scholarly journals Standardized massage interventions as protocols for the induction of psychophysiological relaxation in the laboratory: a block randomized, controlled trial

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Meier ◽  
Eva Unternaehrer ◽  
Stephanie J. Dimitroff ◽  
Annika B. E. Benz ◽  
Ulrike U. Bentele ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Psychological States ◽  
Psychophysiological State ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
Regenerative Systems ◽  
Future Work

Abstract Health and disease are strongly linked to psychophysiological states. While stress research strongly benefits from standardized stressors, no established protocol focuses on the induction of psychophysiological relaxation. To maintain health, functioning regenerative systems are however likely as important as functioning stress systems. Thus, the identification of validated relaxation paradigms is needed. Here, we investigated whether standardized massages are capable of reliably inducing physiological and psychological states of relaxation. Relaxation was indicated by changes in high frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV), a vagally-mediated heart rate variability component, and repeated ratings of subjective relaxation, and stress levels. Sixty healthy women were randomly assigned to a vagus nerve massage (n = 19), a soft shoulder massage (n = 22), or a resting control group (n = 19). During the intervention, HF-HRV and subjective relaxation increased, while subjective stress decreased significantly in all groups. Both massage interventions elicited significantly higher HF-HRV compared to the control group. Accordingly, both massage protocols increased psychophysiological relaxation, and may serve as useful tools in future research. However, future work will have to determine which of several protocols might be used as a gold standard to induce a psychophysiological state of relaxation in the laboratory.

scholarly journals A Pragmatic Controlled Trial of Forest Bathing Compared with Compassionate Mind Training in the UK: Impacts on Self-Reported Wellbeing and Heart Rate Variability

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1380
Author(s):  
Kirsten McEwan ◽  
David Giles ◽  
Fiona J. Clarke ◽  
Yasu Kotera ◽  
Gary Evans ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Increase Heart Rate ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Forest Bathing ◽  
Mind Training

Forest Bathing, where individuals use mindfulness to engage with nature, has been reported to increase heart rate variability and benefit wellbeing. To date, most Forest Bathing studies have been conducted in Asia. Accordingly, this paper reports the first pragmatic controlled trial of Forest Bathing in the United Kingdom, comparing Forest Bathing with a control comprising an established wellbeing intervention also known to increase heart rate variability called Compassionate Mind Training. Sixty-one university staff and students (50 females, 11 males) were allocated to (i) Forest Bathing, (ii) Compassionate Mind Training or (iii) Forest Bathing combined with Compassionate Mind Training. Wellbeing and heart rate variability were measured at baseline, post-intervention and three-months follow-up. There were improvements in positive emotions, mood disturbance, rumination, nature connection and compassion and 57% of participants showed an increase in heart rate variability. There were no significant differences between conditions, showing that Forest Bathing had equivalence with an established wellbeing intervention. The findings will help healthcare providers and policy makers to understand the effects of Forest Bathing and implement it as a feasible social prescription to improve wellbeing. Future research needs to involve clinical populations and to assess the effects of Forest Bathing in a fully powered randomised controlled trial.

scholarly journals The Acute Effects of Aerobic Exercise on Nocturnal and Pre-Sleep Arousal in Patients with Unipolar Depression: Preplanned Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (17) ◽  
pp. 4028
Author(s):  
Gavin Brupbacher ◽  
Thea Zander-Schellenberg ◽  
Doris Straus ◽  
Hildburg Porschke ◽  
Denis Infanger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Aerobic Exercise ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Unipolar Depression ◽  
Moderate Intensity ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Sleep Period ◽  
Sleep Arousal

