A study protocol for a randomized controlled trial on immediate effect of cooling breathing techniques in generalized anxiety disorder

Background: Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a mental and behavioural illness characterized by excessive, uncontrollable worry about particular things. The people with GAD are excessively anxious about everyday concerns which affects the day-to-day activities. some symptoms that may be present include excessive worry, restlessness, insomnia, exhaustion, irritability, sweating, and shaking. yoga is a potential intervention that has gained popularity and accessibility. sheetali and sheetkari pranayama bring about increased parasympathetic activity, with decreased respiratory rate and blood pressure being attributed to the predominant vagal tone following slow-breathing techniques. additionally, they eases the internal heat and calms the brain activity.
Objective: The objective of the study is to determine the impact of immediate effect of sheetali sheetkari pranayama yogic intervention on generalized anxiety disorder patients.
Method: Total of 80 patients with the GAD will be recruited to participate in this randomized control study. all the eligible subjects(n=80) will be divided into two groups, study group and control group by randomization. the study group will undergo sheetali and sheetkari pranayama for 30 minutes, 20 rounds each, while the control group will receive normal breathing for 30 minutes. the outcome measures will be taken for study and control group before and after the intervention.
Results: Data analysis will be done using the appropriate statistical tests in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version, 16. Inferential data of Paired sample ‘t’ test will be used find the probability of within group and Independent ‘t’ test will be used for between group.
Conclusion: The present study findings will provide high quality clinical evidence on the efficacy of sheetali and sheetkari on generalized anxiety disorder. if the observations of this study ascertain positive results, it could be recommended as an adjuvant therapy for generalized anxiety disorder subjects along with conventional care.