Effects of 3‐month Qigong exercise on heart rate variability and respiration in anxious college students

Abstract

ObjectiveThis longitudinal study aimed to investigate the effects of Qigong on the anxiety state, heart rate variability (HRV), and breathing of anxious college students.MethodsA total of 37 individuals (18–25 years old) were randomly allocated to the control (n = 19) and intervention (n = 18) groups. Qigong interventions were conducted five times weekly for 12 weeks, with each session lasting 60 min. Hamilton Anxiety Scale, Fatigue Scale 14, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and 36‐item Short Form Survey, HRV, and respiration data were collected before and after the 3‐month intervention.ResultsIndividuals who participated in the three‐month Qigong exercise intervention showed a significant reduction in anxiety, particularly mental anxiety (p < 0.05). Subjects in the intervention group presented a decrease in skin temperature (p < 0.05) and an increase in blood volume pulsation (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, HRV exhibited a significant increase in the standard deviation of interbeat interval before and after comparisons (p < 0.05) and between the two groups (p = 0.039) and a reduction in the normalized low‐frequency power after the intervention. Moreover, the intervention group experienced increased abdominal breathing depth and abdominal breathing per minute (p < 0.05).ConclusionThese findings indicate that Qigong is an effective mind–body exercise strategy for relieving anxiety. HRV and breathing were improved accordingly among college students after the completion of the 3‐month Qigong program.

The effectiveness of physical activity interventions in improving higher education students’ mental health: A systematic review

“…Intervention duration ranged from 1 single 10-min session to 20 weeks of intervention. Seven of the RCT ( Kim et al ., 2013 ; Mailey et al ., 2010 ; Philippot et al ., 2022 ; Sun et al ., 2023 ; Wan Yunus et al ., 2020 ; Zhang et al , 2023a ; Zhu et al ., 2023 ) and 8 of the non-RCT ( Wang et al ., 2004 ; deJonge et al ., 2021 ; Martínez-Díaz and Carrasco, 2021 ; Forseth et al ., 2022 ; Danielsen et al ., 2023 ; Gurung et al ., 2023 ; Sandra et al ., 2023 ; Strehli et al ., 2023 ) studies were designed as pilot trials.…”

“…Interventions were effective in 36 studies (62%) for improving at least one measure of mental health or QOL in HE students ( Akandere and Demir, 2011 ; Bass et al ., 2002 ; Caldwell et al ., 2009 ; Crocker and Grozelle, 1991 ; Danielsen et al ., 2023 ; de Vries et al ., 2016 , 2018 ; deJonge et al ., 2021 ; Dinani et al ., 2019 ; Ezati et al ., 2020 ; Faro et al ., 2019 ; Forseth et al ., 2022 ; Fukui et al ., 2021 ; Gallego et al ., 2014 ; Gurung et al ., 2023 ; Hemat-Far et al ., 2012 ; Herbert et al ., 2020 ; Huang et al ., 2017 ; Ji et al ., 2022 ; Kim et al ., 2013 ; Li et al ., 2022 ; López-Rodríguez et al ., 2017 ; Muir et al ., 2020 ; Philippot et al ., 2022 ; Salehian et al ., 2021 ; Saltan and Ankaralı, 2021 ; Sandra et al ., 2023 ; Strehli et al ., 2023 ; Sun et al ., 2023 ; Tong et al ., 2021 ; von Haaren et al ., 2016 ; Wan Yunus et al ., 2020 ; Wang et al ., 2004 ; Xiao et al ., 2021 ; Zhang and Jiang, 2023b ; Zhao et al ., 2022 ). Five of these studies did not have a comparator so the effectiveness relates only to changes over time (pre-post) and not between groups.…”

“…There were 19 studies which used mind–body interventions ( Albracht-Schulte and Robert-McComb, 2018 ; Caldwell et al ., 2009 ; Dinani et al ., 2019 ; Forseth et al ., 2022 ; Gao et al ., 2022 ; Kim et al ., 2013 ; Kim et al ., 2004 ; Li et al ., 2015 , 2022 ; Salehian et al ., 2021 ; Schmalzl et al ., 2018 ; Strehli et al ., 2023 ; Sun et al ., 2023 ; Tong et al ., 2021 ; Wang et al ., 2004 ; Xiao and Zheng, 2022 ; Zhang et al , 2023a ; Zheng et al ., 2015 ; Zhang and Jiang, 2023 ) including various forms of yoga, Tai-Chi, Qigong (including Baduanjin), Kouk Sun Do, and meridian exercise, where studies ( Caldwell et al ., 2009 ; Tong et al ., 2021 ; Xiao et al ., 2021 ) were also included in the previous section as they were comparisons between mind–body interventions and MVIPA interventions. Overall, these studies provide mixed evidence of effectiveness with only 6 out of 12 RCTs finding at least one significant improvement in a mental health or QOL measure against the comparator (see Supplementary File S1: SF1 ).…”