Effect of Om chanting and Yoga Nidra on depression anxiety stress, sleep quality and autonomic functions of hypertensive subjects - a randomized controlled trial


Author: Archana Rajagopalan1, Anjana Krishna2, Joseph Kurian Mukkadan2

Affiliation: <sup>1</sup> Department of Physiology, Saveetha Medical College, Saveetha Institute of Technical And Medical Sciences (SIMATS), Tamil Nadu, India.

<sup>2</sup> Department of Physiology, Little Flower Medical Research Center, Kerala, India.
Conference/Journal: J Basic Clin Physiol Pharmacol
Date published: 2022 Jun 13
Other:
  Special Notes: doi: 10.1515/jbcpp-2022-0122.   ,  Word Count: 257  
    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.



Keywords: HRV; Om chanting; meditation; stress; yoga; yoga nidra.



PMID: 35689170 DOI: 10.1515/jbcpp-2022-0122