Researchers have found that regular yoga practice enhances cardiac autonomic function, a major issue in noncommunicable diseases. This current study aimed to compare yoga practitioners with non-yoga practitioners in terms of autonomic functions. With specific inclusion and exclusion criteria in mind, 68 healthy volunteers of both sexes between the ages of 17 and 30 were recruited to participate in this cross-sectional comparative study. Resting heart rate, heart rate after standing, Valsalva maneuver, heart rate after deep breathing, blood pressure after standing, and sustained hand grip were some of the autonomic reactivity tests administered. Resting heart rate was lower in the yoga group (80.92±11.76 vs. 69.24±10.64), and sustained handgrip was higher in the yoga group (16.30±4.53 vs. 10.20±3.67) in the autonomic reactivity test (P<0.05). No statistically significant differences were seen between the groups (P>0.05) on the deep breathing test, the Valsalva maneuver, the 30:15 ratio in lying to standing, or the BP response to standing. The participants’ sympathetic nervous system activity decreased, and their parasympathetic nervous system activity increased when they regularly practiced yoga, as shown in the present study. In the long run, frequent practice can help people avoid stress-related and other lifestyle-related health problems.
Source: journals.lww.com/jfmpc/Fulltext/2022/07000/Effect_of_long_term_yoga_training_on_autonomic.13.aspx
