DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2018.v06i08.005

Pages: 2971-2974

The effect of unilateral nostril breathing on autonomic functions was investigated in healthy male medical students aged 17-20 years in the Department of Physiology, S.M.S. Medical College, and Jaipur. The subjects were randomly divided into three groups, viz. RNB (right nostril breathing), LNB (left nostril breathing) and BNB (both nostril breathing) with 15 students in each group. Autonomic functions were assessed by power spectral analysis of heart rate variability using High Frequency (HF=0.15-0.4 Hz), and Low Frequency (LF=0.04-0.15 Hz), which represent vagal and sympathetic efferent activity to heart, respectively. These components were analyzed as LF n.u. (LF in Normalized Units), HF n.u. (HF in Normalized Units) and LF/HF ratio. HRV assessment was done before and after 15 minutes of breathing intervention initially at day 1, as per their breathing group and again at 4 week of study period. Analysis of breathing interventions on HRV by unpaired student’s‘t’ test showed no significant changes in any of the parameters, although a decreasing trend was observed in LF n.u. and LF/HF ratio along with increasing trend of HF n.u. values at 4 week of study period, which might suggest generalized parasympathetic activation due to unilateral as well as both nostril breathing. The probable explanation for this finding could be the entrainment of the brain achieved by the daily regular breathing maneuver at a slow rate (8 breaths per minute) along with calm and relaxed status of subjects, which might have led to increased parasympathetic activation in the subjects. A larger duration of study period could help establish the effect of unilateral breathing on autonomic function status. Thus it can be concluded that unilateral nostril breathing has no influence on the autonomic function status of an individual.