Does two weeks of following the Wim Hof Breathing Method improve coping with physiological and psychological stressors?

Veenhof, Nick (2023) Does two weeks of following the Wim Hof Breathing Method improve coping with physiological and psychological stressors? Bachelor's Research Project (period 2b), Biology.

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Abstract

Stress has a big impact on several aspects of health. It is therefore important to find clinical ways to reduce stress levels. Stress can be measured by looking at heart rate variability (HRV),which is the variability in time interval between heartbeats. Breathing techniques can be used to improve heart rate variability (HRV) and reduce stress, but little research has been conducted on the Wim Hof Breathing Method (WHBM). The WHBM is one of the three pillars of the Wim Hof Method, designed by ‘The Iceman’ Wim Hof. There are claims that his method has several health benefits, but more research needs to be done to confirm these claims. The current experiment aims to investigate if two weeks of practicing the WHBM can improve stress-coping during both physiological and psychological stressors. Results did not show any significant improvements in the way the participants were able to cope with stress. This means that this current experiment failed to show that the WHBM is a valid way to reduce stress. Nevertheless, recent research has shown that there are preliminary indications that the WHBM, possibly in combination with the other pillars of the WHM, could work stress-relieving.

Item Type:	Thesis (Bachelor's Research Project (period 2b))
Supervisor name:	Scheurink, A.J.W. and Olivier, J.D.A. and Drion, C.M.
Degree programme:	Biology
Thesis type:	Bachelor's Research Project (period 2b)
Language:	English
Date Deposited:	17 Jul 2023 06:52
Last Modified:	17 Jul 2023 06:52
URI:	https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/30497

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