Effect of Various Lengths of Respiration on Heart Rate Variability during Simple Bhramari (Humming).

Background: Heart rate varies during breathing and the heart rate variability (HRV) facilitates the autonomic homeostatic capacity. The maximum HRV was observed at around 10 s of prolonged respiration as per HRV biofeedback literature. However, there is a gap in understanding the variations in HRV by different respiration lengths during simple Bhramari practice. Objective: To assess the effect of various respiration lengths (8, 10, 12, and 14 s) on HRV during the simple Bhramari (humming) practice. Methodology: A total of 118 individuals (67 males, 51 females) signed up for the study based on convenience sampling at a wellness center. A randomized (simple permutation) within-subject crossover design with repeated measures was used to measure their HRV during the simple Bhramari practice. The results were analyzed with one-way ANOVA and paired samples t-test. Results: The results indicate that, unlike the 10 s of respiration during HRV biofeedback breathing, maximum HRV during humming happens between 12 and 14 s of long breathing. Conclusions: The unique findings of the study demonstrate the maximization of HRV between the respiration lengths of 12 and 14 s. Future work should explore expanding the research to a broader group of participants, including individuals with chronic conditions and other demographic variables and mantra chanting.

Adverse Childhood Experiences & mental health - the urgent need for public health intervention in India.

Global evidence has demonstrated that Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) up to age 18 significantly increases the risk of mental and physical health for an adult. The research linking ACE with health and well-being has confirmed a dose-response relationship between the number of ACEs experienced and the extent of the impact on wellbeing. The source of ACE is the family, community, and the immediate environment, and it causes long-term risk for mental health with the potential to carry it over beyond the present generation. The findings are consistent across the developed and developing countries, and the evidence highlights the need for new elements beyond the 10 ACE elements in the pathbreaking original study. India needs urgent intervention on ACE prevention and management with 0.4 billion children and adolescents, with one out of seven Indians with mental health issues. Firstly, this commentary reviews global research and summarizes the limited evidence available in India on ACE elements' impact on mental health. And, secondly, it proposes a multi-pronged approach to identify, manage and prevent the mental health implications of ACE in India to preempt a significant public health challenge.

Bhramari Pranayama - A simple lifestyle intervention to reduce heart rate, enhance the lung function and immunity.

Individuals with chronic diseases have a higher risk of infection and show lung function impairment. Poor lifestyle choices such as physical inactivity, poor diet, stress, excess tobacco, and alcohol, and sleep disruption increase the risk of chronic inflammation and immune impairment but the evidence does not quantify the specific risk factor(s) and their correlation with the immune system impairment. COVID-19 related uncertainty has created a more urgent need to understand the need to identify interventions that could help in managing the risk factors, especially for healthy individuals who are at a higher risk of infection and/or immune system impairment. The role of three parameters, the Resting Heart Rate (HR), increased Heart Rate Variability (HRV), and lung function is considered as risk factors for systemic inflammation and chronic diseases. The evidence on Bhramari Pranayama is presented for possible lifestyle interventions to reduce the risk of infection, increase lung function, enhance autonomic function, and improve sleep quality in healthy individuals.

Comparative Study of the Impact of Active Meditation Protocol and Silence Meditation on Heart Rate Variability and Mood in Women.

AIM: The aim of this study was to understand the impact of an active meditation protocol on heart rate variability (HRV) and mood in women as compared to breath-focused silence meditation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Women experienced two different practices of 20 min each: (a) control group: silence meditation focusing on breath and (b) experiment group: active meditation that included four activities, each lasting for 5 minutes - (1) simple humming, (2) coherent heart-focused breathing with 5s of inhalation and 5s of exhalation, (3) coherent heart-focused breathing while invoking positive emotions, and (4) guided imagery about a preidentified goal. The silence meditation encouraged women to only focus on the breath. The Positive and Negative Affect Scale measured mood before/after the practice (n = 24), and emWavePro device measured HRV parameters for 5 min before/after the practices (n = 18). Statistical data analysis was done using a paired t-test. RESULTS: HRV (specifically, parasympathetic nervous system [PNS]) parameters showed a statistically significant improvement in the experiment group as compared to the control group. There was a statistically significant reduction in negative affect after both the practices, and the increase in positive affect was observed only for the experiment group. CONCLUSIONS: The active meditation provides a significant enhancement in mood and HRV parameters related to PNS as compared to silence meditation where the changes in HRV were not consistent and the positive mood did not increase significantly. Future research in this area could explore the impact of such practice for a longer duration and understand the impact of each component of the meditative practices.