Alternate Nostril Breathing to Reduce Stress: An Option for Pregnant Women Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence?

Abstract

Background: Stress resulting from intimate partner violence (IPV) on pregnant women causes and sustains poor health and contributes to poor pregnancy and birth outcomes. Appropriate interventions to reduce stress in this population of women are warranted. Objective: To present a systematic review and the state of the science of evidence on alternate nostril breathing (ANB) as a holistic intervention for stress reduction for pregnant survivors of IPV, framed by complex adaptive systems theory and psychoneuroimmunology. Data Sources: Eight databases and reference lists of potential articles. Study Eligibility Criteria: Randomized controlled trials published between January 2013 and July 2019. Participants: Adults. Intervention: ANB. Study Appraisal and Synthesis Method: PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. Results: ANB is effective in reducing stress, as measured by psychological and biological indicators. Limitations: Studies were limited in ethnic and gender diversity, most of the populations being Asian Indian and predominately male. Conclusions: Use of ANB as a safe and effective holistic intervention for stress reduction shows promise, but research in pregnant survivors of IPV is limited. Implications: Stress reduction benefits may be significant for pregnant survivors of IPV and their fetuses, with minimal risk.

Effect of alternate nostril breathing exercises on cardiorespiratory function- a systematic review

“…ANB can help reduce the risk of cardiorespiratory complications by acting upon the effector organs, i. e. lungs and heart. (14,15,16) Data analysis suggests that regular practice of ANB improves the respiratory endurance and capacity in individuals, evidenced by the significant increase in FVC, FEV1, and PEFR from their baseline values, ultimately contributing to a reduction in risk and compli-cations in pulmonary and cardiovascular disorders (17,18). The increase in FVC might be the strengthening of respiratory muscles by regular practice of breathing exercises.…”

Breathing Practices for Stress and Anxiety Reduction: Conceptual Framework of Implementation Guidelines Based on a Systematic Review of the Published Literature

“…Our search strategy incorporated PubMed and ScienceDirect electronic searches (Appendix A.1) and manual reference-mining of previously published reviews and key clinical trials [22][23][24][25]33,[35][36][37][38][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61].…”

“…Previous reviews have provided insight into the psychological and/or physiological benefits of slow breathing [52], diaphragmatic breathing [36], ANB [38], and other breath practices [23,25,35,37]. While these studies have examined a range of populations, their selection criteria have precluded more nuanced analyses.…”

“…Although existing literature confirms the widespread benefits of slow breathing practices for stress/anxiety reduction [23][24][25][35][36][37][38], null or negative results are reported in some studies [39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50]. Discerning the distinguishing features between effective and ineffective interventions is of interest.…”

Effect of breathing exercises on blood pressure and heart rate: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…There are several studies examining the anti-hypertensive effect of Yoga. [18] , [19] , [20] , [21] The effect of breathing exercises is not limited to controlling BP and HR but can also lead to an improvement in anxiety, 22 , 23 depression, 24 pain perception, 25 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 26 asthma, 27 insomnia, 28 stress, 29 PTSD, 30 and cancer. 31 Although multiple studies have reported a positive effect of breathing exercises on reducing BP [ [32] , [33] , [34] ] and HR, 32 there is no pooled data concluding this individual component of yoga leads to a decrease in BP and HR.…”