NCT03320577

Pranayama Breathing and Uncontrolled Hypertension

Take a Deep Breath: Randomized Controlled Trial of the Effects of Breathing Exercises on Blood Pressure

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 103 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Missouri-Columbia · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 22 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study will compare participants who have uncontrolled hypertension and perform a set of five breathing exercises (Pranayama breathing) to a control group. The purpose of the study is to determine the effect of the breathing exercises on reduction of blood pressure.

Detailed description

Untreated or uncontrolled hypertension is a leading cause of heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure. Hypertension, is a modifiable risk factor that may be successfully treated using one or a combination of treatment options, including medication, diet, exercise, tobacco cessation, or complementary and alternative medicine such as breathing exercises. A well-established cascade of adverse health outcomes are associated with hypertension as well as increased mortality rates. For patient-centered care, providing patients with additional strategies for their health care also has the potential to empower the patient, augment patient-physician team approach to the patient's health care, and support the standards of care for treating hypertension. As explained by McCaffrey et al from their focus group work with patients, "Participants do not want prescription medications except as a last resort and feel that conventional medicine overemphasizes prescription medicines. This may be because of a combination of factors including distrust in conventional medicine, fear of side effects from medicines, and an underlying belief that the body can heal itself given the right nutrition, rest, and time" Using a randomized controlled trial study design with a 1-month and 3-month follow-up, the investigators hypothesize that practicing breathing at least 5 times per week will show a mean reduction in systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressures in uncontrolled hypertensive patients compared to control patients. Participants will be randomized into one of three arms of the study. For the intervention arm, participants will be either assigned to a weekly class for the pranayama breathing instruction and practice or given a DVD that contains instructions on the breathing exercises and the 15-minute practice session.

Conditions

• Uncontrolled Hypertension

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Class instruction of breathing exercises	Pranayama Breathing exercises practiced at least 5 times a week and log practice times
BEHAVIORAL	DVD instruction of breathing exercises	Pranayama Breathing exercises practiced at least 5 times a week and log practice times
BEHAVIORAL	Control	Log dinner times

Timeline

• Start date: 2016-08-01
• Primary completion: 2017-06-08
• Completion: 2017-06-08
• First posted: 2017-10-25
• Last updated: 2023-07-10

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States