impact on Heart Rate Variability during Bhramari (Humming)

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

Heart rate variability (HRV) is a physiological phenomenon that measures the variation in time between successive heartbeats. High HRV is associated with a healthy and flexible autonomic nervous system, reflecting the body’s ability to adapt to different situations. It is often seen in individuals with good cardiovascular health and resilience to stress. On the other hand, low HRV may indicate a less adaptive autonomic nervous system and can be associated with various health issues, such as cardiovascular disease, chronic stress, or other conditions affecting autonomic function.

This publication aims to study the effect of various lengths of respiration on heart rate variability during simple Bhramari (humming).

Authors: Gunjan Y. Trivedi, Ph.D. ([email protected]), Soundappan Kathirvel, Kamal Sharma, Banshi Saboo

Details of the full paper are on the journal website Here:

A high-level summary is captured below.
Abstract

Background:
Heart rate varies during breathing, and 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 and 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 analysed with a one-way ANOVA and a paired sample 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 study’s unique findings demonstrate the maximisation 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, other demographic variables, and mantra chanting.
Keywords: heart rate, heart rate variability, respiration, Bhramari, humming, autonomic nervous system