Effect of a yoga and naturopathy-based lifestyle intervention with nine-month follow-up on heart rate variability in patients with hypertension: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract

PurposeHypertension is associated with autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysregulation. Heart rate variability (HRV) monitoring is frequently used as a gauge of the ANS balance. The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of yoga and naturopathy on the autonomic variables in patients with hypertension. Methods262 hypertensive patients were randomly allocated to the study group (SG) or control group (CG) in a randomized controlled trial. For ten days, the SG (n = 131) group got received naturopathic treatments and yoga, whereas the CG (n = 131) group did not. HRV which was examined at the beginning and end of the 10-day intervention period and again after 9 months, served as the study's main endpoint. ResultThere was a significant change in the frequency domain of heart rate variability with a significant increase in High frequency (HF) and a significant decrease in low frequency (LF) and LF/HF (all p < 0.05) were observed after follow-up in both SG and CG, but the magnitude of change was more in SG with a significant difference in LF/HF between group. ConclusionResults of this study suggest that 10 days of integrated yoga and naturopathy intervention produces a shift of vagal activity towards parasympathetic activity. Clinical trial registration numberCTRI/2019/01/016883.