Unipolar depression is associated with insomnia and autonomic arousal. The aim of this study was to quantify the effect of a single bout of aerobic exercise on nocturnal heart rate variability and pre-sleep arousal in patients with depression. This study was designed as a two-arm, parallel-group, randomized, outcome assessor-blinded, controlled, superiority trial. Patients with a primary diagnosis of unipolar depression aged 18–65 years were included. The intervention consisted of a single 30 min moderate-intensity aerobic exercise bout. The control group sat and read for 30 min. The primary outcome of interest was RMSSD during the sleep period assessed with polysomnography. Secondary outcomes were additional heart rate variability outcomes during the sleep and pre-sleep period as well as subjective pre-sleep arousal. A total of 92 patients were randomized to either the exercise (N = 46) or the control (N = 46) group. Intent-to-treat analysis ANCOVA of follow-up sleep period RMSSD, adjusted for baseline levels and minimization factors, did not detect a significant effect of the allocation (β = 0.12, p = 0.94). There was no evidence for significant differences between both groups in any other heart rate variability measure nor in measures of cognitive or somatic pre-sleep arousal. As this is the first trial of its kind in this population, the findings need to be confirmed in further studies. Patients with depression should be encouraged to exercise regularly in order to profit from the known benefits on sleep and depressive symptoms, which are supported by extensive literature.

Breathing-based leg exercises during hemodialysis improve quality of life: A randomized controlled trial

2021 ◽  
pp. 026921552110007
Author(s):  
Hsin-Yi Huang ◽  
Kuo-Sheng Hung ◽  
Mei-Ling Yeh ◽  
Hsiu-Ling Chou ◽  
Albert Lou Yeh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
End Stage Renal Disease ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Stage Renal Disease ◽  
End Stage

Objective: To evaluate the effect of a 12-week breathing-based leg exercises program on quality of life under stabilizing heart rate variability and reducing fatigue in regular hemodialysis patients. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Setting: A 94-bed hemodialysis department at a medical center in northern Taiwan. Participants: Eighty-six patients with end-stage renal disease undergoing hemodialysis were recruited and randomly assigned to the ExBr or control groups. Interventions: The breathing-based leg exercises program comprised abdominal breathing and low-intensity leg exercise, including leg lifts, quadriceps femoris contraction and knee flexion, and lasted for 15 minutes at one time, three times a week for 12 weeks. Main measure: Data was collected by using the World Health Organization quality of life assessment-brief, physiological signal recorder for heart rate variability and hemodialysis-related fatigue scale at baseline and on Week 4, Week 8, and Week 12. Results: Average (standard deviation) age was 53.70 (10.04) years in the ExBr group and 61.19 (10.19) years in the control group. The linear mixed model with adjusted age, creatinine, heart rate variability and fatigue revealed that the ExBr group had significantly higher quality of life than did the control group ( P = 0.01), especially on Week 12 ( P = 0.04). Fatigue was significantly correlated with quality of life ( P < 0.001). Conclusion: This study supported the benefits of the continued breathing-based leg exercises during hemodialysis for at least 12 weeks, which improved the quality of life of patients with end-stage renal disease and did not affect the stability of their vital signs.

scholarly journals Physiological and Psychological Effects of Parental Traditional Thai Massage on Children with Autism: A Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui Ruan ◽  
Wichai Eungpinichpong ◽  
Hua Wu ◽  
Chanada Aonsri
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Complementary Therapy ◽  
Psychological Effects ◽  
Stress Index ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Randomized Controlled

Introduction Although many autistic children receive massage as a complementary therapy, it is not included in evidence-based practices for autism since evidence of its efficacy is lacking. Further, prior studies have failed to identify objective indicators of core symptoms or elucidate their mechanisms. We developed a parent-delivered traditional Thai massage (TTM) on children intervention with autism, aim is to access the physiological (gait and heart rate variability) and psychological effects of intervention. Methods and analysis A two-armed, parallel randomized controlled trial study will recruit forty-eight children with autism from the XX Special Education School at the beginning of Febuary2022. They will be randomly assigned to either a parental TTM or control group with a ratio of 1:1. Individuals in the parental TTM group will receive 16 parent-delivered TTM sessions over 8 weeks. The outcome will be assessed on admission, after 8 weeks, and as well as at 2-month follow-up, including the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist score, heart rate variability, gait, and parenting stress index. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approved by the Khon Kaen University Ethics Committee for Human Research (XXXX). Result will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and give presentations in domestic and international academic conferences to further promote communication. Trial registration number: XXXXXX

scholarly journals Cardiac Parasympathetic Withdrawal and Sympathetic Activity: Effect of Heat Exposure on Heart Rate Variability

