Letter to the Editor a Study to Compare the Effectiveness of Gsr Biofeedback Training and Progressive Muscle Relaxation Training in Reducing Blood Pressure and Respiratory Rate among Highly Stressed Individuals

St ress i s a s ta te o f phys io log ica l o r psycholog ica l s t ra in caused by adverse s t imul i , phys ica l , menta l o r emot iona l ; in te rna l o r ex te rna l tha t t ends to d i s tu rb the func t ion ing of an ind iv idua l . I t may manifes t in the form of anger, depress ion, gu i l t , f rus t ra t ion as wel l as phys io log ica l responses such as muscula r t ens ion and increased hear t ra te . In recen t years , var ious re laxa t ion techniques have been recommended to alleviate stress and anxiety. These techniques have a l so been used successfully in the field of sports primarily to enhance recovery f rom t ra in ing and competition, to manage anxiety and improve performance (1). They have been suggested to ac t by increas ing the concen t ra t ion , enhanc ing the motor sk i l l s and improving the ability to handle arousal and stress (2). Of these techniques, biofeedback training as wel l as Progress ive Musc le Re laxa t ion (PMR) has gained popularity as an effective too l in var ious hea l th condi t ions , rang ing f rom hyper tens ion to ep i lepsy (3) . Biofeedback training enables the subject to cont ro l h i s body responses such as hear t ra te and ga lvan ic sk in res i s tance (GSR) . Paran and Yaniv observed an improvement in b lood pressure and a decrease in medica t ion a f te r the app l ica t ion of biofeedback assis ted re laxat ion (4) . Progress ive musc le re laxa t ion i s a popula r t echnique , known for i t s musc le tens ion re l i ev ing e f fec t s . I t cons i s t s o f a se r ies o f exerc i ses invo lv ing tens ing and relaxing various muscle groups in the body. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of PMR t ra in ing and GSR b iofeedback training in reducing the blood pressure and respiratory rate of s tressed female s tudents of age group 18–27 yrs . Their s t ress level was assessed using Comprehensive Anxiety Tes t ques t ionna i re .