TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2024//
TI  - The effect of breathing relaxation to improve poor sleep quality in adults using a huggable human-shaped device: a randomized controlled trial
JO  - Sleep and Breathing
A1  - Doi, Satomi Kato
A1  - Isumi, Aya
A1  - Yamaoka, Yui
A1  - Shakagori, Shiori
A1  - Yamazaki, Juri
A1  - Ito, Kanako
A1  - Shiomi, Masahiro
A1  - Sumioka, Hidenobu
A1  - Fujiwara, Takeo
SP  - 429
EP  - 439
VL  - 28
IS  - 1
N2  - PURPOSE: To examine whether or not breathing relaxation, using a huggable human-shaped device, improves poor sleep quality in adults.     METHODS: We conducted a randomized controlled trial using outpatients with sleep problems from two clinics in Japan. The intervention group conducted three minutes of breathing relaxation using a huggable human-shaped device before going to bed every night for four weeks. Sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), at pre-intervention, mid-intervention (2 weeks after pre-intervention), and post-intervention (4 weeks after pre-intervention). We employed intention-to-treat analysis.     RESULTS: A total of 68 participants (mean [SD] age, 41.7 [11.4] years; 64 female [95%]) were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n = 29, mean [SD] age, 43.6 [9.5] years; 28 female [97%]) and the control group (n = 36, mean [SD] age, 40.3 [12.7] years; 36 female [95%]). The intervention group showed a significant decrease in the PSQI score compared to the control group (F = 3.81, p = 0.025, effect size (η2) = 0.057). Furthermore, we found the intervention to be more effective in participants without suicide risk and with a lower number of adverse childhood experiences (effect size (η2) = 0.080 and 0.160, respectively).     CONCLUSIONS: A novel psychological intervention, breathing relaxation using a huggable human-shaped device, may be effective to improve sleep quality among people with sleep problems, especially those without severe psychological symptoms.     TRIAL REGISTRATION: UMIN000045262. (Registration Date: September 28th, 2021).<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1520-9512
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11325-023-02858-5
ID  - ref1
ER  -