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 5934
Author(s):  
Oriol Abellán-Aynés ◽  
Pedro Manonelles ◽  
Fernando Alacid
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Sympathetic Activity ◽  
Heat Exposure ◽  
Repeated Measurements ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Poincaré Plot ◽  
Activity Effect ◽  
And Control

(1) Background: Research on heart rate variability has increased in recent years and the temperature has not been controlled in some studies assessing repeated measurements. This study aimed to analyze how heart rate variability may change based on environmental temperature during measurement depending on parasympathetic and sympathetic activity variations. (2) Methods: A total of 22 volunteers participated in this study divided into an experimental (n = 12) and control group (n = 10). Each participant was assessed randomly under two different environmental conditions for the experimental group (19 °C and 35 °C) and two identical environmental conditions for the control group (19 °C). During the procedure, heart rate variability measurements were carried out for 10 min. (3) Results: Significantly changes were observed for time and frequency domains as well as Poincaré plot variables after heat exposure (p < 0.05). These findings were not observed in the control group, whose conditions between measurements did not change. (4) Conclusions: The reduction of heart rate variability due to exposure to hot conditions appears to be produced mostly by a parasympathetic withdrawal rather than a sympathetic activation. Therefore, if consecutive measurements have to be carried out, these should always be done under the same temperature conditions.

scholarly journals Effect of Acupuncture on Heart Rate Variability: A Systematic Review

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne W. Y. Chung ◽  
Vincent C. M. Yan ◽  
Hongwei Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Keyword Search ◽  
Data Extraction ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Control Group

Aim.To summarize all relevant trials and critically evaluate the effect of acupuncture on heart rate variability (HRV).Method.This was a systematic review with meta-analysis. Keyword search was conducted in 7 databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Data extraction and risk of bias were done.Results.Fourteen included studies showed a decreasing effect of acupuncture on low frequency (LF) and low frequency to high frequency ratio (LF/HF ratio) of HRV for nonhealthy subjects and on normalized low frequency (LF norm) for healthy subjects. The overall effect was in favour of the sham/control group for high frequency (HF) in nonhealthy subjects and for normalized high frequency (HF norm) in healthy subjects. Significant decreasing effect on HF and LF/HF ratio of HRV when acupuncture was performed on ST36 among healthy subjects and PC6 among both healthy and nonhealthy subjects, respectively.Discussion.This study partially supports the possible effect of acupuncture in modulating the LF of HRV in both healthy and nonhealthy subjects, while previous review reported that acupuncture did not have any convincing effect on HRV in healthy subjects. More published work is needed in this area to determine if HRV can be an indicator of the therapeutic effect of acupuncture.

scholarly journals The effect of therapeutic listening on anxiety and fear among surgical patients: randomized controlled trial

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Cláudia Mesquita Garcia ◽  
Talita Prado Simão-Miranda ◽  
Ana Maria Pimenta Carvalho ◽  
Paula Condé Lamparelli Elias ◽  
Maria da Graça Pereira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
State Anxiety ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Clinical Trial Registration ◽  
Physiological Variables ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Therapeutic Listening

ABSTRACT Objective: To investigate the effect of therapeutic listening on state anxiety and surgical fears in preoperative colorectal cancer patients. Method: A randomized controlled trial with 50 patients randomly allocated in the intervention group (therapeutic listening) (n = 25) or in the control group (n = 25). The study evaluated the changes in the variables state anxiety, surgical fears and physiological variables (salivary alpha-amylase, salivary cortisol, heart rate, respiratory rate and blood pressure). Results: In the comparison of the variables in the control and intervention groups in pre- and post-intervention, differences between the two periods for the variables cortisol (p=0.043), heart rate (p=0.034) and surgical fears (p=0.030) were found in the control group, which presented reduction in the values of these variables. Conclusion: There was no reduction in the levels of the variables state anxiety and surgical fears resulting from the therapeutic listening intervention, either through the physiological or psychological indicators. However, the contact with the researcher during data collection, without stimulus to reflect on the situation, may have generated the results of the control group. Clinical Trial Registration: NCT02455128.

