Key result
Pranayama restores autonomic balance, improving HRV and lowering BP through enhanced vagal tone.
Why the study?
Autonomic imbalance with sympathetic overactivity and reduced parasympathetic tone contributes to hypertension, anxiety, and cardiovascular morbidity, and the physiological effects of pranayama on autonomic regulation require elucidation.
Does pranayama improve autonomic nervous system regulation and cardiovascular parameters?
Does pranayama improve autonomic nervous system regulation and cardiovascular parameters?
Pranayama may serve as a non-pharmacological intervention to restore autonomic balance and improve cardiovascular parameters, though large-scale RCTs are needed.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
May support pranayama as low-cost adjunct for hypertension; leaves open confirmation by randomized trials.
Background: Autonomic imbalance characterized by sympathetic overactivity and reduced parasympathetic tone is implicated in hypertension, anxiety disorders, and cardiovascular morbidity. Yogic breathing techniques (pranayama) are increasingly recognized for their modulatory effects on autonomic function. Objective: To highlight the physiological mechanisms through which pranayama influences autonomic regulation and its potential clinical implications. Methods: A narrative review of published physiological and clinical studies examining the impact of pranayama on heart rate variability (HRV), blood pressure, respiratory parameters, and neuroendocrine responses was conducted. Results: Evidence suggests that slow and controlled breathing techniques enhance vagal tone, improve HRV indices, reduce sympathetic discharge, and lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Studies demonstrate improved baroreflex sensitivity and decreased plasma cortisol levels following regular practice. Respiratory efficiency parameters such as forced vital capacity and peak expiratory low rate also show significant improvement. Conclusion: Pranayama serves as a non-pharmacological intervention capable of restoring autonomic balance. Its integration into preventive and therapeutic strategies for stress-related and cardiovascular disorders is supported by physiological evidence, though large-scale randomized controlled trials are warranted.
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S. P. Srinivas (2026) conducted a review in Autonomic imbalance. Pranayama was evaluated on Autonomic regulation (heart rate variability, blood pressure, respiratory parameters, neuroendocrine responses). Pranayama enhances vagal tone, improves heart rate variability, reduces sympathetic discharge, and lowers blood pressure, serving as a non-pharmacological intervention to restore autonomic balance.
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