Anxious? Try Hugging Your ‘Breathing Pillow’

Four pillows respectively mimicked respiratory; a heartbeat; purring; or purring and respiratory mixed. A fifth pillow emitted a subtle ring of sunshine.

Haynes and her colleagues discovered that the respiratory pillow was rated one of the best by a “considerably increased” variety of customers, who variously described it as calming, soothing, and/or enjoyable. A bit greater than one-third agreed that when functioning, the pillow “looks like respiratory,” whereas three stated holding it felt like holding a cat.

So the investigators determined to deal with the respiratory pillow, and to refine the design for additional testing.

The closing result’s roughly 14 inches lengthy, 10 inches on the widest level, and 6 inches thick. Covered in mushy polyester microfiber and corduroy, the pillow is meant to be hugged near the stomach and chest.

A tube operating from an exterior — and externally powered — pump “plugs” into the pillow’s interior mechanics, which incorporates an inflatable chamber. The tube itself stays hidden from view (and noise-free) by these utilizing the pillow.

In the identical vein, the inside mechanics are buried deep contained in the pillow, and set to imitate a respiratory charge of 10 breaths per minute. (The research authors identified that individuals usually breathe at a charge of between 12 to 18 breaths per minute, so the pillow is meant to duplicate sluggish respiratory.)

Once the respiratory pillow design was accomplished, 129 adults aged 18 to 36 (about 75% have been girls) have been enlisted for testing.

All have been first informed that they might be taking a verbal math take a look at, through which members must reply questions in entrance of one another. The purpose: to impress anxiousness and social stress.

More testing wanted

Participants have been then randomly divided into three teams: a meditation group primarily based on a normal 8-minute respiratory steerage delivered through headphones; a bunch that was requested to spend the identical time merely sitting quietly and ready (with out entry to cellphones); and the pillow group. The pillow group was instructed to hug their cushion upright for 8 minutes whereas sporting sound-blocking headphones.

In separate rooms, every group accomplished a number of normal anxiousness checks, earlier than, throughout and after the experiment.

The researchers discovered that not solely was the cushion as efficient as meditation, but it surely was significantly useful for college kids who stated they usually skilled excessive take a look at anxiousness, stated Haynes. For these people, the machine could also be significantly useful.

In addition, she defined, “we imagine that the respiratory cushion may additionally present assist for a variety of individuals, and significantly people who could discover present strategies/remedies equivalent to meditation inaccessible.”

Haynes famous that as a analysis prototype the cushion is just not but on the market and even in manufacturing, so for now it is unclear what it may cost or whether or not insurance coverage may cowl it.

But she described the pillow as intuitive and easy-to-use even whereas partaking in different actions, equivalent to watching TV or speaking with somebody. It must be considered, she stated, as “a complementary machine that individuals can have of their house to supply consolation and assist when wanted.”

Martina Svensson is an affiliate researcher with the Experimental Neuroinflammation Laboratory (ENL) at Lund University in Sweden. Though not concerned within the research, she agreed that the findings point out “that the calming pillow could have some calming impact in sure conditions for individuals who don’t endure from anxiousness problems, however are simply anxious earlier than a demanding occasion.”

At the identical time, she burdened that additional analysis is required, maybe together with extra goal anxiousness measures, equivalent to coronary heart charge and respiratory patterns. And Svensson reiterated the essential caveat that “it stays to be evaluated whether or not this machine is equally efficient for individuals identified with anxiousness problems.”

More data

There’s extra on college students and anxiousness at Harvard Medical School.

SOURCES: Alice C. Haynes, PhD-candidate in affective haptics, and researcher, University of Bristol, United Kingdom; Martina Svensson, PhD, affiliate researcher, Experimental Neuroinflammation Laboratory (ENL), Lund University, Lund, Sweden; PLOS ONE, March 9, 2022