Effect of Alternate Nostril Breathing Exercise on Experimentally Induced Anxiety in Healthy Volunteers Using the Simulated Public Speaking Model: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study - PubMed (original) (raw)

Randomized Controlled Trial

Effect of Alternate Nostril Breathing Exercise on Experimentally Induced Anxiety in Healthy Volunteers Using the Simulated Public Speaking Model: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study

Ashwin Kamath et al. Biomed Res Int. 2017.

Abstract

A randomized controlled pilot study was carried out to determine the effect of a 15-minute practice of ANB exercise on experimentally induced anxiety using the simulated public speaking model in yoga-naïve healthy young adults. Thirty consenting medical students were equally divided into test and control groups. The test group performed alternate nostril breathing exercise for 15 minutes, while the control group sat in a quiet room before participating in the simulated public speaking test (SPST). Visual Analog Mood Scale and Self-Statements during Public Speaking scale were used to measure the mood state at different phases of the SPST. The psychometric scores of both groups were comparable at baseline. Repeated-measures ANOVA showed a significant effect of phase (p < 0.05), but group and gender did not have statistically significant influence on the mean anxiety scores. However, the test group showed a trend towards lower mean scores for the anxiety factor when compared with the control group. Considering the limitations of this pilot study and the trend seen towards lower anxiety in the test group, alternate nostril breathing may have potential anxiolytic effect in acute stressful situations. A study with larger sample size is therefore warranted. This trial is registered with CTRI/2014/03/004460.

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Figures

Figure 1

Figure 1

CONSORT diagram.

Figure 2

Figure 2

Comparison of the delta scores of Visual Analog Mood Scale (VAMS) factors in the test and control groups during various phases of the simulated public speaking test. The delta scores were obtained by calculating the difference between the VAMS score for each phase and the baseline score. The dark-gray line represents the test group, and the light-gray line represents the control group. The horizontal axis represents the various experimental phases, and the vertical axis represents the VAMS factor scores. The vertical bars represent the standard error. B, baseline; P, prestress; A, anticipatory phase; S, speech performance; F, poststress.

Figure 3

Figure 3

Comparison of the delta scores of Self-Statements during Public Speaking (SSPS) scale in the test and control groups during various phases of the simulated public speaking test. The delta scores were obtained by calculating the difference between the SSPS score for each phase and the baseline score. The dark-gray line represents the test group, and the light-gray line represents the control group. The horizontal axis represents the various experimental phases, and the vertical axis represents the SSPS scores. The vertical bars represent the standard error. B, baseline; P, prestress; A, anticipatory phase; S, speech performance; F, poststress.

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