Effects of Pranayama Breathing Technique on Stress Level, Sleep Quality, and Quality of Life Among Older Adults

Overview

Aging is associated with progressive tissue deterioration resulting from a continuous decline in the ability to renew homeostatic cell regeneration and replace cells lost during tissue damage. Biological aging arises from the accumulation of molecular and cellular damage over time. This condition leads to a gradual decline in physical and cognitive capacity, causing an increase in morbidity and mortality rates. These non-linear and inconsistent changes are linked more to lifestyle than to chronological age. Rather than biological changes, the fact that aging is often associated with other life transitions such as retirement, the death of friends and partners, and a decline in living standards indicates that the diversity observed in old age is not random. In the aging process where individuals face various physical, mental, and social changes; problems such as stress, sleep issues, and reduced quality of life are among the commonly encountered situations that negatively affect the life satisfaction and quality of life of elderly individuals. Alongside modern medicine, the use of traditional and complementary practices has been reported to have positive effects on the health of elderly individuals. This study was planned as a randomized controlled trial to examine the effects of the pranayama breathing technique applied to elderly individuals on stress levels, sleep, and quality of life.

With age, problems such as chronic stress and sleep disorders increase, and quality of life decreases. High stress levels negatively affect the overall quality of life of elderly individuals. Factors such as chronic illnesses, economic difficulties, loneliness, and dependency can increase stress levels in the elderly. This situation leads to physical and psychological health problems, thereby reducing quality of life. On the other hand, stress management is more successful in individuals with a good quality of life. Social support networks, a good standard of living, and a healthy environment can mitigate the effects of stress. Stress directly affects sleep quality. Specifically, an increase in stress hormones can cause difficulties in falling asleep and maintaining sleep. This can lead to common sleep disorders such as insomnia in elderly individuals. Poor-quality sleep reduces stress tolerance. Insufficient and irregular sleep can weaken individuals' coping skills with stress and intensify the stress cycle. Good sleep quality supports physical recovery, strengthens mental functions, and enhances overall quality of life. Sleep disorders, on the other hand, lead to physical discomfort and psychological problems, negatively affecting quality of life. Pranayama, a breath exercise technique of Indian origin that aims to balance the mind and body, is translated as 'breath science, breath control, voluntary respiration'. In Sanskrit, it consists of the words 'prana' meaning 'life force, vital energy, vitality' and 'yama' meaning 'to control'. According to yoga, an ancient way of life in Indian science, when an individual learns to control the life force, they can also gain control over the body, mind, and emotions. There are studies reporting that pranayama breathing exercises applied to elderly individuals have positive effects on stress levels, sleep, and quality of life. Dependent Variables: Scores obtained from the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), WHO Quality of Life Module for Older Adults (WHOQOL-OLD), and WHO-8 Quality of Life (WHO-8 EUROHIS) scales. Independent Variables: Participants' descriptive characteristics such as age, gender, height, weight, marital status, educational status, social security status, socioeconomic status, presence of chronic disease, use of assistive devices, frequency of meeting with family and friends, and length of stay in the nursing home. This research was conducted in two different nursing homes affiliated with the Family and Social Services Directorate of a province. The research population consisted of a total of 156 elderly individuals in the two nursing homes. In the study conducted by Erdoğan Yüce in 2019, an effect size of 1.03 was calculated, with a margin of error of 0.05 and a power of 95%, resulting in n=26 elderly individuals from each group. Ninety elderly individuals who met the study criteria and volunteered were randomly assigned to groups of 45 Pranayama and 45 Control using Randomizer.org. Due to situations such as withdrawal from the study, death, or transfer to another institution, the study was completed with a total of 74 individuals: 34 in the pranayama group and 40 in the control group.