Using Yogic Breathing to Reduce Stress in Anesthesia Personnel As Measured by Hair Cortisol

Mind body exercises have long been used as a way for individuals to reduce stress and improve well-being. Recent studies indicate that yogic breathing (YB, also known as pranayama) could potentially impact both the mind and body by engaging both the physiological and neural elements and can thus be a specific tool that can be utilized by healthcare workers to combat burnout and decrease perceived levels of stress. Our aim is to understand and measure both subjectively and objectively the effects of long-term yogic breathing on stress levels in anesthesia personnel. This will be a single arm longitudinal trial designed to evaluate the feasibility and estimate the efficacy of implementing a yogic breathing program for stress reduction among anesthesiology practitioners at one academic medical center. The primary aim of the trial is to estimate the correlation between participant stress with average duration of yogic breathing over time. Secondarily the feasibility of implementing yogic breathing practices among anesthesiology practitioners will be evaluated. Feasibility measures will include recruitment rates, retention at 1year follow-up, and adherence to the yogic breathing program at 12 months.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Stress; Burnout, Professional
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: yogic breathing

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 57
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • South Carolina
    • Charleston, South Carolina, United States, 29425
      • Medical University of South Carolina

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• All clinical members of the MUSC anesthesia department (Attending physicians, resident physicians, and CRNAs)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Pregnancy (or anticipated pregnancy)
• chronic steroid use
• inadequate hair length for testing (less than 3cm at the back of the head)
• residents with anticipated graduation within the next one year.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Administration of yogic breathing program; This will be a single arm longitudinal trial designed to evaluate the feasibility and estimate the efficacy of implementing a self-administered yogic breathing program for stress reduction among anesthesiology practitioners at one academic medical center.	Behavioral: yogic breathing; participation in yogic breathing

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Correlation of participant stress with average duration of yogic breathing over time	The study will estimate the efficacy of self-administered yogic breathing on participant stress over time using (a) cortisol levels measured in hair and (b) using validated survey instruments estimated as the change in stress from baseline to 12 months. The primary measure of efficacy is correlation between cortisol/stress levels with average weekly duration of yogic breathing in minutes.	baseline & 12 month visit

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Medical University of South Carolina
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Grayce Davis, MD, Medical University of South Carolina

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 26, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 7, 2022
• Study Completion (Actual): July 7, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 21, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 21, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): April 26, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): October 24, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 22, 2024
• Last Verified: October 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Occupational Stress; Burnout, Psychological; Behavioral Symptoms; Stress, Psychological; Occupational Diseases; Burnout, Professional
• Other Study ID Numbers: Pro00105235

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No