording using the Polar H10 heart rate monitor (Polar Electro, Kempele, Finland). |
| Root Mean Square of Successive Differences (RMSSD) | Baseline and Week 6 | RMSSD (milliseconds), a vagally mediated heart rate variability parameter, derived from 5-minute RR interval recordings analyzed using Kubios HRV software. |
| Respiratory Rate | Baseline and Week 6 | Respiratory rate (breaths per minute) obtained from the 5-minute Polar H10 recording. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Digit Cancellation Test Score | Baseline and Week 6 | Attention performance is assessed using the Digit Cancellation Test by recording the number of correctly identified targets within 30 seconds. Higher scores indicate better sustained and selective attention performance. |
| BlazePod Reaction Time | Baseline and Week 6 | Reaction time assessed using a single BlazePod wireless light-based reaction system with the dominant hand. The system recorded average reaction time, number of successful responses, and number of errors. |
| Anxiety | Baseline and Week 6 | Anxiety assessed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Scores range from 20 to 80, with higher scores indicating greater state anxiety. |
Countries
Turkey (Türkiye)
Outcome results
None listed