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. 2022 Jul;10(13):e15389.
doi: 10.14814/phy2.15389.

Effects of sleep deprivation and 4-7-8 breathing control on heart rate variability, blood pressure, blood glucose, and endothelial function in healthy young adults

Jaruwan Vierra  1 , Orachorn Boonla  1   2 , Piyapong Prasertsri  1   2
Affiliations

Effects of sleep deprivation and 4-7-8 breathing control on heart rate variability, blood pressure, blood glucose, and endothelial function in healthy young adults

Jaruwan Vierra et al. Physiol Rep. 2022 Jul.

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of sleep deprivation on heart rate variability (HRV), blood pressure (BP), fasting blood glucose (FBG), and endothelial function as well as the immediate effects of 4-7-8 breathing control on HRV and BP. In total, 43 healthy participants aged 19-25 years were classified into two groups: Twenty two in the with sleep deprivation group and 21 in the without sleep deprivation (control) group. Resting heart rate (HR), BP, HRV, FBG, and endothelial function were examined. Subsequently, participants practiced 4-7-8 breathing control for six cycles/set for three sets interspersed between each set by 1-min normal breathing. Thereafter, the HR, BP, and HRV were immediately examined. The HRV, HR, and BP variables and FBG were not significantly different between the two groups. However, endothelial function was significantly lower in the sleep deprivation group than that in the control group (p < 0.05). In response to 4-7-8 breathing control, low- and very-low-frequency powers significantly decreased (p < 0.05), whereas high-frequency power significantly increased (p < 0.05) in the control group. Moreover, time domain, total power, and very-low-frequency power significantly decreased (p < 0.05) in the sleep deprivation group. Both groups had significantly decreased HR and systolic BP (p < 0.05). HRV, HR, and BP variables showed no significant differences between the groups. Healthy young adults with and without sleep deprivation may have similar HRV, BP, and FBG values. However, sleep deprivation may cause decreased endothelial function. Furthermore, 4-7-8 breathing control can help participants improve their HRV and BP, particularly in those without sleep deprivation.

Keywords: autonomic nervous system; blood sugar; breathing exercise; endothelium; sleep.

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Conflict of interest statement

No conflicts of interest are reported by the authors of this paper.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Blood flow at rest, during occlusion, and after occlusion in the control and sleep deprivation (SD) groups. Data are presented as mean ± standard deviation. #Significant difference between the control and SD groups (p < 0.05).
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Normal‐to‐normal (NN) beat intervals in the control and sleep deprivation (SD) groups before and after 4‐7‐8 breathing control. Data are presented as mean ± standard deviation. *Significant difference compared with before 4‐7‐8 breathing control (p < 0.05).
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Standard deviation of normal beat‐to‐normal beat intervals (SDNN) and root mean square of successive R‐R interval differences (RMSSD) in the control and sleep deprivation (SD) groups before and after 4‐7‐8 breathing control. Data are presented as mean ± standard deviation. *Significant difference compared with before 4‐7‐8 breathing control (p < 0.05).
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Low‐frequency (LF) and high‐frequency (HF) powers in normalized units in the control and sleep deprivation (SD) groups before and after 4‐7‐8 breathing control. Data are presented as mean ± standard deviation. *Significant difference compared with before 4‐7‐8 breathing control (p < 0.05).
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP) in the control and sleep deprivation (SD) groups before and after 4‐7‐8 breathing control. Data are presented as mean ± standard deviation. *Significant difference compared with before 4‐7‐8 breathing control (p < 0.05).
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