Effects of Hypoxic Breathwork

Conditions

• Hypoxic Breathwork Only
• Hypoxic Breathwork With Music and Affirmative Messaging
• Music and Affirmative Messaging

Eligibility Criteria

Sex

ALL

Age

18 Years - 45 Years

Healthy Volunteers

Accepted

Interventions

• Hypoxic breathwork plus music and messaging — BEHAVIORAL
  Hypoxic breathwork consists of about 5 min of rhythmic breathing in a 4-in/4-out pattern followed by a breath hold on the exhale for about 1-2 min. This is repeated 1-2 times with increasing breath rate up to 2-in/2-out. The audio track also includes dynamic music that accompanies the different stages as well as positive messaging encouraging self-determination.
• Hypoxic breathwork only — BEHAVIORAL
  Hypoxic breathwork consists of about 5 min of rhythmic breathing in a 4-in/4-out pattern followed by a breath hold on the exhale for about 1-2 min. This is repeated 1-2 times with increasing breath rate up to 2-in/2-out. Other than breathing instructions and pacing, the audio track is silent.
• Music and messaging meditation — BEHAVIORAL
  Music and messaging meditation consists of dynamic music that is engaging and aids focus, as well as positive messaging encouraging self-determination.

Study Details

This project will study changes that occur during a short period of intensive daily slow-paced breathing and breath hold practice (i.e., "breathwork"). On the first and last days of the week-long practice, investigators will conduct high-density EEG recordings during breathwork to evaluate spectral power, coherence, and causality dynamics of the brain when it is naïve to breathwork and after adaptation to a breathwork practice. Breath, blood, urine, saliva, stool samples, biometric data, and sleep EEG will be collected before the start of daily breathwork practice and again after 1 week of breathwork practice to examine the effect of breathwork on full body biochemistry, molecular biology, and sleep. Investigators will also use questionnaires to assess the impact of breathwork on stress and sleep quality.

Key Dates

Start date

Jun 17, 2024

Status verified

Dec 2024

Primary completion

Sep 30, 2025

Completion

Dec 31, 2025

Study Design

Enrollment

75 participants (estimated)

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Arms

• Experimental: Breathwork, music, messaging
  Subjects will perform a 40 min initial breathwork/music/messaging session with a full EEG cap followed by 7 or 14 days of once daily practice of a 20 min breathwork/music/messaging session. At the end of 7 or 14 days, they will again perform the 40 min breathwork/music/messaging session with a full EEG cap.
• Active Comparator: Breathwork only
  Subjects will perform a 40 min initial breathwork only session with a full EEG cap followed by 7 or 14 days of once daily practice of a 20 min breathwork only session. At the end of 7 or 14 days, they will again perform the 40 min breathwork only session with a full EEG cap.
• Active Comparator: Music and messaging
  Subjects will perform a 40 min initial music/messaging session with a full EEG cap followed by 7 or 14 days of once daily practice of a 20 min music/messaging session. At the end of 7 or 14 days, they will again perform the 40 min music/messaging session with a full EEG cap.

Primary Outcome Measure

EEG power and/or connectivity differences between groups [ Time Frame: Day 7 and Day 14 or 21 (beginning and end of daily practice week) ]

Central Contacts

• Julie Onton, PhD
  8583362704
  [email protected]

Locations (1)

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