Effects of breathing-based meditation on dyspnea in COPD, a single-case study

Abstract

<b>Introduction:</b> COPD-related dyspnea impacts both physiological and psychosocial aspects of an individual. Yet, management rarely targets both. <b>Aim:</b> To explore a more holistic, evidence-based, breathing-based meditation program — Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY) — on dyspnea management in COPD. <b>Methods:</b> Nine participants with COPD (30-75 years; 4 females) participated in SKY training. Using a single-case multiple baseline design, participants were divided into three groups with staggered intervention starts. Measures related to work of breathing (WOB), shortness of breath (SOB), and dyspnea-related distress (DD) were collected pre-, mid-, and post-SKY. Data were analyzed via data visualization and effect size calculations (Tau-U; Log Response Ratio). <b>Results:</b> SKY improved perceptions related to the physiological (WOB, SOB) and psychosocial (DD) aspects of dyspnea for individuals with COPD differently. For individuals with mild COPD, the changes were often minimal. Yet, for moderate to very severe cases (n=7), the intervention effects were greater, with percentage change ranging from 5.5% (SE=.13) to 61.28% (SE=.19) for WOB; 2.9% (SE=.11) to 64.88% (SE=.51) for SOB; and 21.25% (SE=.21) to 61.99% (SE=1.07) for DD. <b>Conclusions:</b> This work lays the foundation for understanding the psycho-physiological aspects of disability in COPD and can lead to novel explorations into holistic treatments that maximize improvements in health and quality of life.