Vermeylen Sascha, Honinx Elisabeth, Broes Stefanie, Vandenhoudt Hilde, De Witte Nele A J
LiCalab, Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, Geel, Belgium.
Moonbird B.V., Brussels, Belgium.
Front Digit Health. 2022 Oct 5;4:908159. doi: 10.3389/fdgth.2022.908159. eCollection 2022.
Sleep problems, like insomnia, are a prevalent condition associated with major health risks. Prevention and treatment of sleep problems are thus essential to preserve physical and mental health. Previous work supports the effectiveness of breathing guidance for sleep problems and recommends breathing exercises as an effective intervention for insomnia. While new technologies can support breathing guidance, such novel devices should be assessed for effectiveness and usability to facilitate implementation and continued use. The current pilot study investigates the acceptability and usability of a mobile tactile breathing device and explores its potential impact on subjective sleep quality. In this mixed-method pilot study, 39 participants tested the breathing device for one month in naturalistic circumstances. We collected their experiences, subjective sleep quality, and feedback regarding the usability of the device and the accompanying app through a survey in a pre-post design. The results show that the breathing device is an acceptable solution for sleep problems and participants particularly appreciate the standalone function and design. Nevertheless, important points of attention, such as the size of the device, were also identified. Explorative analyses suggest that subjective sleep quality improved after using the device and accompanying app. The current study supports the usability and acceptability of a tactile breath pacer and provides preliminary evidence supporting a positive impact of the technology on the sleep quality of participants. Recommendations for developers of breathing technologies and eHealth are devised based on the findings.
睡眠问题，如失眠，是一种普遍存在的状况，与重大健康风险相关。因此，预防和治疗睡眠问题对于保持身心健康至关重要。先前的研究支持呼吸指导对睡眠问题的有效性，并推荐呼吸练习作为治疗失眠的有效干预措施。虽然新技术可以支持呼吸指导，但此类新型设备应评估其有效性和可用性，以促进其实施和持续使用。当前的试点研究调查了一种移动触觉呼吸设备的可接受性和可用性，并探讨了其对主观睡眠质量的潜在影响。在这项混合方法的试点研究中，39名参与者在自然环境中对该呼吸设备进行了为期一个月的测试。我们通过前后设计的调查收集了他们的体验、主观睡眠质量以及关于该设备和配套应用程序可用性的反馈。结果表明，该呼吸设备是解决睡眠问题的可接受方案，参与者尤其欣赏其独立功能和设计。然而，也发现了一些重要的注意事项，如设备的尺寸。探索性分析表明，使用该设备和配套应用程序后，主观睡眠质量有所改善。当前的研究支持了触觉呼吸起搏器的可用性和可接受性，并提供了初步证据，证明该技术对参与者的睡眠质量有积极影响。基于这些发现，为呼吸技术和电子健康领域的开发者提出了建议。
