--- title: Does breathing exercise (anuloma-viloma) or yoga help PMS symptoms? description: Yes, both breathing exercises and yoga reduced physical stress signs in women with PMS over three menstrual cycles. The study was small and uncontrolled, so w url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/comparative-study-of-effect-of-anuloma-viloma-pranayam-and-yogic-asanas-in-2013/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does breathing exercise (anuloma-viloma) or yoga help PMS symptoms? Non-randomised trial, 2013 # Does breathing exercise (anuloma-viloma) or yoga help PMS symptoms? Yes, both breathing exercises and yoga reduced physical stress signs in women with PMS over three menstrual cycles. The study was small and uncontrolled, so we cannot be sure these work better than doing nothing. Early or limited evidence 60 women aged 18-40 with PMS and regular 28-34 day cycles ## What they did Researchers divided 60 women with PMS into three groups of 20. One did no exercise, one did anuloma-viloma breathing for 7 days before each period over 3 cycles, and one did yoga. They measured heart rate, blood pressure, muscle tension, skin response, breathing rate, and body temperature. ## What they found In both treatment groups, heart rate, blood pressure (systolic and diastolic), muscle tension, skin response, and breathing rate all dropped significantly by the third cycle (P < 0.001). Body temperature rose (P < 0.001). There was a significant difference between the three groups (P < 0.05). ## What it means for you Breathing exercise and yoga may lower the physical stress response in PMS. The study was small, did not randomly assign women to groups, and women knew what treatment they received, so the results may not hold up in larger, more controlled studies. 60 Women with PMS studied 3 Menstrual cycles of intervention 20 Women in each group ## About the study Original title Comparative study of effect of anuloma-viloma (pranayam) and yogic asanas in premenstrual syndrome Authors Sharma B, Misra R, Singh K et al. Journal Indian journal of physiology and pharmacology Year 2013 Study design Non-randomised trial Participants 20 What was tested Anuloma-viloma breathing exercise or yogic asanas for 7 days before menstruation over 3 consecutive cycles Read the paper [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24968577/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24968577/) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Exercise and yoga](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-exercise/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Cohort study, 2026 Do sleep, exercise, and diet quality affect period pain, heavy bleeding, and PMS in midlife? Randomised trial, 2026 Does yoga or Pilates help reduce PMS symptoms? Randomised trial, 2026 Does aerobic or resistance exercise reduce anxiety in women with PMS? Systematic review, 2026 Do mindfulness and relaxation techniques help with PMS symptoms? Randomised trial, 2026 Does yoga reduce PMS symptoms? Randomised trial, 2025 Does caloric restriction and aerobic exercise improve PMS symptoms in obese women? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