The Effects of Practicing Daily Polyvagal Exercises for Four Weeks on Stress in Students of Physical Therapy Measured: a Randomized Controlled Trial
Dominican University New York
Summary
The purpose of this study is to investigate whether specific breathing exercises can stimulate the polyvagal system and thus decrease stress in healthy students of physical therapy. The hypothesis is that practicing daily polyvagal breathing exercises will result in decreased stress/anxiety in physical therapy students compared to the control group who will not be receiving any intervention.
Description
The study involves healthy physical therapy students of Dominican University New York (DUNY) aged 18-45 who are currently not taking anti-anxiety or anti-depression medications. The independent variable consists of practicing polyvagal breathing exercises over a 30-day period. Only the experimental/breathing group will receive treatment while the control group will not. The dependent variable, stress/anxiety labels, will be measured non-invasively using equipment such as the model number DSI-7 headset to record electroencephalogram (EEG) signals of the brain, which is commonly used in research…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18–45 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria: * Student of physical therapy Exclusion Criteria: * Taking medications to treat anxiety or depression
Interventions
- BehavioralPolyvagal Breathing Exercises
Breathing exercises provided include, square breathing, modified Qigong breathing, and three step breathing
- OtherNo Intervention
The control group will not perform any intervention.
Location
- Dominican University New YorkOrangeburg, New York