Heart Rate Variability And Respiratory Muscle Strength In Patients With Type Ii Diabetes Practicing Pilates: A Randomized Clinical Trial

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samara Sousa Vasconcelos Gouveia ◽  
Guilherme Pertinni de Morais Gouveia ◽  
Leydnaya Maria Souza ◽  
Bruno Cunha da Costa ◽  
Gustavo Henrique Melo Sousa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trial ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Muscle Strength ◽  
Normal Distribution ◽  
Randomized Clinical Trial ◽  
Respiratory Muscle ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Respiratory Muscle Strength

Purpose: This study aimed to analyze the effect of a Pilates protocol on respiratory muscle strength and heart rate variability (HRV) in patients with type 2 diabetes. Method: A randomized clinical trial (RBR-2gc2qj) was conducted with a type 2 diabetic target population. Patients practiced the Pilates protocol for 8 weeks, with two visits per week. The variables tested were maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP), maximum expiratory pressure (MEP), and HRV (time and frequency domains). All variables were tested for normal distribution. Using SPSS 21.0, analysis of variance was performed for variables with normal distribution, and the Wilcoxon and Friedman tests were used for variables that did not show a normal distribution, with a 5% significance level. Results: Forty-four participants were included in the study (intervention group: 22; control group: 22; mean age: 61.23 ± 8.49 years), most of whom were female (77.3%), married or in a consensual union (59.1%), had complete literacy (31.8%), and had an average body mass index of 26.96 ± 4.35 kg/m2. There were no significant differences in MIP and MEP before and after the protocol between the intervention and control groups. Regarding HRV, there were significant differences in autonomic modulation, especially between the moments before and during exercise and between the moments during and after exercise; however, it was not possible to determine which system (sympathetic or parasympathetic) is most involved in these changes. Conclusion: The exercise protocol based on the Pilates method did not alter respiratory muscle strength but promoted changes in HRV, especially between the moments before and during exercise and during and after exercise.

Effect of short-term mental stress on time- domain indices of heart rate variability in obese individuals – A case- control study

Biomedicine ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 274-277
Author(s):  
Priya S.A. ◽  
R. Rajalakshmi
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Neuronal Activity ◽  
Time Domain ◽  
Mental Stress ◽  
Mental Arithmetic ◽  
High Body Mass Index ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Stress Task ◽  
The Individual

  Introduction and Aim: Mental stress may impact dramatically on dynamic autonomic control on heart. Many studies have demonstrated association of high body mass index (BMI) with greater risk for cardiovascular disease with disturbance in autonomic neuronal activity. Analysis of Heart rate variability (HRV)during acute mental stress assesses the autonomic status of the individual. Hence, we aimed to study the effect of acute mental stress on time domain measures in obese adults.   Materials and Methods:Sixty male volunteers of 30 each in study group (obese individuals) and control group (non-obese individuals) were recruited for the study. A basal recording of ECG in lead II was done on all the individuals. Then they underwent mental arithmetic stress task for 5 minutes during which again ECG was recorded. The change in time domain measures of HRV during rest and stress task was analyzed and compared between both the groups.   Results: Analysis of time domain measures of HRV revealed a statistically significant increase (p ? 0.001) in mean heart rate in both obese and non-obese individuals, while rMSSD(root mean square differences of successive RR interval) and SDNN (standard deviation of all NN intervals) showed a statistically significant (p? 0.001) decrease in obese individuals and non-obese individuals did not show any statistically significant change during the mental stress task.   Conclusion: In response to acute mental stress there was increased heart rate in both the groups. But the autonomic neuronal activity differed by way of sympathetic dominance in non-obese individuals and parasympathetic withdrawal in obese individuals.  

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