An hour of yoga a week significantly improved the quality of life of patients suffering from sudden abnormal heart rhythm, according to results from a 12-week clinical trial.

Researchers from the European Society of Cardiology recently found that people diagnosed with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation experienced significant physical and mental health benefits after going to 1-hour yoga sessions once a week for three months.

"We found that patients who did yoga had a better quality of life, lower heart rate and lower blood pressure than patients who did not do yoga. If could be that the deep breathing balances the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system, leading to less variation in heart rate. The breathing and movement may have beneficial effects on blood pressure," said study author Maria Wahlström, of Sophiahemmet University and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.

People diagnosed with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation suffer from sudden irregular or rapid heartbeat that usually stops by itself within 48 hours. Symptoms associated with atrial fibrillation, which affects around 2 percent of the general population of developed countries, include breathing problems, chest pain and dizziness.

"Many patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation can't live their lives as they want to - they refuse dinners with friends, concerts, and travelling - because they are afraid of an AF episode occurring," said Wahlström.

The latest study involved 80 individuals diagnosed with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation who were randomly assigned to receive standard atrial fibrillation treatment or standard atrial fibrillation treatment combined with weekly yoga sessions.

After analyzing measurements of participants' baseline blood, heart rate and quality of life, Wahlström and her team found that patients in the yoga combo group experienced significant increases in their mental health as well as significant decreases in their blood pressure and heart rates compared to patients in the standard treatment group.

"Yoga with light movements and deep breathing may lead to improved quality of life, lower blood pressure and lower heart rate in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation compared to a control group," researchers wrote in the study. "Yoga could be a complementary treatment method to standard therapy."

"Yoga may improve quality of life in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation because it gives them a method to gain some self control over their symptoms instead of feeling helpless," explained Wahlström. "Patients in the yoga group said it felt good to let go of their thoughts and just be inside themselves for awhile."

"A lot of the patients I meet who have paroxysmal atrial fibrillation are very stressed. Yoga should be offered as a complementary therapy to help them relax. It may also reduce their visits to hospital by lowering their anxiety until an AF episode stops."

The findings are published in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing.

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