Abstract

CUMULATIVE EFFECT OF YOGIC EXERCISES, PRANAYAMA AND MEDITATION ON PULMONARY FUNCTION TESTS AND CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSES IN HYPER REACTORS TO COLD PRESSOR TEST IN YOUNG HEALTHY MEDICAL STUDENTS

Awasthi Prateek Prabhaker, Rajak Chanda*, Rampalliwar S., Pathak Santosh Kumar, Namdeo D. P., Singh Sudhir and Kaurav Pavan Pratap Singh

ABSTRACT

Background: Stress is a condition of mental pressure for particular individual facing problems from environmental and social well-being which leads to so many diseases. Young age is the critical period because at this time youth faces lots of changes in his/her life. It is a silent killer and prolonged exposure to stress may exert harmful effects on physical, psychological and behavioral well-being of an individual. Stress-related disorders evolve gradually and effects mainly autonomic, cardiovascular, respiratory and immune systems. Objective: The aim of present study was to investigate whether cumulative practice of Yoga for six months can reduce respiratory and cardiovascular reactivity induced by cold pressor test. Material and method: The present study included 100 medical students of first M.B.B.S. of 18 to 25years of age. After recording the basal pulmonary and cardiovascular parameters of all the 100 students, reactivity to cold pressor was measured by application of cold pressor test devised by Hines & Brown (1936). 70 subjects were found to be hyper reactors to this test. These hyper reactors underwent Yogic exercises, Bhastrika and Anulom-vilom Pranayama and Meditation 30 minutes twice a day for the duration of 24 weeks. Before and after the yogic training period, the pulmonary parameters (FEV1, FVC and MVV) and cardiovascular parameters (SBP, DBP and PR) was measured which was found to be significantly improved and also there is improvement in reactivity to cold stress. Statistically by using student ‗‘t‘‘ test. Result: Regular practice of yoga for 6 months significantly improved the status of pulmonary functions and cardiovascular responses and reactivity to cold presor test. Conclusion: We concluded that regular practice of yoga for six months improves the mean pulmonary (FEV1, FVC and MVV), mean cardiovascular (SBP,DBP and PR) parameters and the individuals reactivity to cold stress.

Keywords: Stress, Yoga, Cold pressor test, FEV1, FVC, MVV, SBP, DBP and PR.