Evaluation of Mindful Breathing Techniques in Nursing Students Using Chaos Analysis

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to use chaos analysis to extract the pulse wave characteristics on the effects of mindful breathing exercises, mainly meditation, in nursing students.

Methods: Twenty nursing students (aged, 21–22 years) were randomly assigned to either the mindful group (Mi group, n = 10) or the non-mindful group (nMi group, n = 10). The experiment was carried out for 10 days, and pulse waves were measured on days 1, 5, and 10. The attractors calculated from the pulse wave were visually evaluated, and the maximum Lyapunov exponents while resting with the eyes closed and during a mental arithmetic task were compared between the groups. The maximum Lyapunov exponent increased with sympathetic nervous system activation.

Results: The shape of the attractor on day 10 of the experiment exhibited little variation in the Mi group, whereas the nMi group had more complex changes. The maximum Lyapunov exponent of the Mi group stayed at ≤1.7, which was significantly lower than that of the nMi group.

Conclusion: This suggests that inhibition of the sympathetic nervous system occurred after mindful practice in the Mi group on day 10 of the experiment. Signal processing using chaos analysis could be used to evaluate the characteristics of mindful breathing techniques.