Effect of Prenatal Yoga versus Moderate-Intensity Walking on Cardiorespiratory Adaptation to Acute Psychological Stress: Insights from Non-Invasive Beat-to-Beat Monitoring

Author:

Lučovnik Miha12,Lackner Helmut K.3ORCID,Žebeljan Ivan4ORCID,Moertl Manfred G.5,Dinevski Izidora Vesenjak6,Mahlmann Adrian78,Dinevski Dejan9ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Department of Perinatology, Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

2. Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

3. Otto Loewi Research Center, Division of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Medical University of Graz, 8036 Graz, Austria

4. Department for Women’s Health, Health Center Lenart, 2230 Lenart v Slovenskih Goricah, Slovenia

5. Department of Philosophy, Alpen-Adria University Klagenfurt, 9020 Klagenfurt, Austria

6. Sončna Vila Yoga Studio, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia

7. Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus at Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany

8. Centre for Vascular Medicine, Clinic of Angiology, St.-Josefs-Hospital, Katholische Krankenhaus Hagen gem. GmbH, 58097 Hagen, Germany

9. Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia

Abstract

We recently reported enhanced parasympathetic activation at rest throughout pregnancy associated with regular yoga practice. The present study presents a secondary analysis of data collected within a prospective cohort study of 33 pregnant women practicing yoga once weekly throughout pregnancy and 36 controls not involved in formal pregnancy exercise programs. The objective was to assess the impact of prenatal yoga on the autonomic nervous system stress response. Healthy pregnant women with singleton pregnancies were recruited in the first trimester. There was no significant difference in the maternal body mass index (BMI) between the yoga group and the controls (24.06 ± 3.55 vs. 23.74 ± 3.43 kg/m2, p = 0.693). Women practicing yoga were older (28.6 ± 3.9 vs. 31.3 ± 3.5 years, p = 0.005) and more often nulliparous (26 (79%) vs. 18 (50%), p = 0.001). We studied heart rate variability (HRV) parameters in the time domain (SDNN, standard deviation of regular R-R intervals, and RMSSD, square root of mean squared differences of successive R-R intervals) and frequency domain (ln(LF/HF), natural logarithm of low-frequency to high-frequency power), as well as synchronization indices of heart rate, blood pressure and respiration during and immediately following acute psychological stress of a standardized mental challenge test. Measurements were performed once per trimester before and after yoga or a 30 min moderate-intensity walk. Statistical comparison was performed using three-way analyses of variance (p < 0.05 significant). Time domain HRV parameters during and following mental challenge in the yoga group were significantly higher compared to the controls regardless of the trimester (F = 7.22, p = 0.009 for SDNN and F = 9.57, p = 0.003 for RMSSD, respectively). We observed no significant differences in the yoga group vs. the controls in terms of ln(LF/HF) and synchronization indices. Regular prenatal yoga practice was associated with a significantly reduced sympathetic response to mental challenge and quicker recovery after acute psychological stress. These effects persisted throughout pregnancy with regular practice.

Funder

University Clinical Center Maribor

Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency

Publisher

MDPI AG

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