Hasuo Hideaki, Kanbara Kenji, Fukunaga Mikihiko
Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Kansai Medical University, Osaka, Japan.
Front Med (Lausanne). 2020 Feb 25;7:61. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2020.00061. eCollection 2020.
Heart rate variability biofeedback (HRV-BF) is used as a skill in psychosomatic medicine, but is not yet established in the field of sleep. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of HRV-BF with resonant frequency breathing (RFB) on sleep performed once every 2 weeks and the usefulness of practice of RFB using a portable device at home before bedtime. Participants were 69 family caregivers of patients with cancer that felt burdened by nursing care. We conducted a randomized controlled trial with an HRV-BF+Home practice group and an HRV-BF group. HRV-BF with RFB was administered to both groups at our medical institution for up to 30 min on the experiment days. Home practice involved RFB using a portable device, which was performed at home each day within 20 min before bedtime. Evaluation items were: change ratio of total score of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) at 28 days after the trial started. In total, 52.2% of participants had insomnia. The two HRV-BF groups had decreased PSQI total scores, which indicated an improvement in PSQI total score near 5.5 on Day 28. The two HRV-BF groups had significantly increased HRV scores on Day 28, and there was correlation between the variation of PSQI total score and the variation of HRV score. The quality of sleep assessed by PSQI scores in the HRV-BF+Home practice group was significantly improved compared with the HRV-BF group on Day 28 ( = 0.001). This suggests HRV-BF may be a useful skill for enhancing sleep among family caregivers of patients with cancer, as well as supporting their autonomic nervous function. Additional actual regular practice of RFB (using a portable device at home before bedtime) may further enhance the effect.
心率变异性生物反馈（HRV-BF）在身心医学中作为一种技能被使用，但在睡眠领域尚未确立。本研究旨在评估每2周进行一次的HRV-BF联合共振频率呼吸（RFB）对睡眠的影响，以及睡前在家使用便携式设备进行RFB练习的有效性。参与者为69名因护理而感到负担沉重的癌症患者家庭照顾者。我们进行了一项随机对照试验，分为HRV-BF+家庭练习组和HRV-BF组。在实验日，两组在我们的医疗机构接受长达30分钟的HRV-BF联合RFB治疗。家庭练习包括使用便携式设备进行RFB，每天在睡前20分钟内在家中进行。评估项目为：试验开始后28天匹兹堡睡眠质量指数（PSQI）总分的变化率。总共有52.2%的参与者患有失眠症。两个HRV-BF组的PSQI总分均有所下降，这表明在第28天PSQI总分提高了近5.5。两个HRV-BF组在第28天的HRV分数显著增加，并且PSQI总分的变化与HRV分数的变化之间存在相关性。在第28天，HRV-BF+家庭练习组通过PSQI评分评估的睡眠质量与HRV-BF组相比有显著改善（=0.001）。这表明HRV-BF可能是一种有用的技能，可增强癌症患者家庭照顾者的睡眠，并支持他们的自主神经功能。额外定期实际进行RFB（睡前在家使用便携式设备）可能会进一步增强效果。
