Effect of Yoga Nidra on Blood Pressure

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Introduction
Yoga Nidra (Yoga Sleep) is a term used to represent the state in which an individual exhibits all the symptoms of a deep non-REM sleep, remaining fully conscious(1). PET studies have shown that the brain activities during Yoga Nidra is unique in the sense that it can be called as the “fourth state of mind"(2). Yoga Nidra had been traditionally used in yoga practices to bring the subject into a state of deep relaxation. Studies have shown that practice of Yoga Nidra reduces Sympathetic Activity from baseline levels(3) and a shift in heart rate variability suggestive of parasympathetic(4) improvement. Since the autonomic regulation constitute a major part in the regulation of blood pressure(5), it is safe to assume that Yoga Nidra can bring about changes in blood pressure. In addition to this, there are studies that prove that Yoga Nidra increased mindfulness(6) and mindfulness based stress reductions do reduce the systolic blood pressure by 4-8 mmHg in Pre-Hypertensives(7).
The prevalence of Essential Hypertension in India is on the increase. It is presently 25%-40% among urban adults and 10-15% among rural adults(8) and if this is not taken care of it can lead to various complications in the society. The JNC 8 Guidelines for Management of Essential Hypertension recommends lifestyle modifications as the first step in intervention and management of Essential Hypertension(9). Hence Yoga Nidra can be considered as an ideal additive in the regimen for combating diseases like Essential Hypertension. But so far no relevant study had been done, that examines the effect of Yoga Nidra on blood pressure of individuals. So the present study aims at examining the effect of Yoga Nidra on Blood Pressure of Pre-Hypertensive adults ...

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10. Chobanian AV, Bakris GL, Black HR, Cushman WC, Green LA, Izzo JL, et al. Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure. Hypertension. 2003 Dec 1;42(6):1206–52.
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