Abstract
Introduction
Hypertension (HTN) is a common and growing public health challenge with severe risk factors. Hence, this study aimed to assess the effect of Om chanting and Yoga Nidra on depression, anxiety, stress, sleep quality and autonomic functions on individuals with hypertension.
Methods
This prospective randomized controlled study was conducted in patients with hypertension at Little Flower Medical Research Center. A total of 80 patients with diagnosed hypertension were recruited and randomized equally to either the experimental group or control group. The experimental group received a combination of Om chanting and Yoga Nidra for five days a week for two months. The control group participants continued with their regular conventional medications. Depression anxiety stress scale (DASS), Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and heart rate variability (HRV) scores were assessed at baseline, 30 and 60 day for both the groups.
Results
A total of 34 subjects in the experimental group and 31 subjects in the control group were included in the analysis. There was a significant (p<0.001) reduction in depression, anxiety, stress, and a significant (p<0.001) improvement in PSQI and HRV parameters in the experimental group was observed as compared to the control group. No adverse events were reported during the trial period.
Conclusions
The current study validates the effectiveness of Om chanting and Yoga Nidra in reducing depression, anxiety, stress and improving sleep quality and autonomic functions in hypertensive patients. These interventions could thus be considered a safer form of complementary therapy in managing stress and hypertension.
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Research funding: No funding for this study.
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Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission. K. Anjana: Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal analysis, Investigation, Resources, Data curation, Validation, Writing–original draft, Visualization.R. Archana: Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal analysis, Validation Writing–review & editing, Supervision. J.K Mukkadan: Conceptualization, Methodology, Supervision.
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Conflicts of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from all individuals included in this study.
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Ethical approval: This was registered under clinical trial registry of India and the clinical trial identifier is CTRI/2020/02/023400.
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